The Search Continues...

Monday,10/30/17 -- Just Phil & I, but no DX
Tuesday, 10/31/17 -- Usual suspects, W6UC, W9UCW, KK5PL & HP3AK.  The 2 other real DX stations were very weak in Panama and only JA was readable in TX.  John, VK2WEO was on briefly @45 in HP and Abe, JA1MSS was only 35 in HP.  Not too much QRN here, although I could see lightning bolts to the south in the Pacific.
Wednesday, 11/1/17 -- KK5PL, Woody and W6UC were on early holding down 3796.  We all tried, and tried, and tried calling DX, but no answers.  I gave one WD8 station his first contact with Panama.  The band was poor to bad and the China dragon was active.  JA1MSS reported that the radar was S9+10.  NOTE:  I went to 40m after sunrise and made my first 2 contacts, ever, on FT8. First was KN4LOL because I double clicked on the wrong call.  My second ever contact on FT8 was...4S7AB - wow! Being a newbie to FT8, I ran a full kw on the 4S7AB contact and got a +00 report.  I am now told that I could have made the contact very well with 17 dB less signal (that's 20 watts folks).  Shame on me.  👀☺
Thursday, 11/2/17 -- 75m was quiet, but no one home.  I worked John, VK2WEO who was 47 due to weak band.
Friday, 11/3/17 -- radar & noise...a bust!
Saturday, 11/4/17 -- Very high QRN in HP.  I chatted with Mike, W9MK briefly on the Internet.  We both went off to 40m, he to CW & myself to FT8.  I worked a couple of stations on FT8, including NL8F, my friend Tim in Dutch Harbor, AK.  I could have worked dozens or hundreds of stations on FT8 if I had stayed around until the band closed.  Many were calling and many were rude, calling while I was in contact with someone else. WHY??
Sunday, 11/5/17 -- Daylight savings ended, noise was high, radar was strong in JA, no answers to my CQ DX, nor did I hear an response to W6UC. Backscatter from Phil was back up to normal.

Contest Weekend The DX window was Clogged UP.

The girl is just because I know you guys like girls and Snoopy is because I am tired after the contest.

Some DXers like contests and other do not. I have a mixed attitude about contests. I have this year been working on the CQ Magazine DX Marathon. For those who do not know that is a year long process of working countries on all of the Ham Bands in any mode. FT8 is ok too. I right now have worked 220 countries and all 40 zones. This gives me a score of 260 for the year so far. It is like a contest but more fun because you don't have to stay up all night. LOL My fellow ham got me started in the adventure. I kind of like it as a challenge but it is work and my hobbies are not suppose to be work. Are they?? Well for the record in the contest I worked 421 countries and 214 band countries and I think about 25 different Zones. A big part of the world was not in this contest for NA. There were no real openings to Asia or the South Pacific even on 20 meters. I worked Hawaii and one Australian and a couple of JAs but that is poor considering the Target Rich environment of Japan Ham Radio Operators during a contest. 73 for now. Mike W9MK

The Band must be "Under Construction"

Well, the band must be under construction after Jay's most recent blog say that there was no interest. This morning I could not even get a rise out Jay or Barry on the cluster. UGH. The cluster must be f***ed. Oh, that is another story for another day. So I have inserted a sign for 3796 in the morning. Have a good day! 73 Mike

A new week...

It's not looking good folks!  Terrible band conditions, noise, and "no one home".

I know, I know...optimists.......

Tue.-Wed.Thur.

Band conditions on 75m have been poor to very poor in Panama.  Tuesday I went to 40m to work a few stations.  Wednesday was poor with only one JA contact.  Today I had a very high static level but managed to work Ken, VK3XYC on 75m.  JA was working VK, but signals in HP were very weak.  40m was also noisy and the band was full of weak signals.
Fri.-Sat.-Sun. Bah Humbug!  Band conditions on 75m are worse than bad. Few DX stations and those are too weak to copy in Panama.

October 16

Nothing Happened!

Noise Noise Noise

Saturday Morning and the storms are rolling through Northern Illinois. I listened to the radio for just a few minutes but ended up grounding everything and working on my Tail-Twister Rotor control. It had been giving me fits for a week or so. What turned out to be a bad 47mf capacitor. All good. Success!

