LSB 16 Revival Effort - July 20, 2019

[Rick330man]

July 20th is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. It also conveniently falls on a Saturday, so many of us will have the day off. It seems like the perfect celebratory event (and day of the week) to send your signal into the heavens. How about we give the LSB 16 revival effort another shot then? I'll again suggest that folks work around the following hailing schedule in an effort to improve the chances of making contact:

9:00A.M. eastern/8:00A.M. central/6:00A.M. pacific;
12:00 noon eastern/11:00A.M. central/9:00A.M. pacific;
3:00P.M. eastern/2:00P.M. central/12:00 noon pacific;
6:00P.M. eastern/5:00P.M. central/3:00P.M. pacific; and
9:00P.M. eastern/8:00P.M. central/6:00P.M. pacific.

The skip has been on and off these last few days. It was dead last week, but it picked up quite a bit today.

Maybe we'll get lucky. Maybe E.T. will join us? (Not likely on this band.)

 

[AtLarge]

It would be good just to hear some chatter on the lower channels for a change. Around here it’s pretty quiet.

 

[RT431]

I've checked 16 lsb and hear nothing but a little bit of bleed over from the AM side. I keep checking.

 

[357magnum]

I called out yesterday using my WDX1183 @ 10:30 am , I thought someone tried to get back to me ? Being Mobile I was in an area w/ high noise level's & couldn't pull them out . I'll try again today WDX 1183 in RI .

 

[Jay Mojave]

I keep dialing around the band looking for skip stations and such. Sometimes a skip station comes in strong like S9, I throw out my numbers ( on SSB ) and the station next reply is "Its hard to hear you Jay, and his signal has faded into the noise. I go outside and look over the coax and antenna to make all is well......

I also get some noise from skip locations that burry or mask the stations coming in at times. Listening to some of the big boys in LA are saying the same thing. But I still give a blast on LSB CH 16.

Jay in the Great Mojave Desert

 

[Rick330man]

The skip is rolling down here today on LSB 38, but the bottom drops out relatively quickly. The channel will be packed and then fade to nearly dead quiet.

I've switched down to LSB 16 quite often, but there's been no activity on it - just once where some guy was playing with his noise toys.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." We'll keep at it.

 

[RT431]

I heard some weak stations on 38lsb earlier today, nothing on 16. Will check again later.

 

[357magnum]

Jay , Mist say I heard the noise toy ! Dx has been pretty good here but Mostly Ontario Canada for w/ a little Southern Us mixed in . But Canada .... ? Mother Nature Loves Me Qso's w/ Canada 20Db's + .

 

[Rick330man]

I've been keeping a log for about a year now. Reviewing it kind of confirms what I have suspected anecdotally: no Canadian stations are making it through.

I'm getting lots of southeastern U.S.: Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and even intrastate Florida panhandle. Occasionally, a Texas station or two, a couple of guys out of Puerto Rico and then the occasional Ohio, New York or Pennsylvania will also come through.

A couple of years ago, I used to pick up some Quebecois french on USB 17. Those guys would boom in. I'd also hear some Ontario and Nova Scotia. Lately, however, there just aren't any Canadian stations making the trip this far south.

 

[314]

Done deal!

 

[Rick330man]

It would be good just to hear some chatter on the lower channels for a change. Around here it’s pretty quiet.

Where is "Around here?"

What I am suspecting as I look at where everyone is located is that the current skip seems to be shorter - 400 to 700 miles typically, but some times up to1100 miles - with many of us here are out of each other's "skip zone".

Here in the lower Florida Keys, I'm sure I'd benefit from a beam (which I could point from north to west), but my HOA would throw a fit.

 

[357magnum]

Rick , Homemade Moxon on the boat ? Now we are talking ! Not sure but Key's = at least 1 boat to me !

 

[357magnum]

Btw Rick , in process now of booking a fishing trip to the Key's this Fall/Winter not sure of the date yet !

 

[Rick330man]

Btw Rick , in process now of booking a fishing trip to the Key's this Fall/Winter not sure of the date yet !

The weather is everything - especially if you are not accustomed to being out on a boat in the open water. Cold fronts that make their way down in the winter tend to kick up the seas, and rough water makes for bad fishing experience. It doesn't mean you won't catch nice days in the winter - just that you are more likely then to catch one of the rougher ones.

There are fishing charters available all over the Keys, but the group at Whale Harbor in the upper Keys is very popular. You've got Marathon Lady (and a few others further down in Marathon). There are also endless options out of Stock Island (the island just before Key West) and Key West itself.

 

[357magnum]

Thanks for the info Rick , Open water is NP for me , I go offshore here often Tuna & Shark Fishing . I've watch so many Tv Shows on Fishing down your way my friend & I figured we give it a shot . After that's of the Bucket list , Costa Rica here we come ! Beside's I've never caught a Tarpon !