Re: Topband: SP conditions

[Joe Giacobello, K2XX via Topband]

I was only doing S&P so I was continuously tuning the band.  Conditions 
here in SW VA were pretty poor.  I only worked five EU stations, all in 
Eastern EU.  They generally were good copy despite the QRN and showed up 
here around 0400Z.  KV4FZ and NP2X were weak at first, but their sigs 
picked up as the night progressed and they became quite strong.  While I 
was trying to work N7DD in AZ, he threw in the towel and went QRT 
because the QRN was so bad at his QTH.  I did work him later though.  
California and  the west coast did not exist for me.  The furthest west 
station that I worked was in Las Vegas.  The local QRN here seemed to 
let up around 0430Z (local) Saturday.


Conditions Sunday morning were very poor.  There was no sign of Asian DX 
or even the west coast.  Furthest west signal worked was Colorado.


Tim, I was copying SM5EDX Sunday night too.  While he was easy copy, he 
wasn't as strong here, but you're about 250 miles NE of me.


At this QTH, I have found conditions on 160M for this year and last year 
unusually poor.  80M has generally been poor this season also.


73, Joe
K2XX


Tim Shoppa 
Monday, December 28, 2015 11:22 AM
I felt results to EU were average to above average. I was very surprised
and pleased when two EU's were among the first replies to my CQ's.

I was very surprised in other direction, in initial hours how few
midwesterners were calling in. Usually I rack up several W9's with my 
first
CQ's although it is well before their sundown. Pretty soon I figured 
out it

must be thunderstorm activity in midwest.

In initial hours I was not hearing much thunderstorm noise myself, but for
a while around 0300-0400Z there were a couple times I ripped my headphones
off and threw them on the ground myself, the lightning noise was so bad,
even though I was far away from the bad weather. Other than that hour 
I did
not feel hindered by thunderstorm noise myself, but I'm sure a lot of 
folks

were scared to even plug in their antenna.

I worked a couple loud and easy W6's and W7's but not many at all. I think
this may have been a very rare year where I worked a lot more EU than W6's
and W7's.

I just looked at my reversebeacon reports and I feel I did very well 
to EU,

much better than expected given my few reversebeacon spots in EU.

Last night (night after Stew), SM5EDX had huge signal on 160M and I worked
him easy with 100W.

Tim N3QE

_
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Art Snapper 
Sunday, December 27, 2015 2:24 PM
I was a little disappointed with conditions here in Michigan last night.
It seemed more like the Summer Stew with the lightning static from the
storms in Texas and the Upper Mississippi Valley.

I'll refrain from any comments on manmade climate change.

73
Art NK8X

ᐧ
_
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

_
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: SP conditions

[Tim Shoppa]

I felt results to EU were average to above average. I was very surprised
and pleased when two EU's were among the first replies to my CQ's.

I was very surprised in other direction, in initial hours how few
midwesterners were calling in. Usually I rack up several W9's with my first
CQ's although it is well before their sundown. Pretty soon I figured out it
must be thunderstorm activity in midwest.

In initial hours I was not hearing much thunderstorm noise myself, but for
a while around 0300-0400Z there were a couple times I ripped my headphones
off and threw them on the ground myself, the lightning noise was so bad,
even though I was far away from the bad weather. Other than that hour I did
not feel hindered by thunderstorm noise myself, but I'm sure a lot of folks
were scared to even plug in their antenna.

I worked a couple loud and easy W6's and W7's but not many at all. I think
this may have been a very rare year where I worked a lot more EU than W6's
and W7's.

I just looked at my reversebeacon reports and I feel I did very well to EU,
much better than expected given my few reversebeacon spots in EU.

Last night (night after Stew), SM5EDX had huge signal on 160M and I worked
him easy with 100W.

Tim N3QE

On Sun, Dec 27, 2015 at 2:24 PM, Art Snapper  wrote:

> I was a little disappointed with conditions here in Michigan last night.
> It seemed more like the Summer Stew with the lightning static from the
> storms in Texas and the Upper Mississippi Valley.
>
> I'll refrain from any comments on manmade climate change.
>
> 73
> Art NK8X
>
> ᐧ
> _
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
_
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: SP conditions

[Pat N8VW]

On 2015-12-27 14:24, Art Snapper wrote:
I was a little disappointed with conditions here in Michigan last 
night.

It seemed more like the Summer Stew with the lightning static from the
storms in Texas and the Upper Mississippi Valley.



Very noisy here also. Early it sounded like someone was crunching paper 
in my ears and with no receive antennas it was painful.  Later when the 
K dropped it sounded a bit better, but still local noise was evident. 
Led xmas lights maybe?


Had a computer problem, time would randomly reset so log is messed up on 
the times.  Used the station call (k8mk) instead of mine this year just 
for fun.  At 5w only dx worked was NP2X, but KV4FZ gave it a good try.  
FM5BH was in mud and didn't hear any EU.


..n8vw
_
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: SP conditions from super-station

[Richard (Rick) Karlquist]

On 12/30/2014 12:54 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote:


I think that the real winners in this TBDC will be those CA stations who
could work dozens and dozens of 12 pointers in that neat 03Z-ish opening,
that must have been that quiet not-quite-dark period for left coast where
they could hear very well.

73, Guy


Exactly right.  The band isn't really open solidly on the left
coast until around 0300Z or maybe even later like 0400Z or 0500Z.
Then the trick is to then work as many stations as possible before the 
east coast QRT's for the night.  I gave up at 0800Z because the band was 
worked out here and didn't get back on until 1100Z.  The band was again 
worked out by 1300Z.  I was happy to work dozens of 12 pointers

as you say.

Rick N6RK
_
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband