Topband: KH8/AA7JV RIB CW Operation -- Low Band Experience Summary

[GEORGE WALLNER]

Hello TopBanders,
Many thanks for all those who called.

We were on the air 8 nights. We had a good 160/80 m vertical with top 
loading and salt-water ground. Time was split between 80 and 160 meters. 
Conditions on 160 were often so poor that time was better spent giving out 
KH8 on 80 meters. Nevertheless, the main effort went into 160, with 600 
QSO-s (plus dupes), vs 350 on 80.
Conditions were the best the first night. Although we had generator noise, 
the Flex radio's noise blanker dealt with it. Anyway, conditions were so 
good that it mattered little.
  The following is from memory:
I started calling for EU around 0530 (Nov 03) with no signs of EU callers. 
NA started to come in with some strong (S8) signals around 0600 Z. A short 
while later JA-s appeared with even better signals (S9+), while NA-s were 
getting weaker. Starting around 1400 Z, eastern European stations "R and U" 
started coming in. Most signals were very week but a few were were strong 
around S5. I have worked  a total of 34 stations. But nothing further west 
than the Ukraine.
The weekend nights were very poor. Zero EU either at my SS or SR. Both NA 
and JA-s were weak but plentiful.
Propagation started to improve by Monday night, but there was now a lot of 
TS noise. (It is almost summer here.) Tuesday night (Wed AM in EU) around 
1650, just before their SR, I listened for and managed to work two CT 
stations. Barely. Their signals popped out of the noise at their SR. No EU 
was worked around my SR (1500 to 1700 Z).
The next night, soon after my SS, I heard one caller form EU for about 10 
minutes with QSB, but it was too weak to work. Then suddenly, between 1612 
and 1626, I worked four S. EU stations in a row. They had suspiciously clear 
(but not too strong) signals, they all sounded the same with the same 
operator style, and they all showed a strange delay, noticeable because it 
was the same for all four of them. They sounded similar to good NA signals. 
Hmm...
On Thursday night (our last night) conditions were much better. I worked one 
EU at my SS, then the usual NA and JA (plus other far east). Starting about 
three hours before my SR central Siberian stations were calling with some 
very good signals (S6). Later there were a few good signals (S4) form the 
UA3 region, but then almost suddenly, any signal coming from further west 
was much weaker, some at ESP level. This was may be all due to the 
attenuation of signals travelling through (or around) the auroral oval. The 
difference was very distinct. (I have spent 6 to 8 hours each of the past 8 
nights listening to 160 m signals and noise. After a while you get a feel 
for them.)
Summary: EU contacts from KH8 at SS and SR were possible but mostly 
difficult. Some contacts were suspicious but most sounded legit. Nothing 
west of the Ukraine, except S. EU. The entire swath from Poland to the UK 
was missing (polar path). During the entire time, 80 was more like 160.

Top-Band Strikes Again,

TKS and 73,
George,
AA7JV

PS: Signal strength comparison over many days on a TB DXpedition are 
influenced by the tendency of  strongest stations being worked on the first 
few nights, with progressively weaker stations as time goes 
on. Nevertheless, this distribution is not absolute and a reasonable 
estimate of changing conditions is possible.
We will post the log on Clublog soon and then LoTW in a couple of weeks' 
time.