Topband: Delaware report

[Jon Zaimes AA1K]

Band was very quiet here last night. Many European signals coming through, and even heard a few pieces of UK8DAN close to his sunrise.

9G5OO was loud early in the evening, then later TT8AMO warmed up the band around 0250z (in the log at 0256 for no. 287). Pierre made a lot of guys happy! His signal peaked S7-S8 here just before 04z, and was still 449 when I shut down about 0420z.

As I listened to Pierre after our QSO, I had two receivers running with each on a different antenna and playing through the speakers. It was interesting to observe how his signal would shift back and forth from the left to the right radio and back again. The path varied from 45 degrees to 110 degrees -- although generally best on the broadside phased pair of Beverages at 75 degrees (475 feet long, spaced 400 feet). At times he also was good copy on the vertical TX array.

5Z4DZ was 579 around 03z.

This morning quiet conditions continued and we started copying DU9/N0NM about 0950z, just after his sunrise. Jon was on the direct path, best on the NW phased pair (935 feet long spaced 175 feet) most of the time, though about 10 minutes before my SR (1023z today) he briefly shifted to the West and then to the NNW and held there (342-degree phased pair). Jon dropped out finally about 15 minutes past my sunrise. But no QSO!

ZL3IX and the ZL digi also were peaking from the NW today.

73/Jon AA1K