Hi Mike,
You can thank Malcolm at the centre of http://karhammar.cjb.net/ for our
QSO! I got up at 0420 local time to shut his barking up and decided to
check Top Band. To my surprise I heard a couple of EUs so knew the band was
worth trying. (Usually I don't hear a thing at that hour.) After working a
couple of EUs, the NAs started coming through. Not with any great frequency
but at a fairly steady pace. By the time you came through at 0254 the sigs
were really good. After you came Geo W8UVZ with his strongest sinals ever.
So all in all I guess it was worth getting up for.
My QTH is down town Dar es Salaam, albeit right on the Indian Ocean.
However, I can only use my (metal) roof for my TX antennas. On Top I use an
"helical whip". Roughly 1/2 lambda wire wound on an 8-9 m fibre glass mast
and with the metal roof as ground. At the moment the RX antennas are 2- K9AY
(one on NA/EU the other JA) down on the beach with a KD9SV preamp and a
dipole/inverted v across the house. The HF rig is an IC- 751A with an AL80A
linear.
I keep getting up and listening for NA and SA at and before my sunrise. I
usually try calling CQ between 1822-1824.5. As I usually have some sort of
telemetry transmitter around 1825 I often listen up.
CUAGN on Top/
73 Ralph 5H3RK (and Z21HS, C93Q, VK4VB and SM0LRK)
(Saltmine: www.swedemb-dar.com)
PS You need a family WEB page if you have your family scattered over 3
continents!
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