Topband: Lack of Activity

[Mpridesti]

Bob

Thanks for sharing your experience. I had high hopes for a great season as I spent a great deal of time erecting a long anticipated antenna system. (New QTH, retirement mode)

Countless winter days spent adjusting, laying radials and taking measurements, only to find so little activity to get nightly reports as a way to check my progress, that makes one question the overall Return-on-investment. 

I know there are plenty of distractions and perhaps I ask for too much, but it sure would nice to have more activity and certainly better conditions (which stimulates activity naturally).  I hear the same complaint about 80 m too. 

I do enjoy saying hello to the same 5 DX stations most nights, just hope they will stay patient with me!  So here’s to looking for that redemption with a wild band opening!

Regards,

Mark, K1RX


> On Feb 14, 2019, at 4:00 PM, W7RH <midnight18 at cox.net> wrote:
> 
> Roger and group,
> 
> It's not your imagination, activity on CW has been very low. Add to that propagation has been absolutely horrid all season from a left coast perspective. While some northern folks have been able to get a hop under the aurora curtain it just is not possible from my Arizona location. I can appreciate the joy of the eastern stations working EU. Out west it's our equivalent of working the east coast. 4000 km vs. 8000 km.
> 
> The last two openings that were very good were in mid and late December. Since that time I have had only 4 EU QSOs. Meanwhile only a _few JA,UA0 and HL5IVL_ have been active. XX9D has been on in the morning with great SR signal but due to location and antenna restrictions his noise level is not penetrable. The trans-equatorial path has been quite good here. VK3IO solid S9 and V84SAA S9 both near sunrise this morning. They all have been worked leaving nothing else to do. There are only limited number of stations active the western pacific and all of those are 15,000 km away!
> 
> I have joined the group of K7ZV, W0FLS, AA0RS, N7XM and K0RF calling CQ with no response inside JA window morning after morning. Even propagation to JA has been spotty, with little activity. Add to that I've worked one new entity this winter. Guess what? QSL direct only. The unmarked envelope with card and green stamps was pilfered in the mail.
> 
> As always I'll be a Top Band die hard as well. I retired in February 2017 and listen almost everyday at Sun rise and Sunset. Changing the active aurora is beyond my powers no matter how much effort in antenna system or even power for the matter.
> 
> CU all on top band. The ARRL DX CW contest is really the last opportunity from out west. By and large the worst top band season I've seen in a long time....
> 
> 73
> 
> Bob, W7RH
> 
> Bob, W7RH
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> W7RH DM35os
> 
> "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." - Albert Einstein
> 
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