With ARRL DX CW just over a month away, conditions seem to be peaking on 80m.
Last night from 0700-0900Z, I witnessed the best DX conditions ever in my
two years at this STx QTH. I worked a string of Europeans, all on the first
call, with Ron, GW3YDX, remarkably strong with his Omni 6/ETO 91B
combination. As daylight started taking out the Europeans and I was signing
with the last G3 breaking the noise level, I grabbed a UA0, who was coming
through at a solid S-6.
Setup here is 100W to a slanting delta loop with apex up at about 35', and
lower corner fed, with the base of the delta averaging about 4-5 feet off the
ground. Its usually a struggle to work any DX with this combination....hope
conditions stay this good for ARRL DX. There might be some hope for us small
pistols!
73, Paul, KB8N
>From Ray Rocker <rocker@datasync.com> Fri Dec 29 17:17:51 1995
From: Ray Rocker <rocker@datasync.com> (Ray Rocker)
Subject: SPRINT PROTOCAL
Message-ID: <199512291717.LAA00650@osh1.datasync.com>
> Let's see if I have it right.
> When I'm up to bat, I yell "N5RP up to bat"
> After I hit the Ball, I yell "Ball hit ny N5RP"
Ok, I'll volunteer to be coach.
Let's say W1ABC (Bob in MA) is CQing and K5XYZ (Bud in TX) is answering.
[1] Bob: CQ INT DE W1ABC
[2] Bud: K5XYZ
[3] Bob: K5XYZ W1ABC 1 BOB MA
[4] Bud: W1ABC 1 BUD TX K5XYZ
and that's the cue for anyone else listening to jump in and call K5XYZ.
What is annoying is when Bob in line [3] sends "K5XYZ 1 BOB MA W1ABC",
which causes someone tuning by to dump in their call while Bud is trying
to complete the QSO (line [4]).
Ray WQ5L
rocker@datasync.com
p.s. Any similarities to real hams in the above example are
purely coincidental.
>From Bill Straw <0007359114@mcimail.com> Fri Dec 29 17:38:00 1995
From: Bill Straw <0007359114@mcimail.com> (Bill Straw)
Subject: SPRINT EXCHANGE
Message-ID: <44951229173844/0007359114PJ4EM@MCIMAIL.COM>
The only problem with dumping in callsigns is that it
prevents acknowledgement of info rcvd:
(BOB) CQ SPRINT DE W1ABC
(BUD) W1ABC DE W5ABC
(BOB) W5ABC W1ABC 25 BOB NH
(BUD) W1ABC 22 BUD TX W5ABC
(BOB) DIT DIT
If BOB doesn't copy BUD's info, it's tough to ask
for a fill with callsigns getting dumped in. In the
regular sprints this isn't a problem because BOB
just listens to BUD's next QSO to get the info.
In the sprINT it was a real pain trying to get a fill.
Since the info changed with each QSO, BOB can't just
listen to BUD's next QSO. Looking over my handwritten
sprINT logs, I crossed off 5 qso's for this very reason.
Late in the test on 80M there was a rash of WIL, MIL,
MILL, MEL that made things a bit tougher than uaual.
73 BILL WB0O in NORTH DAKOTA
>From Pete Smith <n4zr@ix.netcom.com> Fri Dec 29 18:12:37 1995
From: Pete Smith <n4zr@ix.netcom.com> (Pete Smith)
Subject: Feb Sprint Dates
Message-ID: <199512291812.KAA15185@ix.ix.netcom.com>
Can someone confirm the dates and modes for the February sprints? 1/96 QST
says phone is 2/3, CW 2/10, but I notice that in September phone was first.
Since I don't operate phone contests much, I'd never noticed the order. Is
this correct?
73, Pete Smith N4ZR
n4zr@ix.netcom.com
>From jreid@aloha.net (Jim Reid) Fri Dec 29 19:27:25 1995
From: jreid@aloha.net (Jim Reid) (Jim Reid)
Subject: QST Delivery
Message-ID: <199512291927.JAA11804@hookomo.aloha.net>
Yesterday afternoon, December 28th, the January '96 QST's
were delivered on the island of Kauai.
73, Jim, AH6NB
>From Ray Rocker <rocker@datasync.com> Fri Dec 29 19:54:26 1995
From: Ray Rocker <rocker@datasync.com> (Ray Rocker)
Subject: 80M Propagation Report
Message-ID: <199512291954.NAA04175@osh1.datasync.com>
> With ARRL DX CW just over a month away, conditions seem to be peaking on 80m.
> Last night from 0700-0900Z, I witnessed the best DX conditions ever in my
> two years at this STx QTH. I worked a string of Europeans, all on the first
> call, with Ron, GW3YDX, remarkably strong with his Omni 6/ETO 91B
> combination. As daylight started taking out the Europeans and I was signing
> with the last G3 breaking the noise level, I grabbed a UA0, who was coming
> through at a solid S-6.
Dang! I was awake then too, wasting time on this blasted Internet.
Anyway...I don't know if it's a 5-land thing or what, but there is
something magical about the last week of December on 80m. I've never
had high enough antennas, but for some reason I can work DX on 80m during
this week EVERY YEAR. The rest of the year I can pretty much forget it.
Perhaps Santa clears out the ether during his frenzied annual sleigh
ride and all the fireworks on the 1st clutter it back up. *shrug* :-)
And did anyone notice the wide open sporadic E on 10 and 6 meters Tuesday
around noon? I noticed long haul TV signals all the way through channel 6,
and tuned through the 10m beacon band and must have copied a dozen and
a half of them from Florida to North Carolina up to New England, and all
the way across the Black Hole to Wyoming. Now why couldn't this have
happened during the CONTEST?
--
Ray Rocker ... WQ5L
Pass Christian, Mississippi, USA
rocker@datasync.com
http://www.datasync.com/~rocker
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