5/22/2012

The peak of the conditions arriving

Yesterday, 15m has been open to all over the world throughout the night. It has been quite some time since I heard Eu early in the morning today. I met old Dim LZ1AF before his going to bed. He seemed to be still working at a linear amplifier company over there. I wondered if his boss could understand his being late for work his next morning due to this superb conditions. He answered "Oh, yes. Beacuase he is a ham." The company he is working is ACOM whose president is LZ1JK. I used to chat Dim in '90s. This QSO reminded me of those good QSOs then.

This world wide opening has also brought me to the days when I was the head of an amateur ham radio club at a college in Tokyo. It was 45 years or so ago. We were camping on a foot of Mt Fuji. We tried enjoying QSOs with very simple set up, an 807 single TX with single superheterodyne RX. The antenna was a dipole for 40m set between trees. The conditions were terrific. We could work all over the world throughout the night like yesterday. Since I have not experienced high bands those days, I erroneously believed the location of high altitude made it possible. It was thanks to the height of solar activity those days.

Another end of the camp was to train the young students for operation and CW. I have given them hard training for CW reception. A guy talked on CW in his sleep one night. At first, we could not understand what he had meant. But, in a second, it turned out to be related with CW reception training and has caused a big laughter to those who were still awake then. It must be a strain for him. I hope he is still enjoying this mode somewhere. The club call was JA1YGC those days.

They say this coming year will be the peak of the sun spot cycle. Are you ready to make valuable and memorable QSOs with your friends during this good condition period? Or are you wasting time with rubber stamps and collecting  cards?

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