Topband: Boring Report - December

[Joe Giacobello, K2XX]

  Last year, I put up my first vertical for 160M and my very first QSO 
with it was JA on September 29.  And though I have to admit to not being 
a dedicated early riser, this morning was the first time this season 
that I heard JA here in SW VA.  Europe is generally pretty good here at 
around my sunset and their sunrise, although there have been nights 
where EU signals were either totally absent or few and far between.  
Central Asia and VK/ZL have been almost totally absent here.

Let's hope for better conditions during the next few months.

73, Joe
K2XX



On 1/6/2011 12:39 PM, David Raymond wrote:
> : Boring Report - December
>
>
>> Simply put - Decemeber was not very exciting...  dare I say almost
>> boring?
>>
>> While I have been able to hear and work some Europeans during the
>> month - signals have been down significantly from normal.  Most
>> nights - I either hear nothing - or perhaps only a few weak signals.
>> Most of my contacts have been made by the "skin of my teeth" and
>> there have not been any opportunities to run stations.  While I have
>> worked a few stations in the morning - the mornings in the past two
>> years were much better.
>>
>> All of this sort of adds to me thinking conditions are significantly
>> worse than they were the past couple or years.  Likely worse than
>> they have been since 2006.
>>
>> Just wondering if this matches the perception of others?  Looking
>> back in my logs - it's amazing to me that I actually went through
>> several years of working zero Europeans - but it appears we might
>> be on the brink of this happening again?
>>
>> 73 Tree N6TR
>
> > From my observations here in the Midwest, conditions are substantially down
> from recent years past.  That includes conditions to EU, Asia, and VK/ZL.
> Last year and the year before many of the active NA stations were routinely
> working Zones 17, 18,&  19 both morning and night.  This part of the world
> is a relatively tough path for NA.  This year it's much more of a challenge
> to work those zones at any time.  I note that activity from JA is only a
> small fraction of what it has been in recent years.  Two years ago I could
> easily work 10 or 20 JA stations in one morning session.  Now, I can CQ
> beaming JA for 20 minutes and never even get a response.
>
> All that said there have been a few bright moments.  There was a wonderful
> opening from the Midwest to EU at their SR a few nights ago.  Topband
> sounded like 20m at midday with stations every KHz.  But that was just one
> evening, not night-after-night like it was a year or two ago.
>
> I think all of this has somewhat discouraged all but a few of the stalwarts,
> and understandably so.  You just have to be on. . .there just won't be as
> good a return on your investment.  No doubt, times and prop have changed.
>
> 73 and Happy New Year to all. . .Dave
> W0FLS
> in Iowa
>
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