Topband: [Fwd: Re: K4M on TopBand]

[Garry Shapiro]

I sent the comment below to Dave, but since there have been several 
comments, it seems relevant to share it.
-----------------------------------------------
I just want to point out that all Pacific DXpeditions listen for Europe. 
What part of Europe is heard depends to a significant extent upon when 
the DXpedition is QRV.

Four years ago we went to Kure Atoll as K7C--about this time. We had a 
Titanex V160e on the tide line facing out across the lagoon, with 32 
radials and 700W. Being 1200 miles from Honolulu and thousands from any 
other significant place, and being experienced topband operators, we 
expected great things. We were QRV all night, every night.

Great things did not occur. Every night at sunset a grinding noise 
appeared, and stayed until sunrise, S7 and more on the meter. One 
operator managed four QSO's with UA4 and that was the extent of Europe. 
We were never able to figure out where that noise came from or what it was.

At Kingman Reef in 2000, we did better, at the end of October. But the 
prop would move west from zone 16---then zone 15, still holding up, then 
eastern zone 14, still OK through DL and even F. And then it would die. 
The UK cried out, as now. But what was there to do? The prop did not 
cross the Channel.

If you think you are disappointed, you should have been here in zone 3 
for the Glorioso farce.

Garry, NI6t

G4GED Dave wrote:
> OK1RD wrote >>>
>   
>> Dear Topbanders,
>> let me allow to express this way my admiration for excellent 160m band
>> operation of the K4M DXpediton on Midway Isle. >
>>     
>
> Well I normally take my DXing bad luck quietly on-the-chin. However in this
> case I'm sorry but in contrast to the posting above I think it should be
> recorded here that the performance for Western Europe on LF was a very
> different and sad story.
>
> It's not always understood that most  TB propagation between the Pacific and 
> W-EU is
> generally completely different than for the rest of EU.
> No consideration was allowed for the fact that on this far side of EU the
> only chance we had for propagation to the North Pacific was less than 1 hour
> around our Sunrise.
>
> On the 3 days they were active on TB around that time, no breaks were
> offered for EU and apart from one very lucky G and three GM Top Gun Dxers,
> most found it impossible to cut through the NA Wall.
> I see no TB QSOs at all for EI, F, EA and so on, in the on-line Logs.
> 80m was a similar story.
>
> On their last day on TB, 18th Oct. they had the best signal ever at our SR 
> (for over 30m at this QTH) but unbelievably they were working only the SP 
> Contest!
>
> I don't denigh our NA cousins their shots at all but surely a listen at W-EU
> SR for less than an hour is not too much to ask when most NA has propagation 
> for 6 to 10 hours?
> Thankfully, most previous Pacific DXpeditions have managed to recognise this 
> and I hope
> this report will encourage more future ones to do the same.
>
> So, sorry guys but  K4M was a very frustrating damp squid on LF for most of
> us in this neck of the woods.
>
> I stand by to be shot down :-(
> 73
> Dave
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Topband mailing list
> Topband at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/topband
>
>