Topband: conditions on 160 in the NW

[Lee K7TJR]

First, thanks to AA1K for posting a note that my rig had broken and I was wandering up the band while I was happily punching the CQ button. It was a weird day for me here as that was the first day I had decided to get up before sunrise and actively CQ for  DX. Before the rig failure I worked ZL3IX and 2 stations from JA. I was starting to hear DX0K after he posted me on the cluster. His signal was building and as I waited  I did some more CQing and my rig broke. Same morning the farmer who rents my field (nicely pays the taxes) came over and told me it was time they were filling the irrigation ditches and my beverages and 8 element rx array would have to come out of the field as he would now start irrigating. So all in all it was a great first kinda serious effort season on 160 for me . We finally broke 1000 q's (K7ZUM and I) in the CQ 160 , I have worked over 100 JA stations plus  VR2,UA9,VK,ZL,JT1,KH0,ON,YV,PJ2,HL,CU,KV4,FT5,and maybe more that I cant think of at the moment. So all in all thanks everyone for a great year on 160 and I will be back next season with bigger and better antennas. Now I will go out and put up the 75 meter 4square and the KT34XA at 65 feet that are laying on the ground after the move to this new QTH. Oregon may not be the black hole of RF as I always thought it was. I think success has more to do with utilizing the collective wisdom of all the gang on this magic band than where you live.  Next season should be even better..   Lee  K7TJR  Culver Oregon