Topband: K4M from Scotland+ Norway

[Jim Brown]

On Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:42:52 +0200, LA5HE Ragnar Otterstad wrote:

> It has surprised me more than once, the big difference in
>signal strength a few hundred kms
>more to the Wes t (-or the East, depening on what DX we are talking abut).
>WE have a DX-chat on SKYPE  running here in Norway, and the difference in
>openings from here to f.ex
>Trondheim ( some 500 kms north )  is sometimes almost shocking.

The same sort of thing happens here on the West Coast of North America. I'm 
about 100 km south of San Francisco. Our path to EU is over the pole, so we 
typically get only a few openings each season. It is quite common for good 
stations 300-800 miles to the North, East, or South of us to be working EU 
stations that we don't hear. 

Another thing I've noted is that when I can work EU, East Coast stations 
usually cannot, and such openings often last for only 15-30 minutes. I find 
it VERY frustrating that "big guns" will take advantage of those short 
openings to "say hello" to stations they've worked a dozen or more times 
(and even rag chew to "show off" what a big gun they are) while many of us 
who haven't worked them once miss the opening that others have squandered 
massaging their egos. 

I'm not a big gun, but I can work almost anywhere in the Pacific any time 
the band is open. Except during contests, I won't call those guys when I 
know that east coast guys hear them and want to work them. I see that as 
common courtesy. 

73,

Jim K9YC