Propagation very erratic,
generally poor. K=3, A=9, Flux=71
0800z - 0900z Europe - Anzo
net on 14,293 Long Path.
Apologies from Klaus HB9CQS
who was disabled with 'flu this week.
Here the band opened about 0830z
with half-heard voices including : -
HB9CQS, VK2GWK, VK4ZD, and
PA0SDZ
0845z - VK2GWK Henk from Nelson
Bay 4/4 gave me 4/3
0849z- DU9/G4UNL Roy from
Mindanao1/1 here
0850z - VK3KCD Peter from
Flinders 1/1 here
0851z - VK4ZD Bill from Gatton
up to 4/5 gave me 4/3
0856z - OH6SM Martti from Lapua
5/5
0901z - EA/G4HMG John from
Benissa 5/9 "on the beam"
0907z - Net ended, signals
going down and solar noise increasing
0900z - 1000z UK 80-metre
net on 3,693.
G3JJR John in charge from
Wolverhampton.
Eleven on the net in very noisy
conditions.
1230z - 1330z International
Net on 14,293.
1230z - W1QUO Jim from
Leominster MA 4/8 in noise.
1230z - VE2GTI Coos from
Montreal 4/3
1234z - PA2X Cees from Bussum
1/1 here but Jim got him 5/5
1254z - HB9CQS Klaus from
Sachseln 1/1 here.
1302z - Net ended, Jim's signal
going down and qrm increasing.
Jim had minus 6c and some snow
promised for today.
Coos had minus 18.2c and
beautiful blue sky.
Klaus had Flu' and did well to
join us. I think Jim got him alright.
Cross-Pond conditions very bad.
Jim had fluctuating noise streamers
which got worse as time went on.
Better Luck next week !
1900z - 2000z UK Evening
80-metre net on 3,693.
Nothing heard here but some
Euro-qrm.
Messages Received.
From Secretary Brian G3LUW.
Been off the air with a bad
chest infection for a couple of weeks.
Recovering now and will join you
on Sunday if I feel up to it.
A very welcome positive
message from Bill Pollitt VK5CV.
Bill has done so much over
the years to implement the irrigation of the Murray
Riverside area !
Greetings Bill.
Several months ago you expressed your interest in how we
fruit growers in the irrigation areas
were managing under drought conditions.
Since July 1, 2007 we have been restricted to using only
32 % of our normal entitlement of irrigation water.
The government offered to buy out the irrigation growers
with permanent crops.
About 15 percent of the growers accepted this offer.
When driving through the district now it is so sad to
these orchards of dead fruit trees.
My family decided to beat the drought. We pulled out
the trees of the less profitable crops
and drastically altered our irrigation
methods. Currently we are holding crops of very
nice citrus ready
for harvesting in May.
On December 17 there was some heavy rain in one part of
the catchment area, about 1000 km to our North.
It will take 7 to 8 weeks for the water to reach us.
This will give us some relief.
But that good news was tempered with us in early January
having two weeks of very hot weather with
temperatures of 40 to 43 C. nearly every day.
On January 15 a mighty tropical monsoon rain system
came across Queensland - the state to our North.
Almost all our catchment area is flooded.
So commencing in two months time we are going to have a
big flood. Just how big we can only guess.
Our last flood was in 1976 with our river at Waikerie
running 10 meters above pool level..
Our properties are well above flood level.
There has been about average rains in our wheat growing
areas during the last 3 months.
I trust that you and yours are well.
I am reasonably well - my age is 95. I still have my
driving license.
I play the keyboard and sing in the club choir.
Bill. vk5cv
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's all for this week,
73 de Bill g4yze
