Hi Doug,
It has been rather tough from this side of "Western Europe" on LF hasn't
it? Having worked previous EPs over the years on HF I was only looking
160/80.
Here is my perspective on snagging a 80 (and 160 QSO), you will know this
already of course but some of the timing may help.
Early evening is a waste of time this far west (I'm just across the bay form
you near Liverpool, 147 miles to be exact). Even with a nice sunset peak on
80 for 15 mins you won't compete with East EU. Forget this slot.
19-2230z comes the inevitable focus on JA, signals have been good then but
again forget it, its JA time you can't compete or you can't call.
Signals have generally taken a step back here after the JA window and
hovered around NIL to S2-3. Not worth calling with their noise level and
pile up from SE Europe still in full swing (still just about a sociable time
in SE Europe but 1am).
Once 01z passes the SE and East EUs do step down for a few hrs sleep and if
you can stay up its the time to start looking. I note you said last night
you QRT'd at 2.30am. AT that time the 160m signal was still just above the
noise here.
GM0GAV worked them around 0250z when they were up to 559 with me. Come 0310z
they were 599 and had a very small pile for some reason. K1ZM was calling
from NA and a few western EUs. It was pretty easy then for me. By 0320z
their signal had gone. So after monitoring from 17z, 5pm local, I made my
1st call of the night just after 3am.
A few nights earlier I got them on 80 at 02.21am. But thats another story,
that was after 5 hrs calling.
My suggestion for the far west in Europe, is get to bed for 9pm, set your
alarm for 2am, and hover around that SR hour. I was tempted to go to bed at
2.30am myself last night (especially with being out of the house for work at
6am), but they just started to build real fast just after. Its sods law of
course. It easy to be "cocky" after the event, but this does seem to have
been the pattern at least 3 nights here so far. The 1st few nights I stayed
up to 1am, but after G4PWA made it 3am, I swapped "shifts". THose club log
propagation charts are a life saver and great help once a few in the log.
Looking forward to you reporting a QSO on 160 or 80 somewhere between 2-3am
coming days. I'd be getting up then, rather than going to bed the next two
nights at 2.30 etc
Oh and yes, forget fri/sat with the QRM Contest on.
GL Neil G0JHC
Message: 8
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 16:54:08 -0000
From: "Doug Turnbull" <turnbull@net1.ie>
To: <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Topband: EP6T from western Europe EI
Message-ID: <C05AE654CEA54E8A856A75B801AE7023@DOUG1>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Dear OMs and Yls,
The truth is that very few have worked EP6T from EI or G land. There
have been all of three TB QSOs from G land, and no QSOs from EI. There
have been all of 58 TB QSOs from all of zone 14 and this includes all of
Germany which comes much closer to EP that either EI or G. There have
been no QSOs on 80M from EI; 10 from G land and 188 for all of zone 14.
Forty meters does not look very good either.
They do not seem to be hearing very well and for that matter on 160M
the signal is weaker than might be expected. So please do not feel
persecuted. The low bands are pretty much a bust for this DXpedition
unless you are closer say in parts of UA land.
Last night on 80M CW several breaks were taken with calls for NA but
no replies or maybe one and then no more. I was on till 02:30. Even in
working EU stations the process was generally pretty slow. I was certainly
never heard and it was not for lack of trying.
They have a four square for TX and RX on 40 meters and this antenna
works well - it is very directional as is witnessed when they change its
direction. The signals on 40M have been very good but so far no luck for
EI2CN on either CW or SSB despite trying for hours.
The demand is just too great. They do not have enough operators to
keep the stations plugging away constantly. At times the operators are
really good working one after another then they are slow taking a minute per
QSO or longer. It is disheartening. Still these guys have noise, a wall
of QRM and a power outage the first night.
Sadly for us in Europe there are amongst us plenty of people causing
deliberate QRM. Since in EI one beams across Europe there is no avoiding
this mess. Thanks be for Navassa the EU is to my back and the Hi-Z four
square can reduce the garbage. We have a problem in Europe - that I know.
I am not so sure about the USA but I suspect there are a few "nutters"
amongst your midst as well.
People in the EU, NA and JA all complain when EP6T decides to target
a given area other than their own. For EI it is often only when the
signals finally build that EP6T starts calling for NA. It is what must be
accepted with grace. Come Navassa, I suspect the Greek stations will
suffer this problem and we in EI will have an easier time.
Well this is the perspective from here. I despair of working EP6T on
TB and doubt I will log them on 80M. All of EI has but three QSOs on 30M.
This is a tough one.
73 Doug EI2CN
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