I saw a comment on this yesterday and I would have to concur on the deterioration of polar routes as a result of the new cycle peak.
My log shows this kind of data: 2007 - over the pole activity to JA starting 2 hours before my SR - fair number of stations worked 2008 - daily JA sations in here starting right at their SS - peaking an hour later - fading down at my SR - some LP to JA at 21z Qso's with 9M6 and 9M2 common this season 2009 - UNBELIEVABLE JA volumes in NOV/DEC/JA - with some days at more than 100 qso's in a single morning starting at 0715z. BU2AQ would be in here daily at 1000z from a DUE NORTH routing. (By way of contrast, I do not hear him at all here in 2011 from the NORTH - he now arrives into hear starting 1000z from a SOUTH/SE path - today for example he is 579/589 on 3515 from the SE - he drops to 449 on a Northerly routing - so this path must now be being absorped - only think I can point to. Afternoon LP into JA starting 2020z until 2215z (in JA6) - with some 50 qso's on better days - this was a dual path event with multipathing to my East and signals also coming North over the pole at the same time 2010 - definite reduction in JA over the pole before my SR - only 1-2 LP wso's made with JA8ISU around 21Z in late Nov/early Dec 2011 - paucity of JA's around 09/10z - JA7NI/JA8ISU/JQ2VVH among them - no evidence of LP at 21z BTW - when I say over the pole - in the good years (2008/2009) - my best signal levels came DUE NORTH into here - NW routing was okay but down 3DB - DUE WEST was well down Interestingly - the SW and SE before sunrise longpath we are seeing every day into XU/DU and HL - did not exist for the most part in 2009 - I started to see it pick up in 2010 when XU7ACY started coming on the band each day. On those days XU7ACY was in regularly first on 80 and then 160M.in SEPT/OCT/NOV 2010. One other observation I can make is that the routing into Northern LA/SM has not started this year (YET) at their sunset - eg around 1130z-1200z in the most northern regions. On good days at the end of 2009, it was possible to qso SM2LIY at 1400z - and G sations until 1300z. UA9YAB was good copy around 1100z and also UA9MA on good days in Dec. I doubt I will see much of that this year. Also the morning and susnet paths into UA9/UA0 (z18) - have disappeared now - I do not think we will see them again for at least 3 years. So that does this all mean? Hard to tell - but I INFER from what I am seeing that absorption is MUCH GREATER now than it was two - three years ago at this time. I would agree that the path to VK6 seems less affected as these guys are still good copy even in these times - although the 2100z path to the SE has not been observed - it may still be there - but unless VK6HD and VK6VZ come on to try it on a regular basis it is hard to know for sure. On good days, it was possible to get Steve's attention over the Europeans - even on SSB mode - so I know the path was present on many days. FWIW 73 and Season's Greetings to all Topbanders JEFF VY2ZM [email protected] </HTML> _______________________________________________ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
