Topband: 5R8X

[Herb Schoenbohm]

On 11/9/2010 7:31 AM, David Raymond wrote:
> The 5R8X op brought a lot of joy to NA topbanders Monday night with a big signal in the Midwest US.  They QSYd from 80m (where they were peaking a little over S9) and started a big run on 160m about 0054z.  Being away and having missed their big NA run the previous night I was hopeful of working them on their last night as I still needed 5R on TB.  Luck was on my side and I believe I was their first QSO when they moved to 160m.  They continued with a good Q rate and put many NA in their log until their sunrise.  Whoever was operating was excellent.  All in all, it was a joy to watch.  Interestingly, they were about S9 when they first came on and gradually faded throughout the hour or so to about S4 or less until their sunrise.
>
>

Dave, Congratulations on your new one..........but,

I just wonder what path they had to the Midwest last night which was so 
outstanding.  However my path over Africa almost straight East was 
worthless on 160 with a peep now and then.  Oddly on 80 meters they were 
599 for several hours but I  called for hours without even a QRZ 
partial.  My two East beverages and even SE and SSE ones were employed 
to try to get a readable signal here but it was hopeless, nor was there 
a SR bump here either.  Now here is the question: was there some other 
path enhancement to dump their signal into so well into the Midwest and 
beyond?  For me this path is normally an easy one much of it over salt 
water and able to work most of the rare stuff in the Indian Ocean with ease.

Anyway congrats to all that made it, especially stations in the great 
Midwest  propagation hole most of the time.


73
Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