Hi Again
Just a brief clarification after reading W1FV's posting yesterday.
My comments about a North polar short path routing to JA at 2100z apply
strictly to VY2ZM - where this is a constant which I have observed many times
over a 15 year period.
Cape Cod and lower New England may indeed be true LP at 150 degrees over ZS6
and up over VK6 at 2100z - but it is harder for me to comment with specificity
on the arrival direction from Cape Cod simply because I have only worked JA's
at 2100z three times from there - and not for the past 9 years time.
When I did manage it, I was using two 5/8 wave spaced verticals with 180 degree
phasing meaning I was beaming both SE and NW at the same time with a
bidirectional pattern having about 2.5db of gain in each lobe. I cannot
remember whether I was listening on the Xmit antenna at the time or if I was
listing on an 850 foot beverage aimed at ZS6 or not - HI.
The day I did this was XMAS day in 1996 starting at 2110z. In those days, the
JA's only had 1907.5-1912.5 for their use and I heard JA1JRK in the upper
window. I spotted him and asked him to qsx 1805 for me in my spot - and then I
started calling him like mad.
He heard me about two minutes later - and then in quick succession, I worked
JH5FXP, JA4LXY, JA4DND and heard a JR6PGB at 2205z who never heard me calling
him. JA3ONB heard me during this period but his amplifier was broken and under
repair that day - so no qso was possible with Yasuo.
A couple of years later I worked JA4LXY again about 2135z and the following
December after that, both K1KI and I worked Tommy again - but at this time I
had a totally different xmit and Rx system and I have no idea where the signals
were coming from. I think I recall listening on a 160m inverted vee at the time
- which of course offers nothing in terms of the true pathing that day.
VK6 definitely arrives via 160m LP on Cape Cod at their sunrise time from a 150
degree heading - but once in awhile they skew over Europe - which adds to the
mystery.
On a final note - please understand that LP routing can vary dramatically based
on WHERE YOUR LOCATION may be situated versus another location here on the East
coast of NA. On 40m at 1230z one day I was copying a UK8 from the SW (220
degrees) and at the same time a W4 was spotting the same station from a NW
heading - while a station in Northern New England was agreeing with me that his
routing was at 220 degrees - so it is indeed a bit hard to nail all of this
down.
One thing that does seem to be a constant however, on which there is almost
universal agreement, is that LP into SE Asia on Topband at East Coast SR is
from a 190-220 degree heading usually peaking about 45mins to one hour PRIOR to
East Coast SR.
Many of us all the way from VY2, down through Maine, to North Carolina down all
the way to N4IS in Florida have copied XU7ACY, DU7ET, HS0ZKX and Spratly many
mornings from the SW with signals clearly dropping into the noise as our SR
times approached.
So this one is better documented - but the JA path at 2100z seems to vary based
upon where you are located - go figure!
It is just a shame that it doesn't happen more often so we could gain more
experience!
73 JEFF K1ZM/VY2ZM
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