What is the best chance to work XF4IH?? I have been watching the cluster
spots from the beginning of operation, but no luck... I am using 3el
tribander but I could not heard them AT ALL!!!

Any suggestions and comments are welcome!

73! 9A3MN
Zlatko Feric
Primorska 28
HR-35000 Slavonski Brod
CROATIA

Walt Davidson wrote:
On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 09:08:47 +0100, "Zlatko Feric"
wrote:

What is the best chance to work XF4IH?? I have been watching the cluster
spots from the beginning of operation, but no luck... I am using 3el
tribander but I could not heard them AT ALL!!!

Same here. I have given up trying.

The original team of 6 operators had to be cut down to 3 and they only have
100 Watts and dipoles for 160-30 meters and a small tribander for 10, 15 and
20 meters.

However, a new operator is supposed to join the team within the next two
days and he will at least bring an amplifier and *experience* to the island.
Most of the operators are not aware of the European opening times, which is
why the level of frustration is so high among the European stations.

By now, every US-station will have worked XF4 on one mode/band, at least
that is my impression from seeing permanent questions as to 160, RTTY or PSK
activities.

Current conditions add to the frustration: With A=27 and K=5 it is a tough
spot to work from Europe, even considering that propagation only passes the
polar zones.

Best chances should be between 02:30 UTC and EU sunrise on 40 meters and
early morning on 20, possibly late afternoon on 15/17 meters. However, they
have rarely been active during these times. Heard them fine on 40 m on
Monday, but the US wall made it impossible to work them with anything less
than a Yagi and kilowatt combo.

Frustrating, indeed.

Peter Lemken
DF5JT
Berlin

--
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in
a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly
used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming, 'Wow, what a ride!'

Walt Davidson wrote:
On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 09:08:47 +0100, "Zlatko Feric"
wrote:

What is the best chance to work XF4IH?? I have been watching the cluster
spots from the beginning of operation, but no luck... I am using 3el
tribander but I could not heard them AT ALL!!!

Same here. I have given up trying.

The original team of 6 operators had to be cut down to 3 and they only have
100 Watts and dipoles for 160-30 meters and a small tribander for 10, 15 and
20 meters.

However, a new operator is supposed to join the team within the next two
days and he will at least bring an amplifier and *experience* to the island.
Most of the operators are not aware of the European opening times, which is
why the level of frustration is so high among the European stations.

By now, every US-station will have worked XF4 on one mode/band, at least
that is my impression from seeing permanent questions as to 160, RTTY or PSK
activities.

Current conditions add to the frustration: With A=27 and K=5 it is a tough
spot to work from Europe, even considering that propagation only passes the
polar zones.

Best chances should be between 02:30 UTC and EU sunrise on 40 meters and
early morning on 20, possibly late afternoon on 15/17 meters. However, they
have rarely been active during these times. Heard them fine on 40 m on
Monday, but the US wall made it impossible to work them with anything less
than a Yagi and kilowatt combo.

Frustrating, indeed.

Peter Lemken
DF5JT
Berlin

--
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in
a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly
used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming, 'Wow, what a ride!'

Peter Lemken wrote:
By now, every US-station will have worked XF4 on one mode/band, at least
that is my impression from seeing permanent questions as to 160, RTTY or PSK
activities.

Not here... not even heard. (someone spotted them last night on 160,
but when I turned on the rig the Spanish-accented operator on that
frequency turned out to be EA9IE!)

have rarely been active during these times. Heard them fine on 40 m on
Monday, but the US wall made it impossible to work them with anything less
than a Yagi and kilowatt combo.

Now you know how I feel about the YA and YI operationsgrin...

(actually I did manage to work YI9ZF on 17m three days ago. It wasn't
easy, the prop was just barely there. )

Luckily I don't need XF4, but it would be nice to get them on CW, and/or
some of the low bands.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

Peter Lemken wrote:
By now, every US-station will have worked XF4 on one mode/band, at least
that is my impression from seeing permanent questions as to 160, RTTY or PSK
activities.

Not here... not even heard. (someone spotted them last night on 160,
but when I turned on the rig the Spanish-accented operator on that
frequency turned out to be EA9IE!)

have rarely been active during these times. Heard them fine on 40 m on
Monday, but the US wall made it impossible to work them with anything less
than a Yagi and kilowatt combo.

Now you know how I feel about the YA and YI operationsgrin...

