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

[David Olean]

Hello George

Thanks for the excellent summary. I was only able to listen in on two 
sun rises here in Maine. Nov 8th and 10th.  I had limited time on the 
8th and heard KH8/AA7JV weakly with times that the signal dropped below 
Q5 or disappeared entirely. I called a few times and figured I would not 
make it seeing there were many many callers. I had to leave early for 
some tower work. I used my SW and West beverages for listening. (225 and 
260 degrees) That direction worked on the 8th.  I tried again on the 
10th and found the pile of callers, but could not detect KH8/AA7JV at 
1100 UT.   After a few minutes I could tell that something was there, 
but I was still wondering how my beverage antenna was not working, while 
other NE stations were calling you. I had just spent two weeks working 
in the woods to fix all the chewed RG6 coax and broken bev wires! Then  
I happened to switch to my 330 degree beverage aimed at JA, and you were 
coming in great on that wire!  I was a bit rusty on the 160 game as it 
has been many months since I even listened on the band. I needed to be 
re trained on working the HF rig too. This past summer has been spent on 
amplifier projects and 222 and 432 MHz DXing entirely.

Once I found you, it was easy, but I really need a new call that does 
not have all those dits in it. Everybody can copy the K1W but it ends 
there.  If you are not familiar with my call, the rest of those dits get 
hard to decipher when sigs are weak. I am too old to change it now. The 
change in arrival azimuth was very interesting. Normal heading for me is 
about 270 degrees to American Samoa. The Friday path was heavily skewed 
to the North as I only heard you on a 330 degree beverage. A 290 degree 
beverage azimuth was quiet with no signal detected.  Strength was very 
similar to Nov 8th and on the weak side.  Enough jabbering for now. I 
have more beverage repair issues to attend to. Thanks for taking the 
time and effort to operate from KH8. Good luck down the line.

Dave K1WHS



On 11/11/2023 5:56 AM, GEORGE WALLNER wrote:

> 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.
>
>
>
> _________________
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