> else heard from North America, Caribia or JA. I beleave there is a
> question about activity as well as propagation. It is difficult to utilize
> short openings without active stations on band just on right time. This
> concerns me as well as others.
Last night, or my morning schedules with ZL2(3)REX and VK3ZL,
are prime examples.
When Rex, Bob and I had skeds (checking my antennas in
experiments) from just before their sunset to after my sunrise, we
didn't have propagation only a few days out of an entire year!!
Virtually every night we tried we had good QSO's.
At times the band would be good an hour before dark or after
daylight, and not have signals at any other time. Other times the
signal peak would be in the middle of dark, and nothing at sunset
or sunrise! When we only look at grayline, we miss lots of
openings.
Last night, because there was a contest, dozens of DX stations
were active and quite readable. They had good peaks off and on
through the evening, not at "normal" sunrise-sunset times.
Perhaps an organized system of beacons (where natural markers,
like the GPS correction signals from ZL on 1816.5 in Hawkes Bay
and 1818.5 in Cook's Straight are not available) would be of value
when 160 is in the dog-days of sunspot maximum. Then a quick
check of packet would show if beacons are making it.
73, Tom W8JI
w8ji@contesting.com
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