Topband: Stew Perry conditions

Luis Mansutti IV3PRK luisprk@tin.it
Tue, 31 Dec 2002 18:20:24 +0100


> Wow, was everyone in the same contest?!?! Amazing how the opinions =
differ on
> how condx were last weekend.

This has been my 6th Stew Perry, using always the same rig and antennas, =
and I can confirm that DX conditions have been the worst.
Not a single signal heard from USA,  just a whisper from VY2ZM, and only =
VE1ZZ worked!
Best DX JH4UYB (19 points) and JT1CO (14 points).

We still need to solve the 160 meters propagation mystery:
on saturday morning, the 28th,  I got in my log 15 US stations, even =
with 599 rst both ways; SFI at that time was 117 with Ap 17 while the =
following (contest) day the numbers were 115/12.=20
How can we explain such an unexplainable fall in the DX propagation? =
even worse on monday 30th and tuesday 31st: the band was absolutaly dead =
despite the numbers further down.

As a wish for the future look at the first column in the following table =
to remember how good has been the BAND at the bottom of the cycle; those =
are the number of my SP contest QSO's:=20
=20
Year                    1997    1998    1999    2000    2001    2002
SFI/Ap                102/0   167/3   207/6   170/1  247/17  115/12
-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
-----------------
KL7                       1           -         -          -          -  =
        -
W1                        8          11       5         3         3      =
    -       =20
W2                        4           4        -          -         3    =
      -
W3                        9           6        -          -         1    =
      -
W4                       10          8        -          1         2     =
    -
W5                        6           1        -          -          -   =
      -
W6                        4           -         -          -         -   =
       -       =20
W7                        9           -         1         -         -    =
      -
W8                        7           6        -          -         -    =
      -
W9                        5           -         -         1         1    =
     -          =20
W0                        6           3        -          -         -    =
      -
VE                        3            2        1        1         1     =
    1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
----------------
TOT.NA                72          44       7         6       11        1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
----------------
AS                        2            4        3        3         5     =
    5
JA                                       1        1      11         -    =
     1
OC                                      1        1        2         -    =
     -
AF                                                4        1         -   =
      -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
---------------
Total   QSO's       134        136      101    148     123     213
Raw  POINTS     1325       854      428     655     451     551
-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
--------------
Year                   1997    1998    1999    2000    2001    2002
-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
---------------

Actually there seems to be not a great difference between the numbers of =
this year (115/12) compared with those of the 1997 Stew Perry (102/0).
But that Ap number has been stable between "zero" and "two" for almost =
20 days: is all that the answer to our enigma?=20

Looking again for those wonderful West-Coast and Rocky Mountains =
openings, I wish everybody an happy and prosperous NEW YEAR 2003!

Luis IV3PRK in JN66





=20


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