------_=_NextPart_001_01BF37F7.834F6DB6
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Good morning Topbanders.
Propagation has not been good lately from the southern cone of South America
and the summer thunderstorms aren't helping much either!
No signals heard during listening sessions from sunset through local
midnight to the early morning hours for the past few weeks. Occasionally
local PY or CX/LU activity, but nothing to call DX. The CQWW expedition
stations in northern South America have been weak and fluttery. HC8 and YV
have been heard, but not strong enough for a QSO. Occasionally their pile
ups come through for a few seconds, but not for any length of time.
Sunrise has been another story a few times recently. For example, this
morning about 25 minutes before local sunrise (SR 0834z) a signal was heard
on my QRG (1831.0), with rapid QSB and it peaked from the west on the phased
loops. I got my call and then an X, then a 3. Nothing heard on the TX
dipole at 60 meters. About sixty seconds later W8JI called and although
there was also QSB, Tom was his usual 559 building to 589 on peaks.
Tom said that ZL3REX was calling. I heard Rex at about 449 building to 559,
but noise in ZL prevented a two way. The receive path must have been skewed
around the south pole, avoiding auroral absorption, as the arrival azimuth
almost was due west.
Normally W8JI is best on the high angle of the TX antenna at sunrise, but
this morning there was about a 20 dB difference in favor of the phased
loops. Whatever the gods of propagation were doing with the ether, the
signals were doing strange things. I hope we have at least a small
improvement for the test.
Anyway, every sunrise, every morning, 1831.0 and I listen off and on from
my local midnight (0300z) in case we do get lucky.
73
Bob LU/KY0C
Bob Marshall-Read
Email rmread@nortelnetworks.com
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/topband.html
Submissions: topband@contesting.com
Administrative requests: topband-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-topband@contesting.com
|