Topband: Propagation to Conway Reef

[Milt -- N5IA]

-----Original Message----- 
From: Robin
Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2012 3:52 PM
To: 160
Subject: Re: Topband: Propagation to Conway Reef

SNIP--------

During the VP6DX expedition, we made many contacts before sunset and after 
sunrise, some
quite notable distances.  There is a recording of the SSB contact during the 
SSB contest
with EA6 when it was almost 2 hours after sunrise at EA6.

SNIP---------



I believe the contest contact Robin is referencing was the 2nd one with CN3A 
during the 2nd night of the contest.  I had worked CN3A earlier in the 
evening and it was a bit difficult.  It was now hard daylight in all of EU 
and AF, and the terminator was out in the Atlantic on the Cape Verde 
Islands, past the Canaries and the Azores.

I was giving a few minutes of directional calls for the central Pacific and 
ZL/VK.

CN3A calls in while I am listening on the Beverage in the opposite 
direction, directly to ZL/VK.  He reports the VP6DX signal is 
"unbelievable".  I switch to the EU Beverage and the CN3A signal is 10-15 dB 
stronger.  CN3A and I exchange signal reports with his report of that VP6DX 
was like local 20 Meters to CT (Portugal).

It truly was an exciting minute of time inside the unreal two night of the 
CQ 160 SSB contest from the middle of nowhere in the South Pacific.  Sum 
total was only two contacts out of more than 1,000 Qs that were less than 
3,000 miles.

Anyone interested in listening to the MP3 of the contact and viewing a jpeg 
graphic of the path taken from the GeoClock screen can request them in a 
direct E-mail.

73 de Milt, N5IA.  Also VP6DX and XZ0A.