Topband: EU to VE6

[VE6WZ-Steve Babcock]

On Jan 9z at around 0500z I began to have copi on Wolf Df2PY.  His signal
peaked around 0535Z at which point, thanks to Wolfs persistence, and
everyone else's patience we made a QSO....(the first EU ever for myself  in
two yrs. TB operating as VE6).  At 0540 i had good copi on Luis IV3PRK but
he could not hear my calls...he worked a number of 7's and some 6's.  Later
at  i had good copi on DK2FG but he could not copi my calls and then SP2FAX
for a few minutes, and then he was gone. All copi on the E-W beverage. TX
1KW, 32m shunt fed tower.
Looking at the cluster it was obvious that the opening was strong into W7, 6
and 0's with lots of more northerly EU calls being worked, but no other
calls were copied at this QTH at 51deg N latitude.  This seems to be another
example of aurora oval attenuation of those more northerly EU and NA
stations.  It seems like very few miles N-S can make the difference between
copi or not. The path from VE6 to EU is very close (through at most times)
the oval. I am 1000 mi n of AZ, 900mi n of CO.
Last nite Jan 10z was only marginal to EU with only a whisper of signals
below the noise level.
  The NOAA auroral image at : http://sec.noaa.gov/pmap/gif/pmapN.gif is
good, also, look at the 2hr updated high latitude K and gamma flux number
at; ftp://ftp.sec.noaa.gov/pub/latest/MA2hr.txt  these stations give
real-time k values along the path toward to EU. Seems like from VE6 just low
K and a "small aurora oval" are not enough to assure an EU opening......i've
been on many nites with 0 K's and not a peep.....if it was easy like 40 we
would get bored.......right?   : ))
PS.  to all eastern stations...please continue to spot those common, boring
EU stations on the cluster....it is very helpful to us propagationally
challenged "northwesters".

de Steve VE6WZ


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