Topband: Condx to EU last night

[Garry Shapiro]

Last evening was the best 160 session here at my San Francisco area QTH
since the fondly-remembered last week of December, 1997. I logged a dozen EU
between 0526 and 0635Z, including LA5HE and 9H1ZA for New Ones. That is more
EU than I have logged in the past half-dozen years...total! In addition,
YV5MBX was the loudest YV signal I have ever heard.

I am sure that, had I gotten home earlier, the total might have been higher,
but I was trapped in the Valley with my wife (hi!) shopping, running errands
and waiting for Thai take-out in town. It was excrutiating: I just
KNEW--with Topbander instinct--that I HAD to get home, and right away. I got
home in time to fruitlessly chase UU4JMG. With his signal peaking at about
0515Z, dinner was on the table. By the time I had bolted down the Curry
Duck, etc., he had faded, CQing with no responses. It would have been
domestic suicide to ignore the meal---sigh.

But then, all of a sudden, there were booming signals from the rest of
Europe, and not that many callers beyond CA and AZ. That just does not
happen here! Surely the searchlight shined upon southern W6/W7 last evening!
It's a rare treat indeed to be able to contribute such news to the
Reflector.

Garry, NI6T