Topband: Trasn-polar EU condx

[Steve Harrison]

On 1/22/2024 10:29 AM, Karin Johnson wrote:
> Hello Group:
> I feel your pain on band conditions.  Although I have a meager
> antenna system, here I can't complain too much.  But try living
> in Florida, where it appears that there is a Faraday shield around
> the state when it comes to propagation from European higher latitudes.
I've heard you often, and to me, you're (K3UU) just as strong as K3UL 
and much stronger than N3ZL (who probably is always aiming toward Europe 
all the time anyhow). But try that "faraday shield" bizness from 
Southern California: you will rapidly appreciate the "fantastic" cndx 
you easterners experience toward any part of Europe or Africa.
> I even got up early (6AM local) a couple of days ago to see if there
> might be some early morning propagation to the west coast of the U.S.
> Nothing.

6 am in Florida is 3 am in CA right now and since they don't suffer from 
the dreaded "Daylight Savings/Standard Time" indecision virus, Arizona 
is only 4 am. Of course, you're not going to hear anybody on the air 
from out here; we're all getting our beauty sleep in preparation for 
waking up in another hour or two to chase 9M2AX and DU7ET when cndx 
improve by around 4 or 5 am our time  8-) If you're looking to work 
W6s/7s, you'll have to CQ for such as when we hear you guys CQ, we 
figure you're really looking for "real" DX like ZAs, HB0s, 3As, and the 
like; and we're not really real DX (unless you've never worked 
California on 160 before).

However, you should find JAs and some ZLs/VKs workable around that time 
from FL; the key to finding them is watching the RBN. In addition, if 
they get on the air, UA0s and BYs should be workable.

> Oh well as someone already mentioned, Hope springs eternal.

I'm still waiting for DU7ET to be on during reasonable conditions. While 
9M2AX seems to be on nearly every morning and is workable about a 
quarter of those, DU7ET is much weaker and doesn't seem to be on nearly 
as often. And like Ross, he, too, has noise problems and doesn't hear 
any but the strongest and most persistent of us who happen to hit a peak 
just right. In fact, I don't remember hearing him work any of us for the 
past month or more.

It'd be nice to get 9M6NA back on 160, but I'm not sure whether that 
would be possible. XU7AKU would be another real nice QSO. Or either of 
the JDs, a YB, 9V1YC, an XW...

Does one have to mail a QSL to 9M2AX?? I've e-mailed him for 
instructions with no response.

Steve, K0XP