[RTTY] 80m from KH6

[Don Hill AA5AU]

Larry, W0ETC wrote:
> 
> More overall activity on 80 is probably the trick to having us there during
> your opening.  Unfortunately QRN on 80 often makes it harder to copy an S-5
> RTTY signal than and ESP SSB or CW signal. Possibly the decline in the SFI
> will also quite down the low bands and push more activity on to 80.
> 
> 73 from IA
> W0ETC

Larry et al,

Yes, as the solar cycle declines, the activity on 80M in NA will greatly increase.
I'm not sure why there isn't much 80M RTTY activity in the USA during many
of the RTTY contests.  The Europeans come out in droves on 80M no matter
what the contest is.  In last weekend's JARTS contest, when the condx went
bad on Sunday, they all went to 80M and it helped their scores.

Compare 9A5W to AA5AU last weekend.  9A5W had 121 QSO's on 80M
and I had only 30.  VA3DX had only 32.  KI6DY/0 had only 24.  S56A had
104!  You get the point.  In contests like JARTS, EU stations have more to
gain by being on 80 because they can work more multipliers.  In the USA,
we work W1-W0 and a couple VE stations and then we leave 80M during this
part of the sunspot cycle.  The only time there is moderate activity on 80M
in the USA is during those contests that have states as mults and WPX where
more points are awarded for 40 and 80 meter contacts and also during the low
part of the solar cycle.

I CQ'd my butt off on 80 last weekend.  The band was not that bad.  The 
stations that did call were good copy and easy to work.  I had one radio on 40
and the other on 80.  When I worked someone on 40, I had a special buffer
asking them to QSY to 3590.  That's how I worked most of my 80M contacts.

It's too bad there isn't more activity on 80 in the USA.  It's understandable
that for KH6 stations, it's not worth being there unless they are SO2R and can
move stations from 40 to 80.  As the cycle declines, we will see more activity
on 80 because we will not have 10 and sometimes 15 meters so we will need to
make up the points on the low bands.

I worked KH7R during CQWW RTTY but it was a tough QSO low power.  My
antenna is not the greatest.  It radiates well, but my receive needs improvement.
I have plans for a beverage but I haven't mustered the courage to venture into that
swamp yet.  I keep looking out there and saying "there's not enough points to be
had on 80M to get me to go out in that mess!".  I think that says it all. hi

73, Don AA5AU