Hi One More time.....
I was thinking about all of this overnight and can add one more data point to
this topic.
Shortly after I retired and, while still in New York, I used to work 40M long
path to JA every day during Nov/Dec and Jan.
This was around 1994/1995 and I would start listening about 2040z daily on 40m
CW.
I was using a 3el 40M yagi at about 170 feet - so there was little confusion as
to where signals were actually coming from.
Each day the opening lasted about 1.5 hours and on good days well over 100 Ja
stations could be worked - even after SR occurred in JA6.
What was MOST INTERESTING was that on SOME days, there was strong evidence of
multi-pathing on the JA signals near the start of the opening - that usually
dissipated as the opening progressed. In those days I did not realize that
there was also a darkness path over the North pole (the K9LA RED LINE path from
Carl's paper). All I knew was the JA longpath on 40 and 80m from New York's
Hudson Valley came out of a 155 or so degree heading - and whatever the echoes
I was hearing were some unknown anomaly.
Today with more experience, I now know that what I was hearing was the OTHER
DARKNESS path to the North that I am using to work Ja's on 1,8MhZ at 2100z from
VY2ZM.
W1FV noted in his posting that competing through EU is tough to work a JA at
2100z and this is very very true.
But there are ways to get around this and here is one good way.
In Winter, JA5AQC and 7J4AAL are in on 80m SSB every day (usually somewhere
between 3798 and 3802). VE2ENM and W1QS are often there working Kan San.
VE2ENM has a pipeline to Kan san every day and even though Kan san speaks very
limited English, JA5AQC is very fluent and can translate to Kan san when needed.
If you watch your optimum time on 80m, you can ask VE2ENM to ask Kan san to qsy
to a specific 160m frequency - and Kan san is DELIGHTED to oblige as is JA5AQC!
They love to try to work NA on 160M at 2100z.
I have worked both of these fellows by asking them to try 160M and the best
time is about 15 mins prior to Kan-san's JA4 sunrise peak.
One day Kan san (who was using a 160m rotary dipole at the time) was well over
S9 at VY2ZM and JA5AQC was a solid 559.
Last year Kan san replaced the rotary dipole with a 3el yagi for 160m (you can
see it on his website) and I would have to think that if it survived the Winter
that it would put a great signal into New England. Also - since JA4 is in
relatively Southern JAPAN, I would think the darkness overlap would help those
in Central New England have a chance to make a Q. I know W1XX heard Kan san
several times on such skeds last season - but no two way qso resulted - but
this is the BEST chance for anyone to make the trip.
JA8ISU is always willing to make skeds at 2100z but since he is well up North,
his common darkness window is far shorter with New England than would be that
of 7J4AAL.
Anyway, this info may be of use to those willing to try to do it and in 3-4
years when we again hit a solar minimum, I am sure contacts can be made again
when the A/K and well down for a few days in a row.
GL
73 JEFF K1ZM/VY2ZM
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