TopBand: Anecdote from ZS

[Bernie McClenny]

Greg, I listened last night around 04:00Z and the band was very noisy
hear in the Mid-Atlantic (MD, PA, DE) area.  You will usually find some
rag chewers on 1850 here in the states.  de Bernie

lmenzel@millcomm.com wrote:
> 
> Gene,
> 
> I'm sorry the ragchewers didn't sieze the day, but if you'll refer to the
> solar/terrestrial indicies from last night, I think the reason the band was
> quiet is attributable to numbers like SFI=89  A=25  K=3....awful for dx, ok
> for ragchewing.  All that absorbtion results in DX AIN'T.  I'm amazed you
> heard anything at all last night.
> 
> 73 and look forward to working you often this year.
> 
> Larry N0XB
> Northfield, MN
> 
> At 09:06 AM 10/2/97 +2, gsmith wrote:
> >Went into the shack at 0327z this morning, and tuned from 1815 to
> >1835.  Nothing heard.  Up to 1851 to listen to the Differential GPS
> >"beacon" in Eu.  Much weaker than normal.
> >
> >Back down to the CW end, but wait, that sounds like SSB on 1850.
> >Possibly a local farmer?.  Switch to wide filter (CW filter is only 200z
> > wide).  Sure enough, ragchew, but with NA accent!
> >
> >Tried a call.  It went something like this.
> >
> >        Ragchew
> >        Ragchew  (A solid 57)
> >        Pause
> >        QRZ from ZS5K
> >        That sounded like a DX station.  Who's the DX from KD3PX?
> >        KD3PX from ZS5K, ZS5K, over.
> >        It's a bit weak, doesn't sound like DX anyway.
> >        Ragchew
> >        Ragchew
> >
> >I do appreciate that not all folks are interested in DX on topband,
> >but it seems a helluva waste of an opening, especially as nothing
> >else at all was heard this morning.  OH2BUA only had two topband
> >postings between 00z and 0530z!  The fewest I've seen since being on
> >the band.
> >
> >Do these localized openings often occur?  A couple of weeks ago, I
> >worked 12 stations in the morning lift, and they were all 8's, 9's &
> >0's.  Time was 0320 to 0350, so no special time in NA.
> >
> >If any of you guys in PA know KD3PX, you might like to tell him he
> >was 57 in ZS.  His name is Eugene, but has no E-mail registered with
> >QRZ.
> >
> >73 de Greg, ZS5K
> > -
> > ---
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> >
> >
> 
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-- 
Bernie McClenny, W3UR (ex WR3E, WB3JRU)
Editor of The Daily DX
http://www.wdn.com/thedailydx


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