Topband: Daylight QSO's during the SP

[Lee K7TJR]

    A few weeks ago I was listening to a JA station during our sunrise. This station was very loud before sunrise. I listened to him until he finally faded away a full 2 hours plus after my sunrise. He remained very loud right up til the last I heard with a rapid fade away. It was fully bright sunshine here. W6EL prop says that is over 5000 miles from here. I did not try for a 2 way though I have no reason to believe it would not have worked as he was very strong s-9. He was working DX on the other side of the world I could not hear. Yes, we do not understand all the things that make propagation on top-band. Just last night the band opened huge to Europe for me after a 2 week dead silence. For many days previous all the A,K, and aurora indexes were way down but still no prop. Interestingly enough there was a spike in the x-ray flux and bingo I got propagation. I also got an e-mail advising of a CME from the sun and a sunspot about to emerge from a blank sun. Do I think this is the answer? No it just means I need to keep listening for when it happens. I used to think I could never transmit right through a really bad aurora index until one day I had a fantastic Qso to S59A right through it (indications from my directional RX antennas) with s-9 signals. 
    I like what Carl K9LA said. It probably wont be in our lifetime that we finally learn top-band propagation secrets. Till then keep trying if your ears can stand it. 
  Lee K7TJR   HNY all