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<DIV>I, too, agree.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Unfortunately at the solar minimum there just isn't enough flux to heat the
ionosphere to the point that 40 meter signals will go straight up and come
straight back down. In a year or two we shouldn't have to worry
about this - 40 will once again work in state.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>But in the meanwhile, 80/75 will likely be how someone can work guys within
300 miles. Even as a mobile, I have stopped worrying about 10 meters and
installed the Hustler 75 meter resonator full time. Since then I have had more
SSB qsos on 75 than on 40 and 20 combined in the 2006 Ohio and Pennsylvania QSO
Parties.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I have also determined that I can run both 75 and 80 meter antennas as a
mobile. There is some interaction, but the IC-746 tuner seems to handle
that.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I plan to have 75 meters full time, and may even occasionally swap out the
20 meter HamStick in favor of the 80 CW one during daytime hours. After 20
closes I'll have both 80 and 75 full time, so will be able to QSY for both
modes on 80.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Just please don't completely abandon 40 and 20 - there are lots of people
outside Michigan who want to work us too!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>73 - Jim K8MR</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Mobile somewhere, with some callsign, in Michigan on April 21</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 3/19/2007 5:19:39 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
k8cc@comcast.net writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Todd
Fonstad wrote:<BR>> John Getz, AD8J, posted:<BR>><BR>> "The other
thing that was interesting, in VA, was the amount of daytime<BR>> activity
on 75/80. When I operate from LEEL next month, I will make it a<BR>>
point to be on 75/80 some during daylight."<BR>><BR>> John is absolutely
correct! In the WIQP on March 11, I began working<BR>> close-in
stations (including many county multipliers) as early as 1:35 pm<BR>> CDT
(contest started at 1 pm). This was from the mobile with a mag-mounted<BR>>
75-meter Hamstick with an alligator clip at the end of the stinger to
bring<BR>> resonance down to 3550 KHz. By 6 pm, I was not only continuing
to work WI<BR>> counties and the upper Midwest, but was getting calls from
stations as far<BR>> away as ME and FL. In the last hour (7 to 8 pm CDT), I
made 70 Q's on 80M.<BR>><BR>> I think it was two years ago in the MIQP
that 80M was wonderful the last few<BR>> hours of the 'test. I was sitting
in some little 'burg in the UP just having<BR>> a blast on that
band.<BR>><BR>> With some luck (wx, family schedule, etc.), I'll be back
doing the solo<BR>> mobile in the UP this year. And ... I'll have three
antennas ready to switch<BR>> to instantaneously ... 20, 40, and 80 and
will work each of those bands from<BR>> the git-go.<BR>><BR>>
73<BR>> Todd<BR>> N9NE<BR>> <BR>I remember in the 1999
MiQP (the first time W8MJ and I went mobile) that <BR>40M was so bad from a
flare that people were successfully running MiQP <BR>QSOs on 80/75 in the
second hour of the contest. When we're done our <BR>K8MQP multis, we
have a full time station on 80/75 starting around 20Z <BR>(4:00 PM
local). It's broad daylight, but signals are not bad and more
<BR>importantly, most are of short skip to in-state stations (many of which
<BR>are valuable multipliers). 80/75 is a GREAT MiQP band!<BR><BR>We've
seen the same thing (80/75 good early) for the same reasons during <BR>the
OhQP in August.<BR><BR>So don't neglect to check 80/75
early!<BR><BR>73,<BR><BR>Dave/K8CC<BR><BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
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