Monday - 18 November 2019

Sunrise surprise!  Kazu, JA4HCG was still coming in 58 at 25 minutes after sunrise.  He gave me a 59 which was even more surprising so late in my day.  The guys that were here working the CQ WW SSB contest reported some late 75m DX three weeks ago...so you never know!

I could still hear Kazu talking 45 minutes after sunrise.  Strange is normal on 75m.  de HP3AK, 73

Tuesday 12 Nov 2019

You snooze, you loose!  75 m is still poor and noisy part of the time.  However, this morning and a couple of mornings the past week it has been relatively quiet and open to VK & JA.  I worked Peter, VK6APZ before his sunset today 57-58, and Kazu, JA4HCG at sunrise yesterday.  I was 37 with Kazu at 2 min. before my sunrise and 59 three min. later!

Some DX Activity

Sunday, 10-20-19 --
Well, some DX recently. VK9NC (Norfolk Is.) on 3799 this morning and VK9NE yesterday on 40 and a couple of days ago on 75m.  Rare TX station, W9UCW was heard on 75m this am.
On 10-7 worked ZK3A (Tokelau Is.) on 75 ssb. 10-4 worked ZK3A on 160m FT8 (still the joyless mode).
So beginning to get a little activity and interest....stay tuned.

He's baaack ...almost!

Sunday, July 7, 2019
Well, Barry, W9UCW is back on 3796 ... sometimes.  He has been around mostly on the days when there is no DX.  Wait ... that's most days!  We can depend on Bobby, K7FX to show up and Phil, W6UC has been on the band more lately.

Now if we could just get some DX interested.  ZL1ICU has been heard on 3796 calling CQ DX, but he is very weak and he apparently receives the same.  Some of our old JA friends show up from time to time, and a few VK / ZL regulars, but generally it is quiet in the Pacific in the mornings. There has also been some activity by the LU stations on 3799, but not strong here.

I do not generally get on the band in the evenings for 3 good reasons:  

1.  I am usually headed off to bed by an hour after my sunset  
2.  I don't want to have to compete with the long-winded and persistent big guns on the East Coast
3.  Most of the Europeans are working in groups and usually have several stations that are too weak to hear through the QRN --- just too difficult

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  I'll see you on 3796 if you have "leather eardrums" and unlimited patience.

73, HP3AK "Real DX"

Heard from W9UCW

I got a brief email from Barry, W9UCW today.  He has been listening some of late but not heard much.  No surprise, as there has been a dearth of activity on 75m SSB for months.

I have been sick with a bad chest cold for 3-1/2 weeks and sleeping in, when I can sleep at all.  I did manage to work one or two JA stations on 160m FT8 at my sunrise a few days ago.

I will be back at my post, calling and listening on 3.796 in the early mornings as soon as I feel better.  73 all....

Good News - Bad News

26 August 2018 -- 75 m was dead, dead, dead for short skip until 1 1/2 hours after sunrise.  I did manage to work ZL2OK/P on 160 m SSB yesterday morning at 1122Z.  My static level was very high, as usual, and he was 37 on the Waller Flag which is optimized for the CW end of 160.  Dave gave me a 56 using my 65 ft. vertical & 1 kw.  I don't see much DX activity on any of the bands....73 and good DX!

ZL Back to Normal, JA Not!

June 16, 2018 -- ZL2OK & ZL1IU both in at 10/9 this morning. Abe, JA1MSS about 3x4 at 30 min. before sunrise.  Shameful China radar was readable also... congratulations!

Room for Improvement

Monday, April 2, 2018 -- The low bands certainly leave room for improvement.  The JA broadcast station at 3925 kHz was better than 10/9 this morning.  I still could not copy Hat, JA6BJT at 20 min. before my sunrise.  I did hear Abe, JA1MSS 58 at 2 min. past sunrise.  Yesterday Dave, ZL2OK/P was 58 just before sunrise; however, he is usually 10/9 from the beach.  More & more activity is shifting to FT8 digital mode ... the "joyless" way of computers talking to each other via radio, instead of the Internet.
Monday, April 9 -- Heard Abe, JA1MSS strong at 1054Z but he did not hear me calling. Maybe the radar was beaming his way.  The band was unusually quiet, but no DX present.
Tuesday, April 10 -- Band strong, but heavy QRN in Panama, 20/9 crashes.  I did manage to work JQ2SIX, JA1MSS, and JH4CES with good reports for me...terrible reports for them due to noise.

