Topband: Notes from a topband zombie

[Garry Shapiro]

Inasmuch as I was one of the two topband operators in the last Conway
Reef operation to work any signficant number of 160m stations (about 200
Q's, mostly barefoot, at 3D2CU in March/April, 1995), and thus need the
QSO,  I have been particularly interested in pursuing this counter with
the 3D2CI/CY operation. I also needed 80m.

I was listening, along with Ted, KA6W, for most of the time between
about 10Z(?) to past local sunrise after 14Z. The gang had a good signal
on 80 CW, and then 75 SSB on the 400 ft. hillside NNE/SSW Beverage, and
went into the log quickly here on both modes.

Topband was another story.

We heard a few of the monster stations across America appear to complete
QSO's, but heard nothing ourselves from Conway in the first few hours.
In the last hour, some West Coast stations sent reports---I have no idea
how many were real QSO's, or Hail Marys. I understand the expeditioners
were working JA's---we did not hear a single one of those, either! There
was no sunrise bump here, and no large pileup of callers. At the end,
W6RJ and K6GNX were both hopefully calling, past their sunrises. I think
Bill must have had a sunburn by time he gave up.

Fact is, neither Ted, with a fullsize vertically-polarized delta loop on
a 3000' ridge, nor I, down in the canyon, heard a single dit in all
those hours. Given that, I find it hard to imagine that, as Ivo, 5B4ADA
has relayed, a Titanex is in use. The capper for me is that my general
contractor showed up for work on the house at 1430Z and started pounding
nails, just as I crawled into bed. Work was great fun, too, as one can
imageine. I think I will retire early this evening.

A night like that lends credence to the opinion that the K index, which
was very low,  is of relatively little importance in non-polar paths.

I sure hope this morning brings better results. It's nights like last
night that make me question my own sanity, yet again..

Yawnnnn,
Garry, NI6T

--
160 meters-not a band but an obsession