[FQP] [FCG] FQP 20 Metres Conditions

[Charlie Wooten NF4A]

Chris....what is really interesting is that I was worked DL3DXX in OKA and he was louder in OKA than he had been earlier....condx 
are strange !

NF4A

On Mon 27/04/09  6:22 AM , "Chris Page" chris at g4bue.com sent:
> Thanks to all of the Florida stations, especially the mobiles, and in 
> particular NF4A, for giving us such a wonderful weekend's fun.
> 
> I usually take part in the FQP from Florida as N4CJ but this year we 
> had to return to the UK early.  It is a jopb to decide what is the 
> most fun - working the pile-ups from Florida or chasing the mobiles 
> for a clean sweep here in the UK.
> 
> I have just posted the following message on the FOC Reflector about 
> conditions on 20 metres during the FQP.  I thought some of you may be 
> interested in it and have some answers or comments about conditions 
> on 20 metres to Europe.  Did any Florida stations notice any change 
> in 20 metre conditions to Europe between about 1945 and 2045z both 
> days?
> 
> 73 de Chris, G4BUE (N4CJ)
> 
> FOC Reflector Message
> *******************
> Can any of our members with better knowledge of propagation than I 
> have, explain what may have happened on 20 metres over the weekend, 
> please?
> 
> I was QRV in the Florida QSO Party on Saturday and 20 metres was open 
> to Florida reasonable well; good enough to enable me to QSO most of 
> the mobile stations moving from county to county.  Apart from the 
> initial rush at 1600z when the contest started, I had been making 
> about 15 QSOs an hour until about 1945z when the noise level on the 
> band suddenly increased quite rapidly.  At the same time signals 
> decreased.  The mobile stations disappeared and the fixed stations 
> like N4BP and N4TP, who had been 599 +20dB or so, went down to about 
> S3.
> 
> I thought the band was closing for the day and went and joined June.  
> About 2100z I decided to check the band to see if 40 metres had 
> opened, and found 20 metres back where it had been prior to 1945z.  
> Between then and 2300z I made about 50 QSOs and then 40 metres opened 
> to Florida and I QSY´d there.
> 
> I came to the conclusion that perhaps there had been some form of SID 
> (sudden ionosphere distrubance) that had caused the temproary change 
> in conditions and thought no more about it until the following day, 
> Sunday.
> 
> >From 1200z, when the contest started on Sunday, 20
> metres had been reasonably good.  I had again been making about 15 QSOs an hour, 
> mainly with the mobile stations, and then about 1945z, almost at 
> exactly the same time as on Saturday, the band noise increased and 
> signals went down again.  This time it was very frustrating as I only 
> needed OKA in the Florida Panhandle to complete a clean sweep of all 
> 67 Florida counties.  I knew I had two chances as W5WMU/M would be 
> passing through OKA on his way back to W5 land and I also knew NF4A/M 
> was going there as he had told me that after I worked him in WAL, the 
> neighbouring county to the east, just before the change in 
> conditions.
> 
> Just as the band changed, I heard W5WMU/M start from OKA and after 
> making one QSO he disappeared as signals went down and the band noise 
> increased.  I could hear a few of the stronger USA stations working 
> him but even they were getting weaker by the minute.  Unlike 
> Saturday, when I didn´t know the band was going to open again, I 
> stayed in the shack hoping conditions would return.  For the next 
> hour I didn´t make any QSOs and could only hear the louder fixed 
> stations in Florida calling CQ.  I could also hear a few stations in 
> other parts of the USA east coast but they were not very strong.
> 
> At 2050z I worked a mobile station and within a few minutes the band 
> was back to where it had been an hour peviously with all the Florida 
> mobile stations being able to be worked again.  The other thing I 
> noticed on Sunday was that soon after the band died for me, I could 
> hear mainland European stations still calling the Florida mobile 
> stations that I couldn't hear.  Whatever was happening to the 
> ionosphere that was effecting me in the UK, didn´t appear to be 
> affecting the rest of Europe.
> 
> So what had been going on?  Surely my initial thoughts about an SID 
> having occurred on Saturday must be wrong as it is just too much of a 
> coincidence that a second one could occur at almost exacly the same 
> time on the following day?.  Whatever happened on Saturday must have 
> happened again on Sunday, indicating it was something to do with 
> general conditions and not a specific incident.  Another point 
> discounting an SID was that on Sunday at least, other European 
> stations did not appear to have been affected by whatever happened, 
> whereas they would have been with an SID.
> 
> I would be grateful if anyone has any ideas or theories as to what 
> caused the almost blackout in propagation between the UK and Florida 
> for an hour between 1945 and 2045z on Saturday and Sunday.
> 
> As a post note, despite the drop in conditions, I did manage to make 
> a clean sweep.  Just after the band opened again, I worked W5WMU/M in 
> ESC, the last county in Florida before leaving the state to the west, 
> meaning he had passed through OKA.  Now NF4A/M was my only hope.  At 
> 2136z I heard Charles in SAN, immediately to the west of OKA, meaning 
> he too had passed through OKA.  I called him for a QSO with SAN and 
> knowing I only wanted OKA for a clean sweep, he asked where I had got 
> to when he was there.  I told him of the change in conditions and 
> that I hadn´t heard him and he said that as he was only just out of 
> OKA, he would go back for me as it would be on his way home to his 
> QTH.  He did that and at 2140z (just 20 minutes before the contest 
> ended) I worked him OKA for a clean sweep.  Thanks a million Charles.
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