Topband: First west coast 03/04

[Dr .Wolf Ostwald]

Hello reflectees !
I got alerted by SM5EDX`s spotting of N7UA this a.m.,checked the band and it sounded deserted.None of the regular east cst stns were hrd. After sending out a CQ, N7UA returned with a solid 559 sig.The next western stns into the log were K0RF,W0AH,N7JW,K7CA and  W2VJN frm Oregon.N6FF called past my sunrise and we did not make it. I found very long QSB on the sigs, about 45s to a minute, and it took sitting and waiting for the call to pop up again.It was sometimes confusing as it was not sure whether the other stn had left the frequency or not. Especially W0AH had that effect, maybe bcuz his lower latitude, and it took us a few tries.It seemed to me, that the stations up north and by the sea, had a better shot into the southern west coast of the US.
I would like to hear about their observations as it would give a better insight to the extent of the opening.
best dx to everyone & 73`s !    de wolf