Topband: VU2BGS

[Michael Tope]

> That's what I always find also. The days I think will be great, nothing
> happens. I get on when the band is supposed to be wiped out, and signals
are
> booming.
>
> As an example Greg, VK3ZL and I have been trying to correlate this for
> almost 5 years by checking signals at his sunset, half way between both,
and
> my sunrise. We can't find anything reliable.
>
> This morning 9V1GO was the loudest I ever heard anyone from that area,
BV4CT
> was good, and KL7J was very strong. At the same time I couldn't even
detect
> the ZL digital transmissions and VK3ZL was much weaker than normal.
>
> You just have to be there no matter what you think might happen.
>
> 73 Tom

I agree. During the ARRL DX CW contest 2 weeks ago, there were
good conditions on Friday night which appeared to correlate with
a low K index and quiet auroral zone. VK3ZL was between S7
and S9 here whereas he is normally quiet weak, and all the 100
watt Caribbean stations were 10 to 20 over S9. Then the opening
just ended, and everything went back to normal (VK3ZL went from
599 to 339). I looked for a correlation with 1 minute X-ray flux, but
there was none. All the numbers looked exactly the same. It was
as if Jehova look down and said "Ok these guys have had enough
fun" and then flipped a big cosmic knife switch.

73 de Mike, W4EF.............