Topband: J28MD, conditions

[David Raymond]

Greetings Topbanders. . .

I've spent a considerable amount of time on watch this past week for 
J28MD on Topband (CW).  While they've spent a fair amount of time on TB 
I haven't yet had success yet in spite of my ongoing efforts.   I 
believe it was this past Tuesday night when Joel, W5ZN, said they 
appeared briefly out of the noise (about 10 minutes or so and did have 
success with his BSEF-8 and Hi-Z 8 arrays in diversity)  then 
disappeared the rest of the evening. Wednesday night's opening to NA was 
much longer starting on the East coast and slowly sweeping westward with 
quite a few NA making it in the log (EC + 5's, 8's, & 9s', VE).  
Unfortunately the prop just never quite made it this far west.  They 
barely peaked out of the noise here in Iowa Wednesday evening (NA time) 
just enough to get me excited and dump my call a few times hoping for 
even a marginal QSO. . . but no cigar.  It's a little frustrating to see 
that they always QRT about 30 minutes or so prior to their SR but they 
get credit for being on faithfully on CW and FT8 as well.  I know 
they're getting close to wrapping up but hopefully they'll be on (CW) 
again this evening.

It's been good to have some DX operations QRV and bring some much needed 
life to TB (which sure hasn't had much). . .TY0, 5V, and now J28, A3, 
and T88.  The prop has been very poor.  CQing here in the evening brings 
no DX responses and only a handful of EU EBN hits so far this season.  
Thankfully mornings have activity from our very stalwart VK friends 
(VK3HJ, VK2WF, VK6GX, VK6IR, VK6LW, others) but only a handful of JA 
QSOs so far this season (8 to be exact).  JA1LZR gets kudos for being 
QRV almost every morning (NA time),  but without much prop, I think only 
limited success.    I have yet to hit the VK4CT RBN CQing here in the 
mornings.  I don't think this is totally attributable to the increased 
SFI. . . prop from here was only marginally better two seasons ago when 
the SFI was very low.

All that said, I encourage everyone to get on and make some noise.

73. . . Dave, W0FLS (in Iowa)