Topband: low band propagation at solar min

[Charlie Young]

Carl and John, your comments about the last cycle bottom not being as good as the previous cycle bottoms were very interesting. 
 
I missed the previous cycles you mentioned. My activity started here in Oct 2008 and the first two or three seasons seemed fantastic compared to later years.  I am looking forward to the next solar minimum and hopefully the conditions will at least be as good as the during the last one.  If they are better, that would be fantastic.  Hopefully they won't be worse. 
 
Speaking of the last minimum, I noticed E skip on 50 MHZ was better here than in the last few seasons. I worked a JA in 2010 and 2011 but have not heard one since, despite diligent listening.  Far fewer EU openings as well for me.  I don't know if this is normal or a fluke, as I started on 6M in 2009.   Sorry about the VHF comment on the Topband Reflector.  
 
73 Charlie N8RR  
 

> Carl K9LA:  " But in my opinion (and in the opinion of others) the deep and
> long solar minimum between Cycles 23 and 24 (2006-2010) didn't live up to
> this axiom compared to the not-so-deep and not-so-long solar minimum between
> Cycles 22 and 23 (1995-1997). It suggests that all solar minimums aren't the
> same."
> 
> I will continue the comparison by saying that the solar minimum in the
> mid-1980's topped that of the following two decades in terms of low band
> propagation.  Top Band activity in the 1980's was nothing like it is today,
> but despite that I observed many openings into Europe that sounded like a
> 20m opening.  Propagation to mid-eastern and central Asia occurred pretty
> regularly.  I remember hearing 9M2AX on long path much louder than most of
> the Europeans he was working.  JA's were almost a daily occurrence into W1
> during January of 1987.  
> 
> I assumed that this was normal propagation for 160 but I have never observed
> anything consistently as good as it was in the 1980's.  Anyone else found
> this to be true?  What was different about the solar minimum in that decade?
> 
> 73, John W1FV
> 
> 
> 
> _________________
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