TopBand: Any SW Indiana worked HEARD???

[MEL]

OK... I give up...I'm gonna risk the band width because  I think I may 
be a fighting a losing battle... other than one GOOD opening to Heard 
on 80 CW, I have not heard Heard on 160 or 80 meters to date from south 
central Indiana...  I should have plunged into the fray that one time on 
80, but the COPS were a pain to deal with then (VK0 signal was quite 
rough copy even without the QRM). Using a short beverage (north... no 
help), a ewe (pointed east, best so far) and dipoles for receive... 
My biggest receive problem has been line noise, but somehow all the parts work.

Have had little trouble working VK0 on four other bands even though I have no 
directional antennas. I entered a number of Indiana calls into the log 
server and found a lot of QSO's by Hoosiers, but not on 160 or 80.

Has anybody southwest of Indianapolis worked them on 80 or 160? Or is the 
ducting effect just plain passing us by (especially since folks a 
thousand miles west of here are succeeding)? Needless to say, I plan to 
keep trying... but other than the half hour overlapping period of darkness
is there any hope?

(Yes, it is frustrating to hear you guys on the east coast working them!!!)

Thanks 

Mel KJ9C


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