[UK-CONTEST] 40m to USA long after sunrise

[Gerry Lynch]

Steve Knowles wrote:
> It's not that common (for normal mortals) but it does happen. 
It's not really that unusual; especially when, as was the case this 
weekend, solar flux is exceptionally low and so is the level of 
geomagnetic disturbance.  Also of obvious assistance is an enormous 
quantity of metal, high in the sky, at the other side of the QSO...

People often make the mistake of assuming that 40 is a 'night-time band' 
for DX contacts but that's far from strictly true, especially around 
mid-winter and even more especially in solar minimum.  For example, in 
WW CW from the British Isles, the JAs and other things on that path 
(KH2s and the like) are usually booming in at our lunchtime, as are 
short path east coast VKs and ZLs; I've heard JAs short path as early at 
1030Z on 40 in WWCW (JA3YBK, of course, with an ENORMOUS signal).  
However, as that is a very high latitude path they are often absent at 
sunset because the MUF over northern Siberia drops below 7 MHz at local 
midnight, which it already is by the time it is sunset here in late 
November.  Similarly in BERU, it helps to be on 40 EARLY to work the 
VKs, ZLs and 9Ms without competition.

I also remember sitting in GI3OBO's shack one day between Christmas and 
New Year when I lived in England.  Davey uses a bent G5RV at about 8 
metres up although he does live within 200m of an easterly seashore.  
I'd worked a few DLs on 40 and then we got to chatting about something 
else with the rig on.  After a while someone started calling CQ and it 
dipped into my consciousness that this was a PA1.  I remarked to Davey 
on how weak that PA1 sounded, what with midday absorption and all that.  
Davey, who has great CW ears, said, "Crap, that's a JA1."  And on 
further listening, it was, although by the time I'd made up my mind to 
work him, he'd gone QRT.  It was, I think, 1145 or so.  I've also been 
called by W1/2/3s with good, high, 40m yagis less than an hour after 
*our* sunset, even in mid-summer.

 From PJ2T last year, I decided to try and see how early I could make 
QSOs into Europe from 12 degrees North (outside the contest).  4 hours 
before sunset the band was absolutely silent with the antenna on 
Europe.  About 3.5 hours before sunset the EA8s and CT3s started 
appearing.  From 3 hours before sunset even deep Eu and Middle Eastern 
stations could be successfully called, and from about 2.5 hours before 
sunset I could generate pileups into Europe, although Eu signals had 
that slightly blurredness that comes from spending too much time in the 
D layer until maybe an hour before sunset.  This was using 650 Watts and 
40-2CD at about 27m with a hill on the path to Europe.  At 12 degrees 
from the equator.

So, don't neglect 40 even when the sun is high in the sky!

73

Gerry GI0RTN