Topband: RE: WOW!

[Dennis Peterson]

-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Peterson [mailto:dennis.peterson at machlink.com]
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 7:33 AM
To: Topband-Bounces at Contesting. Com
Subject: WOW!


I second the Iowa Guys comments and others as well.

I have never in my 27-28 years seen conditions so pronounced as they were
last evening on top band.  Living in the Pacific Northwest and being able to
work JA's, VK's, ZL's, South PAC islands and the like is nothing compared to
what it was like here last evening.

Hearing many Europeans and many whom I worked before, I would have liked to
have made QSO and said hello; but due to the number of stations calling I
refrained to allow others who might not have made that contact do so.
Instead, I opted to try new countries I had never heard before and wound up
with I believe 5 or 6 new ones.

Allot of 160 meter DXing has to go to the fact that BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE
AT THE RIGHT TIME makes a difference.  I heard several stations calling the
DX but many never got through or were never answered.  Some live a very
short distance from me.

In an email message from Gyuri/HA5JI in Budapest I would like to share with
all his comments

" Gyuri-----I work this morning in 1hr and 30 mins with 59 USA stations to
include 6/W6-7's, 8-W0's, 13-W9's and TX, LA, NM from W5.  This is very rare
from HA."

A very modest antenna on a city lot here in Muscatine, Iowa I guess I
shouldn't complain as much as I do when it comes to DXing.  A 32' top-loaded
vertical with 65+ ground radials and 5 different Receive antennas which
include the following:  W1WCR's 60' center fed/loaded 2-wire SWA; 4-turn
electrostatic shielded indoor loop, 80/160 dual band 10' diameter outdoor
rotate able loop, Pennant antenna, and a 258' long-wire at 28-32'.   THE
LONG-WIRE IS PROBABLY MY BEST RX ANTENNA AS THIS IS WHERE I HEAR MOST OF THE
EU SIGNALS.

Since the contest last weekend, I have managed to work 12-15 new countries
on 160 which is very rare.  It took me almost 20 years just to work 100
countries.  I'm not sure where my count is at right now but I think it is
somewhere around 150 or 155; nothing compared to the likes of W4ZV, W8JI,
AE9B and others but hey-----------You have to do with what you have to work
with and make it work for you.

Congratulations to all those who were able to work the new ones and
ESPECIALLY THANKS TO THE DX STATIONS WHO WERE PATIENT ENOUGH TO BE THERE FOR
US AND GIVE US THE NEW ONES.

73's  Dennis the other Iowan  KØCKD
Please find below three webb sites you may or may not enjoy
viewing...............

www.machlink.com/~k0ckdennis  -----my amateur radio web site

www.machlink.com/~sure  -----------my new business web site

www.machlink.com/~classof63  ------my high school graduating class of 1963
reunion
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