Topband: I was just curious....

[W9UCW at aol.com]

After reading all the comments about the end of  the 160 season, 
I wondered how many DX contacts I make in the  "off season."
I'm not very consistent in my operating habits  and although I  
often "check the band" before sunrise, I'm not  too good at staying 
up late looking for DX to the  east.
 
I'm a casual DXer and I have a lot of irons in the fire so I'll not 
break any records. Plus, knowing that so many stations in the 
northern hemisphere "roll up the radials," so to speak, I tend to 
spend less operating time on 160 vs. other bands  in those months.
BTW, I live in the semi-tropics 25 miles inland  from the noisy
Gulf of Mexico. I have lots of excuses, don't  I?
 
I went back through logs since 2004 and made  these findings. 
The numbers  for March and September are almost the same as 
for the other "in season" months, so I  threw those out. The 
numbers for April, May, June, July, and August  are certainly less 
than September through March, and nearly equal  for each of those 
five months over the years in question. Here's what I worked in 
those "off season" months on 160.
 
VK,- 89 contacts
JA---22 contacts
XQ6---4 contacts
LU-----5 contacts
FK8---2 contacts
ZL-----6 contacts
DU9--2 contacts
DL----2 contacts
4O3--2 contacts
KL7--2 Contacts
KH6--3 contacts
HK----3 contacts
FM5--2 contacts
PY----2 contacts
CY9--2 contacts
PJ4---2 contacts
G------2 contacts
CX5---2 contacts
XE-----5 contacts
 
And one contact with each of the  following:
 
VK9, F5, SV3, KP2, IK1, N8S, AH2, 5W5, EI2, FW0,  NP4, 5W0,
 
LZ, LA, T77, HR, VI9, S51, E51, UT5, HA, C6,  ET3, ZP6, 
 
So, for 8 years, that's 183 DX contacts or an  average of about 24
per year and a bit under 5 per "off season"  month. That's not bad for 
a not-ready-for-prime-time effort, but may not  be exciting enough for 
many.
 
I think that a more systematic approach to my  operating habits 
would help my  numbers. Then if folks around the globe did a more 
exuberant bit of spotting, it might get the attention of many who 
gave up in March. Of course the development of  leather eardrums
after 58 years on 160 is an asset I'm proud  of.
 
Best DX, 73,  Barry