Topband: lack of activity on TB from left coast

[Jim Brown]

On 12/28/2013 12:54 AM, Dr. Wolf Ostwald wrote:
> hny to everybody on the reflector !
> today we saw real good condx to the western US here from central EU. 
> But i guess the word did not spread fast enough. I sure was missing 
> all the " clear channel stations" from the coast.
> VE6SV had a blasting signal here way into daylight. My guess is, that 
> with the high solar activity the days with west coast propagation have 
> been few from central EU and the interest faded.

DX contesting is not so interesting from the west coast, mostly because 
the scoring rules of virtually all contests gives most participants 
little incentive to work us. We don't count as DX to the thousand or so 
contesters in Zone 5, and except for ARRL 160, the west coast is only 
five multipliers (BC, WA, OR, CA, AZ), so Zone 5 stations build RX 
antennas for EU, but only the most ambitious build them for JA, which 
might hear CA off the side. Out here, we often hear east coast stations 
loud and clear during our afternoon daylight, but they don't hear us, 
mostly because their RX antennas are aimed NE to work EU. Mostly we can 
work Zone 5 when the band has closed to EU. The Stew Perry is, of 
course, the notable exception.

The result of this is that few go to the trouble to build serious 
stations with DX capability on 160M -- indeed, with 8 acres of redwoods, 
my three full size 160M TX antennas and two reversible Beverages are the 
exception. My personal response to this has been passive agressive -- I 
now work all DX contests QRP, with a goal of building my count of states 
and countries worked with 5W.

A few nights ago when you were spotted, I only heard stations calling 
you. BTW -- VE6 is about 1,000 miles closer to you than San Francisco or 
Los Angeles. I haven't heard EU on topband for a couple of seasons.

And a personal note. You were the first EU I worked on 160 when I moved 
to CA in 2006, but I still don't have a response from the card I sent 
you via the Bureau. The last thing I'm going to do is respond to your 
CQ. Thankfully other DL stations were more courteous.

73, Jim K9YC