Re: Topband: SP conditions

["Joe Giacobello, K2XX via Topband" <topband@contesting.com>]

I was only doing S&P so I was continuously tuning the band.  Conditions 
here in SW VA were pretty poor.  I only worked five EU stations, all in 
Eastern EU.  They generally were good copy despite the QRN and showed up 
here around 0400Z.  KV4FZ and NP2X were weak at first, but their sigs 
picked up as the night progressed and they became quite strong.  While I 
was trying to work N7DD in AZ, he threw in the towel and went QRT 
because the QRN was so bad at his QTH.  I did work him later though.  
California and  the west coast did not exist for me.  The furthest west 
station that I worked was in Las Vegas.  The local QRN here seemed to 
let up around 0430Z (local) Saturday.
Conditions Sunday morning were very poor.  There was no sign of Asian DX 
or even the west coast.  Furthest west signal worked was Colorado.
Tim, I was copying SM5EDX Sunday night too.  While he was easy copy, he 
wasn't as strong here, but you're about 250 miles NE of me.
At this QTH, I have found conditions on 160M for this year and last year 
unusually poor.  80M has generally been poor this season also.
73, Joe
K2XX

> Tim Shoppa <mailto:tshoppa@gmail.com>
> Monday, December 28, 2015 11:22 AM
> I felt results to EU were average to above average. I was very surprised
> and pleased when two EU's were among the first replies to my CQ's.
>
> I was very surprised in other direction, in initial hours how few
> midwesterners were calling in. Usually I rack up several W9's with my 
> first
> CQ's although it is well before their sundown. Pretty soon I figured 
> out it
> must be thunderstorm activity in midwest.
>
> In initial hours I was not hearing much thunderstorm noise myself, but for
> a while around 0300-0400Z there were a couple times I ripped my headphones
> off and threw them on the ground myself, the lightning noise was so bad,
> even though I was far away from the bad weather. Other than that hour 
> I did
> not feel hindered by thunderstorm noise myself, but I'm sure a lot of 
> folks
> were scared to even plug in their antenna.
>
> I worked a couple loud and easy W6's and W7's but not many at all. I think
> this may have been a very rare year where I worked a lot more EU than W6's
> and W7's.
>
> I just looked at my reversebeacon reports and I feel I did very well 
> to EU,
> much better than expected given my few reversebeacon spots in EU.
>
> Last night (night after Stew), SM5EDX had huge signal on 160M and I worked
> him easy with 100W.
>
> Tim N3QE
>
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
> Art Snapper <mailto:art@nk8x.net>
> Sunday, December 27, 2015 2:24 PM
> I was a little disappointed with conditions here in Michigan last night.
> It seemed more like the Summer Stew with the lightning static from the
> storms in Texas and the Upper Mississippi Valley.
>
> I'll refrain from any comments on manmade climate change.
>
> 73
> Art NK8X
>
> ᐧ
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
_________________
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband