Opening to Sierra Leone on 28 MHz after quiet week - Sat 2nd to Fri 8th March 2019

I have been monitoring the FT8 frequency on 28 MHz for the last week and things have been pretty quiet. The best day of the last week was Friday the 8th of March when there was an opening to West Africa.

This is a breakdown of the last seven days...


Saturday 2nd March 2019... Just two stations heard all day.
135445 -13  0.7 1690 ~  CQ PA8MC JO20
164015 -11 -0.1  596 ~  PD1KD PD1DL RR73




Sunday 3rd March 2019... Another quiet day again with just two stations heard.

103345 -13 -0.5 1660 ~  CQ EC6DX JM29
123045   6 -0.0 1563 ~  CQ G0FWX IO82

Monday 4th March 2019. Again, just two stations heard.
172615 -14 -0.1 1379 ~  PA7EY BEACON
213030 -16  0.2 1685 ~  CQ HB9ADF JN36

Tuesday 5th March 2019. Contender for the worst day of the year so far. One signal heard.
113930 -19 -0.5  855 ~  CQ CT7AGZ IM57

Wednesday 6th March 2019. Another dismal day with two signals heard.
122630   1 -0.1 1335 ~  CQ DJ8QX JO31
131645 -15 -1.2  960 ~  CQ G0OYQ IO93

Thursday 7th March 2019. Small bit better with four stations heard.

085045 -23  0.7 1193 ~  CQ EB1HRW IN71
085330 -12 -0.0 1088 ~  CQ G0OYQ IO93
102215  -9 -0.2 1388 ~  CQ M0LHS IO81
161200 -15 -0.4 1396 ~  CQ DJ8QX JO31

Friday 8th March 2019. Best day of the week with several stations heard including 9L1YXJ in Sierra Leone in West Africa.

112000 -15  0.7  334 ~  CQ PD1DV JO22
130015 -20 -0.1 1869 ~  CQ F1RAD JN35
133345 -17 -0.2  713 ~  CQ G4CLB IO92
133400  -1 -0.2 1524 ~  HI8JSG EA3RT JN01
141445  -5 -0.2  484 ~  CQ EA5GXI IM99
142730 -13 -0.2 1329 ~  CQ 9L1YXJ IJ38
142745 -13 -0.3 1344 ~  CQ EA7PY IM66
142800  -9 -0.2 1329 ~  CQ 9L1YXJ IJ38
142830 -11 -0.2 1329 ~  CQ 9L1YXJ IJ38
142930 -11 -0.2 1329 ~  CQ 9L1YXJ IJ38
143000 -12 -0.2 1329 ~  CQ 9L1YXJ IJ38
143100  -7 -0.2 1329 ~  CQ 9L1YXJ IJ38
143130 -10 -0.2 1329 ~  CQ 9L1YXJ IJ38

Just two points.

1) Lots of CQ calls from 9L1YXJ with no takers.

2) Note how I was hearing 9L1YXJ at the same time as EA7PY in the south of Spain.

The path from Ireland to the south of Spain was almost certainly Sporadic-E. This probably allowed me to access the F2 propagation further south to West Africa.

It's unlikely with the very low solar flux of about 70 that it was F2 from Ireland to Sierra Leone.

There is an EI expedition to Togo coming up on the 14th to 26th of March (5V7EI). If there is just a small bit of Sporadic-E over the Bay of Biscay, it could allow them to work back into EI on 28 MHz.