Topband: DX Window

[Tom Rauch]

> Item first: Those who say the window is silly or unneeded
are just
> plain wrong.  With wall-to-wall CQ'ers, the window is the
only
> realistic chance most stations have of getting some DX
mults other
> than the Caribbean.  Here in the great white north, with
the aurora
> cutting us off more often than not, it is frequently the
only way an
> unassisted station can tell if EU is workable.

Ron,

NA is a BIG place with lots of activity. The need for the
window is directly proportional to how many stations and how
much population lies between you and the DX.

For example, VY2ZM and VE1ZZ have only about two thousand
open miles with no signal sources between them and Europe.
With a directional antenna, it's like being in your own
quiet world of strong signals.

As we move inland to the NE USA, signals become
significantly weaker and strong local stations appear either
directly between the DX and us or at angles that are very
difficult to suppress. W1's and 2's have a thousand miles
longer path with weaker signals,  and there is more junk
from strong signals to deal with.

Down in the SE the entire northeastern seaboard is directly
in the path and distance doubles to 4000 miles or more.
That's another significant step towards needing a Window
during a contest.

While the northern and north western stations may not look
up through a heavy population, the path isn't nearly as good
so far as signal levels. People inland and north still have
even worse problems than someone around me might have.

The opinions you will get vary greatly with the location.
It's easy to see why. The problem is NE stations, because of
population density, often set policy in a way that accents
the advantage they already have without even knowing they
are doing it.

73 Tom