Topband: The East Coast Advantage

[Craig Clark]

Message: 8
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:22:35 -0500
From: "Edward Swynar" <gswynar at durham.net>
Subject: Topband: The East Coast Advantage
To: <topband at contesting.com>
Message-ID: <002301ca57c9$55f96090$7021334a at COMPAQ>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"

Good Day All,

I had occasion this past week to do some VERY minor operating fom Bridgton,
Maine, whilst visiting my son who now lives there...

What a revealing experience!

I heard solid European & African stations practically begging for N.A. QSOs,
with no takers...and this, at some 1.5 - 2 hours before local sunset!

What a difference a 9 hour drive S/E on the continent can make on the
band...Hi Hi.

~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ


Eddy

The "however" is that we often can hear them but they can't hear us for a
myriad of reasons. Two that come to mind are: European stations are stronger
and "we" are relatively weak due to a lack of propagation path reciprocity
and they are listening the wrong way with directional antennas. 

At sunset Sunday night there were a myriad of Eu and AF stations calling CQ
before sunset and I couldn't raise a one of them. 

As we get later in the Fall and in to winter, They do listen West and we can
often work Eu at sunset.

73 Craig