Topband: A Day in the Life of a Topbander

[Bill Tippett]

Happy Easter Everyone!

        My XYL and I scheduled a trip to Europe from April 10-22 well
before I knew anything about BQ9P, 7O1YGF or XR0ZY.  I was lucky to
get Randy W9ZR on 80 from Pratas and didn't feel so bad about 160 when
I heard that he had not worked anyone in NA...oh well, maybe next time.

        We had a great time seeing God's wonderful creations in the
Keukenhof Tulip Gardens and also the Bernaise Oberland Alps.  We also
saw the results of man's greed in many of the castles and cathedrals
as we cruised down the Rhine River...truly an unforgettable experience.

        Now read the following as you would the pictorial essays done
a few years ago as "A Day in the Life of...":

22 April 0315 UTC  We get our wake up call (0515 local) in our Lucerne
hotel and I take a shower, get our bags outside the room door by 6 AM
and go to breakfast before leaving for the Zurich airport at 0455 UTC.

0600 UTC  We check our bags and pick up a few chocolates and cheeses
after going through customs.  I notice free Internet terminals in the
lounge area and decide to check radio and financial news.  I see XR0ZY
reported and figure it is just a different call for CE0ZY which was
on previously.  Oops...one of the DX Bulletins says it is San Ambrosia
which everyone in NA needs on Topband except HK0HEU who worked CE0AA in
1984!  The bulletin says QRV April 15-25(?).  I wonder if they will still
be there by the time I get back.  Our flight is scheduled to arrive at
Dulles Airport at 1855 UTC, I figure I can clear customs and be on the
road for our 350 mile (560 km) drive by 2000 UTC.  Maybe I can make it
back home by 0200!

0950 UTC  We board the plane and then bad news...the pilot says we will
not take off until 1055 UTC because of air traffic control!  We leave
and after lunch I try to get some sleep knowing that I have almost a 
6 hour drive after we land.  No thanks to the Airbus 330's seats, I do
manage to get a couple of hours of fitful sleep.  Landing is now scheduled
for for 1930 due to the delay.  

1830 UTC  I drink a Coke and two cups of coffee to prepare my system for
the drive!  We land at 1927 and are in our car at 2045 after retreiving
our bags and clearing customs.  I figure I might be able to make it home
by 0230 if I push the envelope of Virginia's ridiculous 55 MPH (88 km/h)
speed limit even without the help of my radar detector (which is illegal
in Virginia!)  

0235 UTC  We arrive home (without getting a speeding ticket!)  I hook up
the antennas and fortunately my 210 degree Beverage is still up although
most others have been taken down.  N6FF reports on OH2AQ that XR0ZY is
supposed to QRV at 0230 but all I hear is a CM6 on 1832.  Then W9ZR reports
them on 1835 at 0248 and I tune there to hear the XR0 sending very rapidly
in the heavy QRN as he finishes working AA1K.  QSB is terrible and his
signal goes from 559 at peak to nothing at the null.  I hear W4PK get him
and call slightly above.  He comes back to N4SU (congrats Dave!) who is
slightly below.  I call a few times and thought I heard him reply to W3GH
(in the QRN they sound very similar!)  Then I heard "W4ZV 559" clearly as
his signal peaks again and I reply.  I never heard his confirmation as he
QSB's down again but assume it was OK and log it at 0255.

0315 UTC  After listening to him on the speaker as I checkmy E-mail he
goes QRT and I decide to also QRT to bed...exactly 24 hours after I woke
up in Lucerne...what a crazy bunch we are!

        By the way, I had a nice visit with Dieter DL3KDV as we toured
Cologne on 14 April and he said the 7O1YGF guys may try 160 toward the end
of their stay, but they are not very avid low banders so don't get your
hopes up!  Also, congrats to Dieter and his wife Maike DL4XS on their 
first child Sara Maria...Dieter's contest and Topband experience with loss
of sleep is serving him well! 

                                                73,  Bill  W4ZV

P.S.  A big thank you to Tree N6TR for minding the reflector the past 
two weeks! 




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