Topband: ARRL DX contest

[VE6WZ_Steve]

160m contest report from VE6 under the AU oval….

I was out Friday evening so missed the start, but got to the radio by about 0400z.  At first I thought things were going to be good with strong signals coming across the pole from UA and northern EU, but after an hour or so things fizzled out and the transpolar signals got much weaker with only about 15 EU/AF and numerous NA/SA making it into the log till I went to bed around 7:30z.
The morning session was mediocre….the band was in good shape but little activity. Only 23 Ja, and a few other Asia together with the V84 guys.  Little OC activity outside of KH6 and KH2, and no VK or ZL QSOs for me.

Saturday night  with the solar wind down to 370 km/s, I was hopeful for good early EU conditions but that didn't happen here.  EU eventually opened up around 0400z but the path was painful all night!  Many EU were heard, but only for maybe 15-30 seconds before the QSB took them away into oblivion.  The QSB would eventually bring them back, but very rarely long enough to complete a QSO.  I could watch on the waterfall as an EU signal would appear from nothing, peak for about 20 seconds, and then disappear without returning for several minutes.  If the calls and exchanges weren't completed within the 20 second window then there was no hope for a repeat until the QSB came back.  I tried calling CQ and had numerous callers, but they would peak enough to get the prefix, maybe the whole call, but then they were gone when trying to get the exchange.  There were a few EU signals that somehow defied the bad QSB for some reason and remained steady most of the night, or at least stayed above the noise better. QSB is common as we all know on TB, but this was perhaps the fastest and deepest I have ever heard.  Long-and-slow QSB is not bad to work with, but fast and deep with long extended dips is pretty tough!
The Sunday morning session was very slow, even though the band was wide open.  Some very strong (599) JA and HL, but I had already worked most of them.  Very little activity from JA at my morning, calling CQ for almost 2 hours but only worked 5 AS. Perhaps I should have got up earlier.

Sorry for any EU callers that I did not pull out….I could hear you calling, the band was very quiet, but the QSB was a killer.

All-in-all the band was not as good here as it has been for many other nights this season.  On a good evening will I usually work about 30-40 EU in a couple of hours.

For all the talk about diminished CW activity on TB, my 160m log shows 912 EU/AF CW QSOs since September 1, 2018.
There are 372 unique EU callsigns worked, and 112 DXCC worked on 160m.  These totals include only about 60 QSOs from CQww, ARRL, or SP contests combined because I was not QRV for those.
I do agree that there are less casual CW DXers today just calling CQ and working guys, but my log proves that if the condx are good, there ARE many guys still on 160m CW….we just need the conditions.  Most of these TB QSOs are from calling CQ, usually for 2 or 3 hours at a time and most of the EU QSOs are from 0500-0700z when the EU guys are getting up in the morning.  Much before 0400z most of EU is still sleeping (except during a contest).

For the contest I used the Flex 6600, ACOM 2000a, 2 el TX array and Beverage and 9 circle rx.

ARRL DX CW SOSB 160m

112 QSOs (16 usa zero point callers)
49 DXCC
32 EU/AF QSOs
28 Asia
52 NA and OC


73, de steve ve6wz.

> On Feb 16, 2019, at 8:49 AM, W7RH <midnight18 at cox.net> wrote:
> 
> Greetings All,
> 
> Spotty openings to Europe from the SW with one surprise contact LZ2WO just before sunset. Otherwise 1 G4, and a few EA stations. Also Q5 at Sunset was IK2CLB with no QSO.
> 
> After 0300 no further EU DX worked. The band went downhill rapidly. Off to bed. In the morning only a few JA and RT0C were worked.
> 
> Regarding V84SAA. Comments on the reflector were not cool. If you are going to work one in the contest then work them all as a multiplier is just that. Sorry if it's a dupe. However at my Sunrise you were doing contest exchanges. IMHO
> 
> 73
> 
> Bob, W7RH
> 
> -- 
> W7RH DM35os
> 
> "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." - Albert Einstein
> 
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