TopBand: Topband report from Santa Cruz, Calif

[Trey Garlough]

My second week on the band with the HD-Special yielded a few more
countries and zones.  This week I picked up VP8CTA for zone 13, KH2D
for zone 27, N5OLS/KH8, P49V for zone 9, PJ9/W1WEF, N6TV/6Y5, XE2/K4JT
for zone 6, and V31TP for zone 7, bringing the DXCC total up to 20.
I also worked 3W5FM one morning, for my second Vietnam station!

In honor of a work conflict, the American Airlines pilots strike, and
the impeachment of the Ecuadorian president last week, I decided to
stay home and give the HD-Special and the new 80-meter HD-Special a
workout.  I got home from work Friday afternoon in time to work EI6BT
at 0204Z, about ten minutes after my sunset, completing WAC and giving
me zone 14.  Various UK stations were heard at that time, but only
EI6BT could be raised.  Other new ones worked the first day were
FM5BH, WP2Z, VP5/WJ2O, HH2AW, ZD8Z for zone 36, VP2EV, H44FN for 
zone 28.

The second day I worked KP3Z (#29) and JQ1NGT/JD1 (#30), who I have
since learned is in Minami Torishima.  Another interesting QSO I had
was with JH0INP who was running five watts!  The band sounded very
open and *very* quiet Sunday morning, with the noise peaking S0 on the
TS-850 using the HD-Special on rx.  BV7FC peaked at 579 and was coming
in for over 30 minutes past my sunrise.  I called a number of CQ's,
hoping to scare up some activity, but didn't get any takers.  It's as
if the band was wide open yet no one was home.  When I worked XU6WV
earlier on 80, he specifically mentioned he was avoiding 160 during
the contest.  Too bad.

I won't dwell on the stuff I missed this week, including the V5 boys,
the Carib stations with contest pileups, and a certain zone 22
station. :-)  Interesting that N6TR/7 was hearing the V5 folks better
than me, yet last week I was hearing the ZS6 boys and he was
struggling.  Weird this top band.

The zone tally after two weeks on the band is: 1, 3, 6-9, 13, 14, 19,
24-32, 35, 36, 38.  Sure is a blast to operate from home.  Is this
wireless great stuff or what!

--Trey, N5KO

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