Stations worked here last weekend using normal speed CW:

Friday 14/5
PA0CC (08.30UT: he was 579, gave me 469QRN).

Saturday 15/5
GW4ALG (06.56: 589, 589), F6CNI (07.14: 559, 589), G3GRO/P (07.39: 589,
589)
PA0LQ (08.16: 569, 579), G3CCH (14.03: 559, 569), G3YXM (15.42: 59+9, 59+9).

Sunday 16/5
PA0SE (07.15: 579, 57/89), HB9ASB (07.55: 339QSB, 229).

Serious crises with Kate's parents in Scotland the previous weekend greatly
reduced the time I had available to operate recently, and meant I was
without
e-mail for all of last week, so......

As well as having the excellent QSO with Marzio I5MXX on Sunday 9th, I also
had a short QSO with Andre F6CNI at 07.02UT, giving him RST-559 and getting
579 back. As far as I am aware this was the first 2-way QSO Andre made on LF
and I was astonished to learn that he was running only 16 Watts RF giving an
estimated ERP of 6mW! When he gets permission to run his QRO TX, he is going
to be a big signal over much of Europe. Last Thursday (13/5) I worked Andre
again at 20.50UT despite very high QRN levels and also called IK5ZPV (who
peaked 569 that evening) a few times, although Valerio didn't hear me
through
the static this time. Observations here are that the Italian stations are
stronger mid-evening than during the morning peak, despite the higher band
noise.
                       ........................

Conditions seemed good last Saturday morning although, as usual, few
stations
were about to take advantage. Conversely, Sunday morning DX was particularly
poor with I5MXX and HB9ASB both a couple of S-points down on usual. The QSO
with Toni was quite a struggle, and I am continually amazed at how much the
path between us changes from QSO to QSO, particularly remembering the 9th
April QSO when we exchanged 569 reports in both directions! Interestingly,
Dick PA0SE gave me a better than usual report over the shorter path......

Throughout the weekend I joined a number of stations who were calling DF2PY
repeatedly, but did not manage a QSO. Wolf's TX signal was very good with
his
new antenna (peaking 569 here), but despite having worked 7 other German
stations now on normal speed CW, I have still not been heard by Wolf. It's
interesting to note that the only G stations who have are running the
maximum
possible ERP......


        Regards  John G4GVC near Leicester, IO92JP


   **  TX: Synth + 400W RF from modified 'G3YXM' Mosfet PA           **
   **  RX: TS-850S with 3 x CW filters and 0.5ppm TCXO               **
   **  Ant: Inv-L 60m long, 6m high at feed end, 12m high at far end **