Topband: Strange Condx

[Eddy Swynar]

On 2012-12-16, at 6:47 PM, Herb Krumich wrote:

> Friday late afternoon around 4 pm (EST), I was listening to 160 and was hearing many signals from Europe and Russia. Some were quite loud. 
> I probably called at least a dozen different stations with no luck. My transmit antenna is an inverted L which is about 85 feet vertical. I even went outside to make sure the horizontal leg was not disturbed due to wind.  I operate EME on 144 mhz and have had times where signals would only go one way. Was this the case ? Or could it have been storms which would have produced high levels of noise on their receive end ?
> After a radio club dinner, I went back to 160 and was able to work two stations in Europe with single calls from me.
> I'm going to try the SP contest next weekend for some fun
> Isn't this the greatest hobby ever ?
> Herb K2LNS



Hi Herb,

Many times I used to go down to the shack right at our local sunset here, & try & snag a few of the European stations on the band that were easily getting across with 569 - 579 signals---but the only stations able to work them on this side were always considerably east of me, in "VE1"- & "W1"-land...

A "window" of opportunity for my ability to get them would come about an hour later.

It always seemed like local sunset conditions favoured being able to hear the DX to the east alright, but most times one had to bide one's time on the eastern end of the path until the sun had really & truly settled down, in order to work them.

It was frustrating, to be sure, and by times made me long for a sea-side QTH in the Maritimes...!

~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