Topband: VP8STI 160 Meter Path

[KD8RQE at aol.com]

I'm in southern Michigan, just 10 miles north of the Indiana border.   I 
have an inverted L with the vertical portion up 65' and 90 radials of which 60 
 are 120'.  I could hear them, but not well enough to hear my call at 0100Z 
 and 0200Z.  At 0400Z they were 1-2 S units above my noise and I worked 
them  1st call--listening and panadapter showed few others calling.  30 minutes 
 later I heard them on 75m SSB and worked them 1st call.  A few minutes  
later I worked them on 40 CW after a couple of calls when both nights before I 
 was unable to work them on 40 through the EU and W1-4 wall.  Very strange, 
 usually the "Black Hole of DX" is quite deep here, but for once 
propagation  worked well for me.  A VERY nice night on the low bands.
 
73
 
Mike KD8RQE
 
 
In a message dated 1/21/2016 1:24:12 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
daraymond at iowatelecom.net writes:

The  whole band opening last night from NA to VP8STI on TB was rather  
bizarre.  The opening started in earnest with big signals coming  first in 
Maine.  The guys in 1 land reported signals rivaling  "locals."  The 
opening 
then started moving slowly and selectively  southward.  Guys in 2 land and 
then 3 land started working them next  and then into 5 land.  As the was 
opening into 5 land it also began  opening westward, but again, 
selectively. 
Stations in 8 and 9 land were  hearing and working them but not everywhere. 
I sat here in Iowa for over  three hours with virtually nothing from them 
at 
all.  Finally about  0400 I began hearing them.  They slowly improved and, 
at 
0424z I put  my call in and was answered immediately.  They continued to 
build  here peaking to S5-S6 around 0445z.  After that they slowly faded 
and  
were gone here before their SS.  The opening appeared to be very  limited 
and, in some places, non-existent in 4 land.  A handful in 4  land made it, 
several using HWF for RX.  Several big stations  reported hearing little or 
no signal.  It seemed odd to be listening  to them here with S5 signals and 
the guys in the far SE and FL had none  (and they are 1200 or 1500 miles 
closer).  But perhaps the most  bizarre thing of all was K4SV and W4ZV 
having 
to listen to the NORTH to  hear them with apparently no signal from the 
direct path.  It would  be interesting to know what mode of propagation 
that 
was.  All in all  it was an odd night.  Nevertheless, a LOT of NA stations 
made it into  the log.  Joy for many but frustration remained for quite a  
few.  Antennas here a full size ground mounted four square for TX and  Hi-Z 
8 
circle optimized for 160.
73. . . Dave, W0FLS, in Iowa
-----  Original Message ----- 
From: "Joel Harrison" <w5zn at w5zn.org>
To:  "topband" <topband at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2016  11:15 PM
Subject: Topband: VP8STI 160 Meter Path


> Tonight on  160 VP8STI had a good signal. Here in Arkansas their signal
> arrived  from the NE from around 0115z until around 0200z peaking around 5
> dB  above my noise floor. Around 0200z they went "QRX" for a few minutes.
>  When they returned their sig was much weaker and finally  faded.
>
> As the evening went on their sig returned around 0330z  here and was in 
and
> out of the noise, still peaking to the NE and  somethings shifting E to 
SE.
> Right About a half hour before their SR  the signal peaked to the SE and
> remained their until they faded into  the sunrise.
>
> Best signal level here was 10 dB above my noise  floor.
>
> Just wanted to pass that on for the folks (K9LA, W4ZV,  etc) that keep
> track of these paths for us.
>
> 73 Joel  W5ZN
>
>
> www.w5zn.org
>
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