(actually I did manage to work YI9ZF on 17m three days ago. It wasn't
easy, the prop was just barely there. )

Luckily I don't need XF4, but it would be nice to get them on CW, and/or
some of the low bands.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

(Peter Lemken) said :

However, a new operator is supposed to join the team within the next two
days and he will at least bring an amplifier and *experience* to the island.
Most of the operators are not aware of the European opening times, which is
why the level of frustration is so high among the European stations.

Peter,
Not just EU is frustrated. Even modest stations in the northeastern
parts of North America are having a tough time of it, both due to bad
propagation in the last few days and inexperienced operators. W1s
especially, but 2's aren't much better off.

For a station essentially off the coast of XE/W6 land it should be no
problem for anybody in NA to work them reliably on most bands, but
it's not the case. Nothing here on 10 or 12 at all (although I suspect
that's propagation - MUF hasn't been above 22 or 23 MHz for the last
week at my QTH), only a faint whisper on 40 last week and nothing on
80 (though many in NA did get them on 80, they were inaudible here).


73 de Peter, W2IRT
(ex-AB2NZ, VE3THX)

Please reply to Double-you Two Eye Are Tee at Arrl.net

(Peter Lemken) said :

However, a new operator is supposed to join the team within the next two
days and he will at least bring an amplifier and *experience* to the island.
Most of the operators are not aware of the European opening times, which is
why the level of frustration is so high among the European stations.

Peter,
Not just EU is frustrated. Even modest stations in the northeastern
parts of North America are having a tough time of it, both due to bad
propagation in the last few days and inexperienced operators. W1s
especially, but 2's aren't much better off.

For a station essentially off the coast of XE/W6 land it should be no
problem for anybody in NA to work them reliably on most bands, but
it's not the case. Nothing here on 10 or 12 at all (although I suspect
that's propagation - MUF hasn't been above 22 or 23 MHz for the last
week at my QTH), only a faint whisper on 40 last week and nothing on
80 (though many in NA did get them on 80, they were inaudible here).


73 de Peter, W2IRT
(ex-AB2NZ, VE3THX)

Please reply to Double-you Two Eye Are Tee at Arrl.net

Zlatko Feric wrote:
What is the best chance to work XF4IH?? I have been watching the cluster
spots from the beginning of operation, but no luck... I am using 3el
tribander but I could not heard them AT ALL!!!

Any suggestions and comments are welcome!

73! 9A3MN
Zlatko Feric
Primorska 28
HR-35000 Slavonski Brod
CROATIA


I worked him a couple nights back, PSK31, on 7036 kHz, about 0230 Z. He
worked a bunch a guys on your side of the pond that evening (09 march, I
think)

Harv, AI9NL

Zlatko Feric wrote:
What is the best chance to work XF4IH?? I have been watching the cluster
spots from the beginning of operation, but no luck... I am using 3el
tribander but I could not heard them AT ALL!!!

Any suggestions and comments are welcome!

73! 9A3MN
Zlatko Feric
Primorska 28
HR-35000 Slavonski Brod
CROATIA


I worked him a couple nights back, PSK31, on 7036 kHz, about 0230 Z. He
worked a bunch a guys on your side of the pond that evening (09 march, I
think)

Harv, AI9NL

"Peter Dougherty" wrote in message
...
(Peter Lemken) said :

However, a new operator is supposed to join the team within the next two
days and he will at least bring an amplifier and *experience* to the
island.
Most of the operators are not aware of the European opening times, which
is
why the level of frustration is so high among the European stations.

Peter,
Not just EU is frustrated. Even modest stations in the northeastern
parts of North America are having a tough time of it, both due to bad
propagation in the last few days and inexperienced operators. W1s
especially, but 2's aren't much better off.

For a station essentially off the coast of XE/W6 land it should be no
problem for anybody in NA to work them reliably on most bands, but
it's not the case. Nothing here on 10 or 12 at all (although I suspect
that's propagation - MUF hasn't been above 22 or 23 MHz for the last
week at my QTH), only a faint whisper on 40 last week and nothing on
80 (though many in NA did get them on 80, they were inaudible here).


For ten meters it is certainly propagation.
They were 20 over nine in Oregon for hours a couple days ago,
and were having very little luck with anything east of the Rockies.

On 30 meters the signal has ranged anywhere from "Yeah it's on
the cluster but I can't hear squat" to "Why can't they hear anything
but W6s, they are S9 here?" ;-)

--

... Hank

http://horedson.home.att.net
http://w0rli.home.att.net