Bob
Thanks for sharing your experience. I had high hopes for a great season as I
spent a great deal of time erecting a long anticipated antenna system. (New
QTH, retirement mode)
Countless winter days spent adjusting, laying radials and taking measurements,
only to find so little activity to get nightly reports as a way to check my
progress, that makes one question the overall Return-on-investment.
I know there are plenty of distractions and perhaps I ask for too much, but it
sure would nice to have more activity and certainly better conditions (which
stimulates activity naturally). I hear the same complaint about 80 m too.
I do enjoy saying hello to the same 5 DX stations most nights, just hope they
will stay patient with me! So here’s to looking for that redemption with a
wild band opening!
Regards,
Mark, K1RX
> On Feb 14, 2019, at 4:00 PM, W7RH <midnight18@cox.net> wrote:
>
> Roger and group,
>
> It's not your imagination, activity on CW has been very low. Add to that
> propagation has been absolutely horrid all season from a left coast
> perspective. While some northern folks have been able to get a hop under the
> aurora curtain it just is not possible from my Arizona location. I can
> appreciate the joy of the eastern stations working EU. Out west it's our
> equivalent of working the east coast. 4000 km vs. 8000 km.
>
> The last two openings that were very good were in mid and late December.
> Since that time I have had only 4 EU QSOs. Meanwhile only a _few JA,UA0 and
> HL5IVL_ have been active. XX9D has been on in the morning with great SR
> signal but due to location and antenna restrictions his noise level is not
> penetrable. The trans-equatorial path has been quite good here. VK3IO solid
> S9 and V84SAA S9 both near sunrise this morning. They all have been worked
> leaving nothing else to do. There are only limited number of stations active
> the western pacific and all of those are 15,000 km away!
>
> I have joined the group of K7ZV, W0FLS, AA0RS, N7XM and K0RF calling CQ with
> no response inside JA window morning after morning. Even propagation to JA
> has been spotty, with little activity. Add to that I've worked one new entity
> this winter. Guess what? QSL direct only. The unmarked envelope with card and
> green stamps was pilfered in the mail.
>
> As always I'll be a Top Band die hard as well. I retired in February 2017 and
> listen almost everyday at Sun rise and Sunset. Changing the active aurora is
> beyond my powers no matter how much effort in antenna system or even power
> for the matter.
>
> CU all on top band. The ARRL DX CW contest is really the last opportunity
> from out west. By and large the worst top band season I've seen in a long
> time....
>
> 73
>
> Bob, W7RH
>
> Bob, W7RH
>
>
>
> --
> W7RH DM35os
>
> "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our
> humanity." - Albert Einstein
>
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