Tasmania on 40m at 9pm!

An 11,000 - or was it 14,000 - mile surprise...

Robert Todd just popped up on 40m one evening, and I got lucky. 30m was dead, and 40m was unusually quiet. I called and heard me call back. Rob was using 400Wfrom a homebrew amp, a 7300 (of course)  and a vertical antenna.

I cannot find a picture of him anywhere, but he's a pretty mean photographer and I suspect this image is a lot prettier anyway.

Rob says he doesn't do QSL cards, but I don't mind - I have a far more impressive proof of contact with the DX diary.

Low noise at Rob's end probably helped. I had assumed this was a short path contact - but the prediction software says neither was possible,

I am not so sure now - I think Rob was by the sea on the south coast and the stability of the signal and longevity of the session makes me wonder if it was indeed LP. An omnidirectional G5RV antenna can't tell the difference - nor can his vertical.

 Fabulous - Aurora Australis @ Safety cove Tasmania by Robert-Todd

Long path

The signal was faint at both ends, and as long as the local big signals stayed away, we had no trouble. I heard Bob carry on working Europeans long after we finished.

... as DX contacts go, this went pretty well. 

..

just enough signal

G0KYA HAMCAP prop forecast, say this wasn't possible....

Bob is lucky enough to get a CYK Commonwealth Commemorative QSL