> Propagation on topband to Europe from Ottawa has been very poor this
season
> and I wonder whether others in northern latitudes have had a similar
> experience. Here are some figures comparing my DX results in 1999 with
> those in 1998.
>
Hi Bob and Topbanders,
Yes, 160 meter DX conditions have been very poor lately, as we were going to
expect under this level of solar activity ( 340 sunspots on Nov. 10th ! )
but, as my path (Lat.46 N Lon. 13 E) to NA is concerned, the fall 1999 has
been not worse than the fall 1998.
Here are the number of my QSOs for call areas and divided into three months
from Sept.1st to Nov. 20th, 1998 and 1999:
Area Sep. Oct. Nov. Tot.98
W1 8 4 4 16
W2 3 3
W3 4 3 1 8
W4 7 1 5 13
W5 0
W6 0
W7 0
W8 1 1 2
W9 1 1 2
W0 1 1 2
VE 1 1 2
Tot98: 22 14 12 48
Area Sep. Oct. Nov. Tot.99
W1 7 9 2 18
W2 2 3
W3 12 6 2 20
W4 11 16 1 28
W5 0
W6 0
W7 2 2
W8 3 3
W9 3 2 5
W0 2 2
VE 1 1 (just you Bob)
Tot99: 30 44 7 81
The averaged Solar Flux for Sep.98 was 138, for Oct. 117 and for Nov.140.
The averaged Solar Flux for Sep.99 was 136, for Oct. 165 and for Nov. 197
(average of 19 days).
After remarking my regular Topband activity with at least half an hour of
CQing twice a night/morning, trying to keep the band alive, we can see that
October 99 has been definitely better than October 98, with at least one
opening into the West Coast, despite the steep rise in the solar activity.
At this point we could explain the lack of conditions in these last days of
november with the high solar flux, stabilized for 10 days above the 200
value, but going through the log I don't find any good CNDX with NA (but
they have been good with JA and KH2) also between the 1st and the 8th of the
month, when the average SF was around 150.
Then a good opening into W9 on Nov. 9th with a SF risen at 230 and the third
consecutive day of disturbed geomagnetic activity (A index 23-26-25).......
....as in the headline of that great article by Cary Oler and Ted Cohen on
CQ Magazine "The 160 Meter Band - An Enigma Shrouded in a Mystery", there is
still a lot to understand on such an unpredictable BAND !
In any case don't give up !
73 Luis IV3PRK
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