Topband: 160 meter fun

[Craig Clark]

There are two very nice parts of this thread:

#1 we are sharing and quantifying 160 history (like K1Zulu Mooloo did in 
his book)

#2 it is nice to hear from old friends who I haven't spoken too in a while 
due to my own marginal activity.

Here's my contribution:

With over 30 years on the band, working JA's on 160 has been right at the 
top of my most exciting moments of 160 DX'ing. My log shows JA1CGM was 
worked at 1212z on December 30, 1986 with a two way report of 449. I 
remember running upstairs to share this event with my xyl and how exciting 
it was to finally do it.............she wasn't as happy as I was 
but........at least she was happy for me!  According to my notes, Ogi was 
peaking on the NW Beverage and was one of several on that day I heard.

My log shows openings in 1987 on January 12, 16 and 22 with JA1GTF, JA3ONB 
and JA1CGM all worked with one 559 report.

My notes show I have heard JA's almost since the end of LORAN A but was 
never able to get a two-way QSO. I actually started SWL'ing on 160 in the 
mid 60's before I got my ticket and heard my first Eu opening one cold dark 
night in Maine in the winter of '68. Our shack was on the top of the 
science building next to the observatory and I was using a 80 meter dipole 
and a Hammarlund HQ-129 (I think.)

Digging back thru my nostalgia, my SSB QSO's with VK0GC in April '85 and 
VU2GDG in Jan 86 are right up there with working JA. The VK0 was working 
Fred (whose call I can't remember but he was a 160 stalwart DXer in the 
80's) and they were signing clear as there was no one else on that morning. 
I paused and called and worked him with a very nice 2x report. The VU2 was 
a bit more difficult as propagation was marginal.

Topband is the only band I have ever kept track of my DXCC totals. Since I 
went in to business for myself in 1991, I have been less active and have 
lost track of my count. Those late nights and early mornings are also 
harder as kids grow in to teenagers and we age. But that changes too and 
one is off to college next year and the other one will graduate high school 
in 2005.

This has been fun and thanks Bill for letting us "share." Amateur Radio is 
not dead. It's alive and well on topband!


73, Craig Clark, K1QX

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