N5IA SOHP, ZONE 4 (by 3 miles)
VIRDEN, NEW MEXICO
OP ROBIN, WA6CDR
1.5KW Elevated radial "real" quarter wave ground plane, 15 beverages
(directions), 1000 to 2500 ft long, ts940 & ft980, na10.
800Q, 55 W/VE, 36 countries, 91 mults, 2406 Q points,
Score 218,946.
Conditions sure were NOT like the Stew Perry test!. EU opening friday was
marginal, resulting in only a few qsos, all fairly weak. Saturday morning
JA opening was not much better, worked all I called, but less than half of
what was expected, and signals were all weak. 3W5 and ZL came around too
late for us, I heard them working N6SS 300 miles northwest of here, but it
was hard daylight, and all the DX signals had already all moved to straight
north.
Saturday, ran slowly for 6 hours, and then couldn't stand it, no eu called
or heard, so went hunting in the last hour of eu sunrise. all signals
weak, but worked a dozen or so western eu with their sunrise peak.
Certainly nothing like expected. JA opening was better for strength, but
only another couple dozen qsos. Past years we have worked many more, this
year we expected to break 100 JA qsos. Only worked 50, a significant drop.
Highlights of the test, being called by several SA stations, and Antartica.
Best surprise was working Phil, YB0ARA/9, under these conditions.
Review of conditions, and general signal strengths - this was more like a
test during a solar maximum, not one very close to the bottom of the cycle.
The contrast to December, 97 conditions is phenomenal.
WHERE WERE VT AND DC, AND THOSE PROVINCES? Missed EXACTLY the same ones
this year, last year, and the year before (except new DC)... if I can work
50 some PA stations, where was the rest of New England? (from the far
western viewpoint, its all the same place ...... flames to my accountant,
please - he needs the practice!)
716 NA
5 SA
23 EU
1 AF
50 Asia (all JA)
5 Oceana
8P, C3, CE, CT, DL, EA, EA8, EM1-CE9, F, G, GM, GW, JA, KH6, KL, KP4, OK,
ON, OY, OZ, P4, PJ2, PY, S5, SP, TI, UA2, UA9, V4, V7, VP2E, XE, YB, YS, ZF.
with apologies to ZF1EJ.. I was in a fog, cqing with few answers. he was
so loud when he called that I decided he was one of our loud neighbors
trying to push me off my run freq saying dx here, etc.... so i argued
instead of working him. thanks for your patience.
if anyone knows if he has e-mail and could forward this to him, i would
appreciate it,
73, robin, wa6cdr, n5ia op
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