Topband: This morning on 160 meters

[Milt - N5IA]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <W2pm at aol.com>

> Does anyone have a feel for how popular 160 really is in JA?


I regularly make 50 to 150 contacts with JA in any given 160 Meter CW 
contest, depending on propagation.  That is from New Mexico.  If propagation 
is great, yes there are pileups on my calls because of the desire for the NM 
mult.

While operating at XZ0A I personally logged a large portion of the more than 
500 JA callsigns we put in the 160 Meter log.  Activity from JA was great 
every night after US sunrise and before EU sunset.  We asked the JA 
operators to honor our request to not call during the periods when there was 
possible propagation to NA or EU, and only call when we directed CQs to JA. 
They respected that request very well.  We often commented that we worked 
every set of bedsprings in JA.

You may be correct that a majority of the JA hams are limited in space and 
the TX arrays they can install for Topband.  My personal belief is that 160 
Meter activity is high there, especially during contests and DXpedition 
activity periods.  That is no different that here in the good ol' US of A.

Mis dos centavos,

Milt, N5IA, aka K1Z in the upcoming CQ WW 160 SSB contest