Re: Topband: 160m VP8PJ
I listened at my sunset (and theirs) but heard nil even though Bob, W7RH, with his big antenna had spotted them. I listened periodically over the next couple of hours and finally decided it wasn't going to happen. After a night of TV watching I went to bed about 0600Z without bothering to listen again. Imagine my chagrin to see the spots from last night when I looked this morning. I hope they're on again tonight. I'll be ready. Wes N7WS On 2/24/2020 10:30 AM, David Olean wrote: Hi Gary, I was out of the house early in the evening on Sunday, but started listening a little before 10 PM local time. VP8 was very weak and mostly in the noise. They would peak up and be readable for short periods of 15 seconds or so. Over the next half hour the signal started building here. and by 10:30 they were good copy most of the time for me. I am 30 miles inland, so no salt water effect. W7RH said they had good ears and to call them even if they were weak. I took his advice and they came back right away as soon as I called! I was so surprised I sent my call again to make sure I was not imagining things! It really took me by surprise. They peaked up 5 hours after sunset here. By 0500 UT they were getting sorta loud at times! I am not sure, but I think many areas had no propagation as there were few callers most of the time. I listened up until about 0600 UT (1 AM here) It was getting close to EU sunrise but very few European callers, and they would call sporadically. There were not so many NA callers either, although VP8PJ was making a steady run of contacts. Back at 0300 UT I did hear a good pile of EU callers calling VP8 when he was impossible copy here. Later on, there were fewer EU callers. If it is a new country, I doubt people would quit for a nap! I heard a few comment that VP8 was impossible copy later on. Then again, maybe everyone was exhausted from the CQ 160 SSB weekend. It was fun to listen as the night progressed, and I was amazed at how well VP8PJ was hearing; better than the callers almost all the time! 73 Dave K1WHS On 2/24/2020 6:04 AM, Gary Smith wrote: VP8PJ, in South Orkney is a 559 here tonight. A new one on 160 & my only other S. Orkney Q was on 15M in 1990. Amazingly it took two calls and he came back so N/S propagation is excellent right now. 73, Gary KA1J _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: Wednesday 160m DX CW Activity Night
Yes, as Dave K1WHS noted, very few NA stations on the band last Wednesday (think I only heard/worked 4), but there were loads of EU stations calling CQ DX. (I find that very sad, considering how many NA stations there are that put out a decent signal on 160m!) Maybe we'll get a load more people coming on this Wednesday Night (/Thursday morning) ! To Bob W7RH and Wes N7WS . . . really sorry I couldn't copy you calling me. Please bear in mind that I live in an ordinary street in the city suburbs, so sometimes have a fairly high noise level. Regarding the CQ SSB contest last weekend, conditions were quite poor from NA . . . could only copy the really big signals, and they were at least 10dB down on normal (I did at least work everyone I heard, about 15 stations) 73 Roger G3YRO _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: 160m VP8PJ
Hi Gary, I was out of the house early in the evening on Sunday, but started listening a little before 10 PM local time. VP8 was very weak and mostly in the noise. They would peak up and be readable for short periods of 15 seconds or so. Over the next half hour the signal started building here. and by 10:30 they were good copy most of the time for me. I am 30 miles inland, so no salt water effect. W7RH said they had good ears and to call them even if they were weak. I took his advice and they came back right away as soon as I called! I was so surprised I sent my call again to make sure I was not imagining things! It really took me by surprise. They peaked up 5 hours after sunset here. By 0500 UT they were getting sorta loud at times! I am not sure, but I think many areas had no propagation as there were few callers most of the time. I listened up until about 0600 UT (1 AM here) It was getting close to EU sunrise but very few European callers, and they would call sporadically. There were not so many NA callers either, although VP8PJ was making a steady run of contacts. Back at 0300 UT I did hear a good pile of EU callers calling VP8 when he was impossible copy here. Later on, there were fewer EU callers. If it is a new country, I doubt people would quit for a nap! I heard a few comment that VP8 was impossible copy later on. Then again, maybe everyone was exhausted from the CQ 160 SSB weekend. It was fun to listen as the night progressed, and I was amazed at how well VP8PJ was hearing; better than the callers almost all the time! 73 Dave K1WHS On 2/24/2020 6:04 AM, Gary Smith wrote: VP8PJ, in South Orkney is a 559 here tonight. A new one on 160 & my only other S. Orkney Q was on 15M in 1990. Amazingly it took two calls and he came back so N/S propagation is excellent right now. 73, Gary KA1J _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: 160m activity and propagation
I have been away for three weeks on holidays with no internet so I am late to this thread. I understand Bob’s question. During the last solar minimum, the EU path seemed to favour the southern latitudes compared to my VE6 location. It was very common to hear the boys in AZ, NE, CA and even OR and WA working into EU while I sat on the sidelines hearing no signals at all. The band did open with fantastic signals when the solar wind dropped below 300 km/s and the geomag settled down, but as soon things heated up, the door would close for me, and I was left listening to the southern guys working EU again. Fortunately the last solar min from 2008-11 was so quiet that I was still able to work 160m DXCC each winter. As Bob has pointed out, during this latest solar minimum, things seem reversed. For the last two seasons at my QTH the trans-polar EU path has been open most evenings, while it seems the more southerly locations remain shut out. It has been commonplace to work 20-30 EU each night if the band is open. I have worked over 1,500 EU this winter. However, I have also noticed that the preferred path has been northern EU and UA, with southern EU less common. Perhaps the ops in south EU have noticed the same thing as Bob? If the conditions are marginal, it is most likely for me to be working into SM, LA, OH, LY and UA etc, while the central-south EU guys are shut out. Unlike the last solar minimum, it seems even with an elevated solar wind, and a hot AU I can occasionally still get an opening. Is it possible as Bob has pointed out that the relative position of the AU has allowed my signals to undershoot the absorption, while impeding those further south? Unfortunately, during the last solar minimum I was at my city location and I am now using my purpose built low band remote hilltop QTH, so it’s possible these differences are simply because of the new set-up. Perhaps if I was still at the old city QTH things would not be so great, but so far this solar minimum has been excellent for trans-polar DX. Steve ve6wz From Babcocks iPhone > On Feb 23, 2020, at 10:09 AM, W7RH wrote: > > The emphasis of my questions are based on European propagation path > perceived differences since last solar minimum. > > One thing I am not is a Geophysicist, I have no training there. My > comments are on perceived changes in the aurora ring density as viewed > from my location in Arizona that would have been in the past much lower > on the path towards Europe far more often than present. I'll call it > prime time wipe out. Very small changes in solar wind have had a > profound effect. Whether the center point is the magnetic north pole or > the Geomagnetic pole I have no idea as both have migrated with the > Magnetic North pole the greatest at a rate of 30 miles per year and > increasing. > > Perhaps the reduction of magnetic field over North America and increased > gamma radiation create the effect. In a related article it stated the > magnetic field over North America is 15% less than it was in 2015. > > https://www.livescience.com/46694-magnetic-field-weakens.html > > https://www.hist-geo-space-sci.net/5/175/2014/ > > Trying to get a better grasp of what is going on. > > 73 > > Bob W7RH > > -- > W7RH DM35os > > "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our > humanity." - Albert Einstein > > _ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
