12/21/2003 | SV1XV I entered in QRP mode with an FT-817 and two antennas (wire
dipole and 3-band vertical). In general conditions were poor.
There was a good opening to SE europe (400 - 1000 km skip)
on Saturday evening and a brief opening to 5B4 early Sunday
morning. Later on Sunday I experienced a long Es opening to G,
GW, F, EI, EA, CT with very good reports
(S9+) from CT. At 1030z the Es opening started closing and
was dead by 1110z.

I also worked some UA9 big guns on Sunday morning - but no trace of
UA0, JA. I failed miserably with 5U7JB pile-up on Sunday morning,
but I had a difficult SSB QSO with FY5KE at his sunrise. Later
I managed to work P40K after considerable effort. This was my
only real DX for the contest.

S. American F2 propagation (LU, CX, PY) started at about 1430z.
Signals with pronnounced QSB. At about 1500 propagation moved
up to US Atlantic coast (FL, CT, PA).

See you next year!

73 Costas SV1XV
-- SV1XV