Hello from Potatoland,
I wonder if anyone might have some thoughts regarding my 160m situation in
Idaho. Am I living in a cone of silence or what?
My situation:
I have not heard a single EU at my QTH this year. I can hear K0HA in NE
working one EU after another but I don't even hear a peep.
To the west I have had some success this year working FO0, a couple of JAs,
KH6. KL7 has not been a problem from here. I have heard T20, UA0 but not well
enough to work them.
This year I have 4 EWEs and they have helped immensely. I don't have the room
for Beverages.
During CQWW160 I could hear nearly all the US except for the New England states
on the first night. The second night I began to here W1s after about 2AM my
time. Just lately I have received reports that W1s heard my signals well but I
wouldn't answer their calls. I only heard maybe 5 stations from New England,
W1BB being the loudest but only on the second night.
I've always wondered if the topography around my QTH is affecting my reception
of DX. I am in a mountain valley with mountains rising to 7500 ft to the west
and east of me. My QTH is at 4400 ft. The angle from the horizontal to
mountain top on the east side is 11 degrees and on the west side is 16 degrees.
Could I be severely shielded from incoming low angle signals?
Another observation about the propagation this year. I could always tell how
conditions were to the midwest by listening to a group of ragchewers at 1935.
The last two winters they were there every night with signals always 10 to 20
dB over S9. This winter, not a sound from them but one night this week they
were pounding in again. This was the same night a long delayed echo was
reported on this reflector.
Well, just some questions I had here. I would like to hear any ideas,
experiences, guesses on these topics.
I'll be on for CQWW 160 phone with a kilowatt this time.
GL de Idaho,
Bill Frede W7II
Pocatello, ID
150 miles north of Salt Lake City
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