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HC2FG, HC1BI, AND OA1F.  MIKE, K7ULS DN41, IN UTAH, WORKED TWO STATIONS IN
COSTA RICA.  FRED, KH7Y/W6 CM98, IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, DECODED HC2FG AND
TI2CC.  THE F2 OPENING FADED OUT IN KANSAS BY 2015 UTC, BUT IT CONTINUED
FOR STATIONS FURTHER WEST.  TREY, N5KO CM97, WORKED STATIONS IN CE, HC, HK,
LU, PJ4, AND TI.  HIS OPENING PEAKED ABOUT AN HOUR LATER THAN IT DID IN THE
MIDWEST STATES.  THE STRONG CROSS COUNTRY SIGNALS AND THEIR ASSOCIATION
WITH THE GEOMAGNETIC STORM ARE HALLMARKS OF F2 PROPAGATION.  LARRY NOTED
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MANY STATESIDE STATIONS WERE RECEIVED, AND HE THOUGHT IT MAY BE VIA
SPORADIC E.  I SUSPECT IT WAS F2 BACKSCATTER, WHICH OCCURS WHEN A SINGLE
HOP F2 SIGNAL STRIKES THE EARTH, AND REFLECTS BACK VIA THE F LAYER.  WHEN
THE F2 OPENING TO SOUTH AMERICA FADED FOR ME, THE STATESIDE STATIONS FADED
WITH IT, AND THE BAND WAS VERY QUIET.  WHILE MANY STATIONS WERE BUSY
WORKING FOREIGN DX STATIONS, BACKSCATTER CAN PICK UP NEW STATES AND GRID
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