Topband
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Dead Bands (was Topband: Yaesu Key clicks)

To: <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Dead Bands (was Topband: Yaesu Key clicks)
From: Mike Roden - W5JR <w5jr@bellsouth.net>
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 21:53:36 -0500
List-post: <mailto:topband@contesting.com>
I was not a serious participant but did have a mission in mind of as many unique DX locations as possible. About 75 Qs, split between 160 & 80. Europe was everywhere, lots of Caribbean and several Pacific and Asian stations. I worked Fiji and Japan an hour AFTER sunrise from here in GA on 80 using a 135' doublet at 30'. The 160 antenna is a modest inverted L. I always hear Tom working stations that just aren't there for me, but there is plenty to work on most evenings. I learned to catch the sunrise/sunset cycles to maximize my efforts. For me, W1AW is nearly always +10 year round on 160. I usually don't bother with 40m because it is too crowded. I must admit that I was never a 160 nut until I moved to the "east" coast. Signals ARE louder here than in South Texas.

At 08:49 AM 11/29/04, Tom Rauch wrote:
> I tried working 160 this weekend to scare up some
multipliers for CQWW,
> and found it next to dead. I was able to make a grand
total of 4 QSO's with a
> KW.  Yes, I heard a few guys trying to work a few DX
stations, but I didn't hear
> even a sniff of what they were trying to work. And there
were a couple of
> QSO's going on. That's it, on a Friday and Saturday night!

On the other hand with only about one hour of total
operating time I worked all continents including deep into
eastern Russia, two UA0's, and about 25 JA stations (who are
only allowed to work CW on 160).

I could have worked many more but that band was too crowded
so I mostly stayed off and let others have fun.

Just tuning across the low end of 40 as I type this, I find
about 1 CW QSO every kHz from 7.000 to 7.055, and some even
higher.

It's normal to work more than 1500 stations in a 160 meter
CW contest when operating seriously. CW log entries are
generally up every year.

73 Tom

_______________________________________________
Topband mailing list
Topband@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/topband


Mike - w5jr@arrl.net - Alpharetta, GA

_______________________________________________
Topband mailing list
Topband@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/topband

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>