TopBand: Good long path tonite!

[frenaye@pcnet.com]

I managed to miss the recent long path openings from the northeast to YB1AQS 
so I thought I'd listen for him after sunset this afternoon.

About 2130z I spotted someone on 1826 for the local Packetcluster, then K1AM 
asked me if I heard anything just a little bit up from there because he was 
trying to work VK6VZ to give him a Rhode Island QSO.

Nothing heard for a minute or two then VK6VZ came out of the noise for a QSO 
at 2135z.  He was solid copy for another minute or two then faded away, Jeff 
never could hear him well enough for a QSO.

After hearing one European work a JA, I started listening for JAs and 
finally heard JA1JRK at 2142z on 1912.3 listening on 1805.  He peaked at 
2144z and was last heard at 2148 (still a good signal so he may have QSYed). 
He couldn't hear me though.

At 2156z I listened to OH8LAE on 1825 working JAs on 1909.  Once in a while 
I caught a fragment of a callsign on 1909, one was a JA6 I think.  

About 2200z KB3FU started his usual SSB QSO on 1910 by sending some CW, then 
his rag chew began, making 1908-1910 too noisy to hear any weak signals.

At 2201z I heard JA4??? on 1911.6 calling CQ, and at 2212z could hear him 
(JA4LXY) now 559 working an SM station on 1833.  I finally caught his 
attention and heard him "QRZ?" a couple of times at at 2218z heard him come 
back to me!  After we exchanged 559 reports he worked a few more European 
stations and faded away at 2227z, but was audible for most of that 25 
minutes.

He was loudest on my Eu Beverage (1100'), not the 600' Beverage to the SE, 
and when listening on the 4-square he was louder when it was NE instead of 
SE.  The signal on the Beverage was better but he was copyable on the 
4-square at least for a short while.

Never did hear YB1AQS but it was a good afternoon!

				73 Tom

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E-mail: frenaye@pcnet.com   
Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box 386, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444


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