wrote in message
...

I worked around 20 countries in the IARU HF contest, 70 watts
into a horizontal loop. None of them were new ones for me,
but I also worked the FO/G4MFW operation, not part of the contest
but during it--Australs was a new one. I missed the solar peak;
I was inactive for 3 years. Maybe it looks worse to people
who were active during the peak, because you have great conditions
to compare it to.

That is great! You said you have a horizontal loop-- where is it and how
large is it?

I worked my first 100 DX entities since I got my General last January, and
the bulk of them were in the late winter and early spring. So I have not
been on the air for very long at all. I just know that I experienced some
really great propagation last winter from my location.

However, I've only worked less than perhaps 12 new ones since about late
April, and curiously enough, five of them were in the South Pacific region /
Australs (TX4PG, Marquesas; F0/F8CFU, Tubuia Island; ZK1AYL, South Cooks;
5W0GW, Western Samoa; and T2YL on Tuvalu). I have noticed that propagation
is much better to and from this area of the world than it was last winter. I
didn't hear any Pacific stations until about April.

I can't wait to get my station set up in my new place, even though I'm going
to be needing a "stealth" HF antenna. Not more "easy" DX from a tall
vertical anymore. :-( I am moving into an apartment, so I cannot put my
dipole or vertical up there. I am thinking of an HF mobile style antenna,
such as the High Sierra El Dorado, or the High-Q. Will need some wire
radials, but those can be easily dropped off the edges of the balcony.

Anyway, have fun and I hope that this winter sees better propagation. I
can't wait for the sunspot cycle to go back on the upswing again.

73 de Jackie