TopBand: First Heard, Day 1 de KH8

[Don Barclay]

Here's the 1997 version of band openers in the ARRL
160 Contest.  Conditions seem much poorer than last
year, with very few signals heard before local sunset,
and most signals several s-units below normal strength.


0508z     N6ND     1.846
0510z     K8MK     1.832
0518z     WB9Z     1.823
0548z     KH6CC   1.830
0555z     K6XX      1.838
0604z     N6RO     1.841
0606z     W9RE    1.838
0609z     K8ND     1.828
0611z     W1XT     1.826
0616z     W6NL     1.828
0624z     N4AR     1.828
0628z     N5JA      1.835
0633z     W4WA   1.839
0634z     W0AH    1.853
0642z     NA5B     1.861

It seemed notable that there wasn't a trace of 
propagation to 4 or 5 land until over an hour
after the first signals appeared from the "black
hole."  In contests past, the band has opened
to those areas almost simultaneously.

The FKRQ beacon must have had a pretty fair
signal to the states, as it got a few "???'s" every
time it ID'ed (on 1.830).  I suppose it's in New
Caledonia?  It's loud in Samoa.

Most of the signals I heard ran from s2-s3, with
a few peaking around s5.  I'll need a couple 
more s-units of cooperation from the band to
work most of you tomorrow night, but I'm just
another PAC contact in this contest, anyway.

Good luck to all on Top Band,




73,  Don  KH8/N5OLS


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