Re: Topband: W6 to EU openings last night

[Larry Pace via Topband]

guys,
Conditions to EU have been excellent this past week from Arizona. Looks like 
the sunrise enhancement has finally returned. I have never seen EU with S9 plus 
20 to 25 at this location in the past 30 years.
Let's hope for similar conditions for the commons contest.
n7dd

Sent by Larry

On Jan 5, 2021, at 10:32 AM, Michael Tope  wrote:

I tried calling CQ on CW at around midnight local (0800z) this morning and 
worked JE1CTM, G3PQA, G3OQT, and G3OLB in succession all with good signals into 
Southern California. This came after an absolute bounty of European QSOs on 
FT8, including a number of eastern European QSOs. HB9BIN was showing an FT8 "R" 
reading peaking well over +10 (+14 I think) and he stayed consistently over +5 
for quite some time. He was so strong I kept wondering if it might be someone 
in the states pirating his call. There was, however, a lull earlier in the 
evening where the band appeared to shut down completely to Europe (no FT8 
decodes whatsoever). I was really surprised that things opened back up the way 
they did.

73, Mike W4EF...

On 1/5/2021 6:47 AM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist wrote:
> 
> On 1/4/2021 12:43 PM, Roger Kennedy wrote:
>> 
>> I didn't come on last night . . . but I've been working across to Texas,
>> Colorado and Arizona over the past week or so.
>> 
>> What sort of time were your QSOs Rick?  (will look out for you tonight)
>> 
>> 73 Roger G3YRO
>> 
> 
> The openings were around 0400 to 0500 UTC.
> (Tuesday morning UTC, Monday night in CA)
> Last night I was listening a little earlier
> and heard W0FLS working a DH1 station, but
> nothing from the EU end was audible, not
> even waterfall tracks.
> 
> 73
> Rick N6RK
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Re: Topband: XW4ZW Update

[larry pace via Topband]

Hi Ken,

I started to hear your CQ at 1330z and called every time you stood by. I heard 
no other NA stations calling you. At around 1400z you mentioned on the chat 
room that you were plagued by local noise caused by a switching power supply 
being used for some lightning which you repaired. You heard me soon after that.

I think that in the hour that you were good copy here I only heard you work two 
NA stations. That is real devotion for which I commend you. It's got to be 
really frustrating to call CQ with no answers.

You were a new band country for me and certainly made my day. It ranks up there 
with unforgettable top band memories.

Thanks again.

73, Larry n7dd


On January 19, 2016, at 5:39 PM, Ken Claerbout  wrote:

I see now why my original post, from the 18th, didn't show up.  I sent it to 
the wrong address.  It's below.

I can report that the beverage is working very well!  Only thing I can figure 
is that it fills in a gap to the south, where the 4 square pattern falls off.  
Last night the band was rather noisy to the south.  The guys in Bangkok told me 
this morning they had rain so that may explain it.

Nothing left to do but keep plugging away.  I really hope things pick up on 
Topband but I know XW is very rare on 80 as well.  I have 330 plus countries on 
80 from home and still need it.

73
Ken K4ZW/XW4ZW
  
---
Hi Gang - quick update on things from Laos. Yesterday I added a few more 
radials to the TX antenna. It's a trapped wire vertical for 80 & 160, full 
size. It now has 32 quarter wave 160 meter radials. As most of you have 
observed, when propagation allows, it's working fine.

I continue to be a little confounded on the receive side of things. For example 
on 80 meters the TX signal is fine into the US but it's real work pulling out 
stations calling. Some of them with big arrays and full power. I don't have a 
high noise problem and there have been no storms in the area. I'm using a 
completely refurbished, by DX Engineering, W8JI 4 square array on receive. 
Maybe more of an RX system than some of the guys hearing me. The F/B on it is 
excellent, on the signals I can hear. That wasn't necessarily the case last 
year. Today I added a second ground rod at each element, not being sure what 
condition the existing ones were in. When I arrived I replaced ALL of the coax 
and control lines. We in effect have a new system now. 

Today I installed a beverage to the south. It's a little short for 160, about 
450'. But it will be interesting to compare it to the 4 square. The rig by the 
way is a Yaesu FT 5000 so I have good hardware. In fact there is a new one 
available and I guess I can always try swapping radios.

All I can say is if you hear me, keep plugging away. At times it feels like I'm 
in a big RF RX hole but one of these days things will break loose. I do have a 
favor to ask. If you worked me last year, please don't make a duplicate QSO. 
Too many people need XW. Sit back, listen, and enjoy knowing you already made 
it into the log. There is a log checker on my QRZ.com page. Logs are uploaded 
daily to K1SE and ARRL LOTW.

As of now, I'm scheduled to fly back to Bangkok on the 23rd. I do have some 
flexibility. Let's see how things go.
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