[DX] Once Last Shot on "Low Band Mountain"

[Ron Notarius WN3VAW]

I'm going to give 80 & 75 one last college try tonight.  Again, I'm looking
for skeds with anyone in Africa, Eastern Europe, and also parts of South
America.  I should be QRV starting around 2230 Z on, and will drop down to
80 & 75 around sunset.

After tonight, I'll be at Dayton, and won't have much evening time next
week.  As openings are getting shorter and propagation suffering
accordingly, I figure that outside of a small effort on 80 & 75 in the CQ
WPX CW in a few weeks, and possibly IARU this summer, tonite should be about
it until late September or October.

I had several emails after the post the other day.  To briefly answer a few
of the issues raised:
1.    This has been an ongoing project since the Fall.  I didn't just start
it.
2.    I am aware of propagation characteristics on the bands at this time of
year.  A 5 page lecture on them is really not needed.
3.    No, I don't expect to complete 80 DXCC this year.  It would have been
nice, but I don't think it's going to happen.  That doesn't mean I won't
try, I'll just be realistic.
4.    It is not impossible at this time of year; difficult, but not
impossible.  I've been hearing ET3PMW the last few evenings on 3504 at or
around 0300 Z; haven't cracked the pileup yet, but sooner or later, if I can
hear him, I can work him.  In addition, I am hearing other stations on from
Europe and South America, in addition to Africa, just not from DXCC entities
I need to work.  Thus, the propagation has been there, more or less, most
evenings (not all, some are lousier than others, but so what else is new?)
So it's worth a small effort.  And after this weekend, I'll concentrate on
the WARC bands for the duration of the summer.

Hope to see some of you at Dayton this weekend!

73, ron wn3vaw

"You are a fluke of the Universe
You have no right to be here
And whether you can hear it or not,
The Universe is laughing behind your back"
-- National Lampoon's Deteriorata