Antenna Work & FT8

3/7/2018 -- A good week to work on antennas. 75m band has been weak to missing and the shameful Chinese RADAR has been all over the DX Window.  I have the 160m vertical working at HP3AK and I have been on FT8 a bit.  I like to talk with people, even if briefly, so for me FT8 is the "joyless" mode.  It proves that my computer can talk to your computer, via radio.  Wouldn't the Internet be easier?  My new, 70 ft. crank-up tower is ready to tilt up as soon as coax, control cables, and the SteppIR beam are installed.  I would be waiting one more week anyway for a full 30 day cure on the base, so no rush.

Hope Springs Eternal

1-15-18 -- Band was blah. Worked a few U.S. stations and JA1MSS at my sunrise 56/57.
1-28-18 -- ssssssshhu!  (sound of the last air being let out of 75m DX in the mornings)
2-3-18 -- Finally, some DX not from JA that I could hear.  Phil and I worked Graham, VK3GA at 20 min. before sunrise. No radar, but could not copy other VK3 at sunrise. Abe, JA1MSS surprised me with a 59 signal at 5 min. after sunrise...the best signal from him in many weeks.
2-10-18 -- Same o, same o; JA1MSS was the only DX and my path to JA was weeeak!  3x7 both ways.  No propagation and apparently no interest by DX stations.
2/11/18 -- JA path is gone in HP!
2/12/18 -- SAD conditions!
2/13/18 -- Finally! A decent path to Peter, VK6APZ just after his sundown and 20 minutes before my sunrise.  5x8 both ways.
2/15/18 -- Hot path to JA this morning.  Several stations at 10/9 before sunrise.  First real opening to JA in weeks!
2-19-18 -- Back to very poor conditions. JA1MSS 3x6 /3x6 at my sunrise. Abe was weaker with Barry in TX as well.
2-21-18 -- Really poor conditions plus heavy QRN from a line of storms from TX to Quebec.  JA1MSS very weak in my noise at 5 min. after sunrise (peak).
2-23-18 -- RADAR loud...'shame' of China
2-24-18 -- Poor band..JA1MSS 47/47 @ 5 min after sunsrise.  

Missing DX Stations

1-8-2018 -- Where have all of the DX stations gone?  The last 2 mornings have been a total washout.  It is truly ironic that the only 2 new DX stations that I have worked in several weeks were both BH4 stations from China ... the land of the evening OTH Radar!  (Early morning in Panama and the U.S.)  I do believe that the #$%^&! Chinese have ruined the 75m DX Window from 1000 - 1200Z or later every day!!!  Poor Abe, JA1MSS, tries but cannot copy much due to the *&^%$# radar.  I guess that the only solution is to get Trump to tweet about it.
1-9-18 -- No radar, but no one trying...until after my sunrise.
1-10-18 -- Abe worked Phil & Barry, but only 2 x ESP with me.
1-11-18 -- No DX except Abe working Phil.  However, there was ENTERTAINMENT in the form of sniping on the DX cluster by people who should know better.  It looked like a "tweet storm" from the 'child-in-charge'.  Personally, I would need a much stronger signal to see anything outside of the 3 kHz normal bandwidth.  One advantage of an SDR receiver is that it does not show trash if it is not present...unless of course the ADC is overloaded. That takes something like -23 dBm (50/S9) and shows as a warning in the rx window.  Then it is simple enough to add attenuation before the rx antenna input (not in the later stages).
1-12-18 -- RADAR
1-13-18 -- No radar, band open, worked 2 JA & heard DS3EXX, but he had QRM from YB calling "contest".  *&%^$#@! 

Happy New Year to All!

1-1-2018 --  It took the "sunrise" bump of 2-3 dB and the help of patient friends who stood by for almost 10 minutes, but I was able to work BH4SYG @ 3x3 both ways.  I suspect that he was hearing me better than that, as he had been patiently trying for the contact for 20 minutes.  NOW (2nd 80m contact) HRD logbook shows that I have worked China on 80.