Topband: Strange conditions in the Stew

[Steve Ireland]

G'day all

Although propagation in the Stew Perry 2003 was only marginally better than
in the previous year at VK6VZ/6, the conditions were probably the strangest
I've ever encountered in the event - and would be interested in any
comments on what I experienced.

At VK6VZ/6, the signal levels received from Europe steadily built from two
hours before VK6 sunrise until sunrise - only trouble was my transmitted
signals didn't seem to build at all!  Signals from some European stations
who hear well on 160m - such as GU4YOX - were peaking S8, while my signal
seemed to be buried in their noise.

In general, all European contacts I made were a struggle, at the European
end, and propagation seemed distinctly one-way.

The following evening, things were even stranger.  I could hear North
American signals at least 20 minutes before sunset, which steadily built
through sunset into the hour after sunset to S6 - S8, but I could work
virtually nothing.

At one hour after sunset, North American (and JA) signals started to drop
and I was on the point of giving up in total frustration, when technical
director VK6APH, watching my facial expressions with amusement, urged me to
keep going a bit longer.  

To my amazement, instead of the band dying, it came back, although the
signals received from NA were not quite as loud as before.  However,
instead of getting no replies to my calls, virtually anything I could hear
I could work - a total turnaround.

Although I have experienced one-way conditions on 160m many times, I have
never experienced anything so sustained before - at both sunrise and sunset
periods.  

The QTH was a very good one, with an inverted vee dipole a quarter wave up
and sea on both sides of the QTH. 

Vy 73

Steve, VK6VZ/6