Topband: Topband Digest, Vol 108, Issue 80

[wa3mej at comcast.net]

Tom, 

I have been w atching the spotting networks lately.   I think much of the problem is that many stations now use directional antennas what with all the Flag, Pennant and K9AY antennas now being used for receive. If we turn these in directions that promote local contacts instead of DX contacts because we think the conditions (or in my case noise) are poor we may miss contacts from DX locations.  I know I have heard stations from EU being called from east coast stations and the EU station never called back.  Finally when one of the big guns got involved with their high power stations and directoinal antennas contact was made but the EU stations only worked a small fraction of those calling.  I am sure this also works in reverse..  As my mentor WA3BGT (SK) once told me ya gotta hear' em to work'em... but if we are not listening for them we will never hear them. 



I listen every night for at least a little while and sure there are nights when nothing comes in, but there are just as many when EU stations are heard.  



Bottom line Listen first transmit second. 



Jim WA3MEJ 



Message: 7 
Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:28:20 -0000 
From: "Tom Boucher" < tom at telemetry.demon.co.uk > 
Subject: Topband: 160 Conditions 
To: < topband at contesting.com > 
Message-ID: <0B83CA5B7DE0424C95C26B5F16FCA967 at Tom> 
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" 

Who says top-band conditions are in the doldrums? 160 was really singing this morning and signals from the mid-west and west were like I've never heard them. In under an hour at 0500Z, 30 US stations and 17 states worked. Jim N7JW (UT) was knocking the calibrated S meter of my K3 up to 20 over and Randy W6OAR (CA) was over the 9 when we worked. 

The evening of 6th December was also something else with 26 JAs worked and many more heard in the pile up. 

Let's hope these conditions continue! 

73 & HNY 
Tom G3OLB