I got home late and had missed all the high-band stuff. I was surprised
and dismayed to find ZL9CI kinda weak on 80 CW here in Northern
California as 11Z approached, and I could not crack the Eastern hordes,
who usually blow right by me to the Pacific at that hour. So I chatted
with K6UR on packet--and suddenly the 40 and 80 signals were both gone.
We had heard about the wind, and the probability that the ops would stay
ashore, so this was a surprise. We were slow to grasp any meaning from
this.
Finally, it occurred to us to have a listen on 1826. Ron said "sounds
like a weak bootlegger there." "Sounds like a LOUD bootlegger to me," I
said. Surely that huge signal, working people split at a stupendous rate
for topband, could not be real. I cannot recall ever hearing a signal
that loud from the South Pacific at that time of night. I twisted the
Beverage selector and rotated through the new 2-wires--that guy was SW,
in spades. Hmmmm, let's join the pile for the hell of it. It was
beginning to dawn on me--from the mass of eastern callers--that this had
been going on for a while.
The second call, at 1126, brought a response: "NI6T GARRY 599." Oh,
Jeez, with both "R"'s! It must be Trey! What a shock! I grabbed the
phone and started pulling people out of bed at 3:30 AM.
How could he have been so crummy on 80 and so big on 160? Beats me! And
Ron in Southern Cal? Worked him on 80 but could not hear on 160! And
Ted, KA6W, up on the ridge at 3000 feet, but without his RX loop? Could
not hear through the line noise!
This band certainly surprises! As Bill said, I don't think I will ever
figure it out! :-)
--
Garry Shapiro, NI6T
160 meters: not a band, but an obsession
--
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