Topband: 3B9C to KA6W

[Milt Jensen, N5IA]

Bill,

Interesting your calculations.  I knew we we near the antipode here in the
Southwest US but didn't realize there was such a big difference from the
other locations.

According to my calculator in Geoclock, the distance between Rodrigues and
my QTH is 11, 418 miles (18,375 Km) on the short path (29 degrees) and
13,485 miles (21,702 Km) on the long path (209 degrees).  This is by far the
longest contact for me on Top Band.  It puts me just 1,034 miles off the
antipode.  The time of my QSO, at 0135 was just 8 minutes after sundown here
and 15 minutes before sunup at 3B9C, a true hard greyline to greyline
contact.

The guys in AZ just west of me should have the longest Q's with 3B9C.  Not
knowing all of whom worked the DXped (just the ones who posted to the
reflector) I am supposing that Larry Pace, N7DD, has the 1st place.  His
location in NW Tucson is about 140 air miles WSW of me placing him about 900
miles from the antipode.  The antipode is in the Pacific just off the west
central coast of Baja California, Mexico.

Anyway, it was for me a textbook contact.  73 de Milt, N5IA


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Tippett" <btippett at alum.mit.edu>
To: <topband at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2004 5:11 AM
Subject: Topband: 3B9C to KA6W


>          On this date, 3B9C sunset was 1352 and KA6W
> sunrise was 1405...only 13 minutes of common darkness.
> Those of us on the East Coast might first think this was
> long path, but it was probably short path since  3B9C is a
> bearing of 354 degrees and a distance of 13647 km from
> KA6W.
>
>          This path is not too much different from the sunrise path
> we have to 9V1/9M2 from the East Coast.  From my QTH,
> 9V1 is 353 degrees and a distance of 15901 km, and several
> have worked 9V1GO or 9M2AX near our local sunrise.


> 73,  Bill  W4ZV