George is correct.
I worked TX5S on 80m CW roughly this time yesterday..maybe + 1.5 - 2 hours..and well before SS on Clipperton. EY8MM was the (uFB) op. He sure wasn't vy loud, but was working them at 36-37wpm and 2-3-4 per minute all along the East Coast of the USA and CDN Maritimes. I don't think I saw any RBN spots early on and pretty sure he CQ'd enough to hit some skimmers up in New England. My 4-sq tends to hear pretty well. As an aside, I am pleased & happy it was Nodir at the key. I got to pay him back for a new one I gave him (Sable @ CY0AA) in 1996. Good Karma is wonderful! I only feel sorry for all the DQRM they are enduring. The World has slipped in good operating practices, that's for sure. Mike VE9AA On RBN Sensitivity/Antennas: Whenever I CQ-d from any of our Pacific operations -- FO/M, FO, VP6A, E51D, KH8, KH8S -- I always had the RBN screen on. Most of the time I would be working stations in the mid-west, or even the East Coast, before the first RBN report would pop up, if at all. As Steve points out, they do not have high performance RX antennas for 160 m and you can not rely on them to indicate weak openings. Of course, if you see your call on the RBN, the band is solidly open. 73, George Mike - Keswick Ridge, NB, Canada _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
