From the lack of posts here -- one might conclude that with summer here and
declining SS Cycle -- there is no DX to be had.

Well according to Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin: there were 214 countries active.
URL: http://www.papays.com/opdx.html

And on 6M, folks on the east coast are working Europe, West Coast has worked
Japan and Alaska, and both have worked the Caribbean in the last 4 or 5
weeks.
URL: http://dxworld.com/50prop.html

THE OLD DXER

The sunspots were roaring and the Old Dxer was working DX night and day.

The faithful XYL had had it with his QRZing and blew her stack.


"DX DX DX - that's all you ever think about!" she groaned


"Why I'll bet you don't even remember our wedding date!!"

"I mostly certainly do" was the immediate reply."


"It was June 14th, 1958 - That's the night I worked the XT1, the CRØ, and
the AC4!!"


GD DX et. al.
73 Ya All

73 Ya All 73 Ya wrote:
From the lack of posts here -- one might conclude that with summer here and
declining SS Cycle -- there is no DX to be had.

Most of the posts here haven't had much to do with DX, lately. :-)
We've been arguing about internet "radio" and BPL.

"It was June 14th, 1958 - That's the night I worked the XT1 .. and
the AC4!!"

If it was ME, I promise I'll send him a QSL real soon. ;-)

--AC4RD

73 Ya All 73 Ya wrote:
From the lack of posts here -- one might conclude that with summer here and
declining SS Cycle -- there is no DX to be had.

Most of the posts here haven't had much to do with DX, lately. :-)
We've been arguing about internet "radio" and BPL.

"It was June 14th, 1958 - That's the night I worked the XT1 .. and
the AC4!!"

If it was ME, I promise I'll send him a QSL real soon. ;-)

--AC4RD

From the lack of posts here -- one might conclude that with summer here
and
declining SS Cycle -- there is no DX to be had.

I (tried) to work the contest last weekend... only got *7* contacts, only
three of them DX. I was mostly on 20 meters, using my friend's Yaesu HF rig
and a Cubex Quad antenna w/rotator mounted up high on the roof. Putting out
only 100 watts, but still people had a very hard time hearing me. Things
were no better with the Gap vertical.

And on 6M, folks on the east coast are working Europe, West Coast has
worked
Japan and Alaska, and both have worked the Caribbean in the last 4 or 5
weeks.
URL: http://dxworld.com/50prop.html

That's the hot band right now... wish I had access to it, but the friend
whose shack I have access to doesn't have an HF + 6 meter rig right now.

Gud DX (but probably not 'til after summer's out),

Jackie

From the lack of posts here -- one might conclude that with summer here
and
declining SS Cycle -- there is no DX to be had.

I (tried) to work the contest last weekend... only got *7* contacts, only
three of them DX. I was mostly on 20 meters, using my friend's Yaesu HF rig
and a Cubex Quad antenna w/rotator mounted up high on the roof. Putting out
only 100 watts, but still people had a very hard time hearing me. Things
were no better with the Gap vertical.

And on 6M, folks on the east coast are working Europe, West Coast has
worked
Japan and Alaska, and both have worked the Caribbean in the last 4 or 5
weeks.
URL: http://dxworld.com/50prop.html

That's the hot band right now... wish I had access to it, but the friend
whose shack I have access to doesn't have an HF + 6 meter rig right now.

Gud DX (but probably not 'til after summer's out),

Jackie

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

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

On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 00:31:42 GMT, "Jackie"
wrote:

using my friend's Yaesu HF rig.......
and a Cubex Quad antenna w/rotator mounted up high on the roof....... Things
were no better with the Gap vertical.

Go figure :-)

73, Jim KH2D

On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 00:31:42 GMT, "Jackie"
wrote:

using my friend's Yaesu HF rig.......
and a Cubex Quad antenna w/rotator mounted up high on the roof....... Things
were no better with the Gap vertical.

Go figure :-)

73, Jim KH2D

wrote in message
...

I wish I was moving to a place where I could have a loop. Seems so easy and
yet, they work great.

I've never worked 5W--still on my "makes me drool!" list. :-)

I was lucky that night-- I wasn't even aware they were on the air-- and I
was just tuning around on 17 meters (one of my fave bands) and came across
them. I wasn't sure where 5W was, so when I looked 'em up, bang! I leapt
into the pile-up and put out my call a few times, and they came back to me
with a 5/5 report. I worked T2YL on 17 meters as well. I really like that
band. It's not as crowded as 20. I made a dipole just for 17 meters. I wish
I didn't have to take it down, but someday I'll put 'er back up again, when
I get my own house.

There have been lots of articles in the magazines about
stealth antennas; you might find some in the ARRL's website,
or by buying a stack of back QSTs at a hamfest. There are
*lots* of possibilities, if you don't mind experimenting!

There are sure lots of 'em... seems like everyone I've talked to who's ever
had to use a 'stealth' antenna has their own theories about what works best.
I guess any antenna is better than none. I have considered some indoor
antennas, but really want to get one outside. I do have a balcony and should
be able to at least put a portable HF antenna on it.

Have you read W9KNI's book, _The Complete DXer_?
There's a new edition (3rd) out and it's FULL of exceedingly
helpful (IMO) thoughts, advice, tips.

Have not read it yet, but I plan on ordering it soon. I see it's in print
again now. Friends have told me, if you're a DXer, get this book... so I
will!

73,

Jackie