Hi,
What I experience: Good general band conditions, higher bands open. Activators move up into the higher bands. For me it is no good. On the higher bands the activators disappear into the skip zone for me. Result not much in my chaser log.
The conditions are not good enough for me to chase with QRP and 3m (9ft) long whip antenna into dx SOTA. The yaesu FT 891 seems to have difficulty dealing with very weak signals, even with DNR, APF and small CW filter.
Last Saturday, I worked into VK on the 20m band with 10 Watts ssb from a G summit. Best DX conditions for quite some time.
2E0YYY
Scottish aurora last night. Significant disturbance to the ionosphere. HF condx UK into the EU today very poor. I haven’t bothered even trying to work any activators… Although I now hear Martin OE5REO and a 6 point QSO resulted - so the 20m band is recovering.
Phil G4OBK
It’s not too bad here Phil. Yes it is quiet but the likes of Fabio and Hans come through strong.
Best 73
Fixed station in VK I presume Mike, so unremarkable even with 10 watts, if you had said it was a summit to summit QSO I would have been impressed! VR6 Pitcairn Island in the Pacific was worked this month by several UK stations on SSB on 24.9 MHZ.
73 Phil
[quote=“G4OBK, post:5, topic:27250, full:true”]
Got Pitcairn Island from a HEMA summit a couple of years ago on 40m ssb. Easy copy.
Well they say that “if life gives you lemons, make lemonade” so look for more distant activations that you might not normally expect to hear!
Well, time to chase activators in NA, OC, SA and AS!
Time for activators to chase J5T. I did. Now waiting to see if they confirm.
Elliott, K6EL
I worked J5HKT on the 30m band at the unsociable hour of 0127z on Monday Morning. There was no other station on the band that I could see. It’s an easy path to Guineau Bissau from UK but for you in California its a tough one to get whether on a summit or even from home…
Good luck with the J5T DXPedition Elliott!
Phil G4OBK
No problem, Phil. Worked J5T yesterday from a peak on 17m and again from the same peak earlier today on 24.890 They were alone today and calling CQ consecutively. 50 watts and EFHV. They like 28 words per minute, which is my usual, luckily.
EL
Hi all,
Not too bad today with two medical appointments, the propagation is not bad but being stabilized after a few solar flares!
Always 100w and my pieces of wire 
73, Éric
Edit : N1ZF on 20m 18:32
I worked eastern USA with 10 watts into a wire, 20m SSB this afternoon. There was QSB with EU, but USA wasn’t too difficult.
73,
Fraser
You were at the doctor when I was on my second summit! 
Yes Fraser … 
73, Éric
Thats a nice speed for us old hands EL from the home QTH… although when activating I prefer to go at 24-25s due to the cramped up position and a key that’s not as good as my two old Benchers are at home!
73 Phil
You’ve got a good chase today!
I heard Paul N1ZF making QSO with you, but you weren’t copied here. I chased Paul right after you on 17m. 
I also spent some time between doctors and nurses today, so I didn’t chase much. Nothing in the morning and a few in the afternoon-evening. But conditions are still good and 6 QSOs with USA activators are so far in my log. All on 20m (1 ssb) but one on 17m CW.
73,
Guru
And I see you got Arizona on 15m Guru ?? 
Patrick,
I don’t think the FT891 is a bad radio and not the problem. However the Chameleon CHA MPAS is a poor antenna choice. All these antennas use a lossy 5:1 unun to dampen the reflections, but you still have poor VSWR on your feeder so additional transmission line losses and an ATU at the radio. I suggest you have a minimum of 5dB system loss, it could be double that on some bands.
Also these UNUN’s dont give any choking, so you need additional common mode chokes with 1000+ ohms or else you will get millions of switching psu’s noise creeping up the braid of your coax!
A similar length of whip using a remote ATU at the feedpoint (like the Yaesu FC-40 integrated to your rig) would bring your system loss down to 1 or 2dB. Possibly a slightly longer whip, few more radials and add some FT240-31 chokes. Then band conditions will seem much better!!