DX for Northern Illinois on 80 has not been good for a while. The JAs are starting to sound good. 40 Meters has been better with some really good DX with Jay on 40 earlier this week.

I did work the 3C0L on 15 meter CW. Huge pileup but got through in the end.

I have been battling a cold all week. I thought I was through with it when it came back in spades. Stay healthy my friends.

73
Mike
W9MK

Day-by-day

Thursday - I heard W6UC working JA on 3796, but Japan was too weak to copy here.  I had to leave early to pick up yard workers, but Mike mentioned that H40CG was on 40m SSB. So I went up and quickly worked Stan, who had a good signal into Panama. More here tomorrow...

Friday - I got up 1/2 hr. early to listen to noise!  W6UC worked the usual JA stations, but no joy in Panama.  I stayed until my sunrise, but no DX that I could hear. Bah humbug!  I did get on briefly (technically Saturday) at 0007 UTC and worked UV5AHZ, Igor in the Ukraine on 3795.  He was 57 in heavy static..of course I was 59 with my phased delta loops. 😈 

Wednesday or "Hump Day"

Well, today was interesting. all hands on deck to begin on 3796. W9UCW, K7FX, W6UC, and HP3AK checked it as the usual suspects. It seems  the troops were not in a good mood today. Bobby K9FX and Phil W6UC did not sound like the gentlemen that I have experienced most of the time in the window. It is my experience to not spend too much time in the fray and to change channels. So off to 40 I went, and soon to be joined by Jay. It was a great morning on 7137. Chris VK2SR was there to begin with, and he offered the Frequency to Jay HP3AK and myself. We worked a plethora of VKs and ZLs and a few JAs. Lots of gentlemen on the frequency.  However, Elvin JA3CZY called in and he attracted a crowd. I usually hear Elvin very well, but not today. I heard the JAs really well early, up until my Sunrise then it was down hill fast. Jay was loud 'till the end. He received some antenna help from K7GI this morning. Good day on the bands. CQ DX

73
Mike
W9MK

New Weak...

The week did not begin in a promising way.  JQ2SIX was very weak and JA1MSS was not readable through the S9 crashes. The radar was strong for about 15 minutes, right through my sunrise.  HC5DX and W6UC (Uncle Chewbacca) were weaker than usual.  40 meters was not much better, with moderate static and weak signals.

Tuesday morning was not any better.  No DX on 75m, but China radar started just after 11:00Z..  I did have a nice short chat with my old friend Elvin, JA3CZY on 40m and AE7KI (exVK2APG), Gerry in northern TN.

DX Saturday

Well, a little better conditions but still with a lot of noise from the Gulf and big storms on the entire west coast of Mexico.  Taka, JQ2SIX was louder than for many weeks.  JA1MSS, Abe, was about normal.  JJ3PRT was still coming through to Panama at 35 minutes after sunrise at 5x8 with his beam.  I didn't hear anyone from VK / ZL today.

We were still rag chewing in the window, just to please Mike.

MIke says....

Friday Morning Blues

Well, This morning was pretty lonely in the DX window. Signals were down and the radar up so RAG-CHEWING in the "DX Window is becoming more egregious. And since a few of the "Violators" are strong signals, they wipe out the entire window. Rules is Rules anyway. 73 for now. May be better tomorrow. We are the optometrist group anyway.

Sunday morning

75m was somewhat quieter this morning in Panama. My sidekick, W9UCW came on after going outside with Buster, the puppy.  Some of the real DX stations that we worked on 3.796 were: VK2SR, 6Y5TR, JA1MSS, and JG3VWI.  W6UC was working many more JA stations after my sunrise.  

QRM was thoughtfully provided by KP4 stations (in Florida ??) on 3.800 that were 4 kHz wide...refugees from 3.803, their usual frequency. BTW, 3.803 is still very troublesome for JA stations who have a very narrow frequency window from 3.791 to 3.805!  If it were not for the KP4 stations, General Class hams and others from the U.S. could work JA on 3.804 or 3.805 in the mornings.

75m dipoles or inverted V antennas below 40 or 50 feet generally are NOT good for being heard by DX stations..