Where did the Pacific go?
I found it!
Once upon a time I could work the Pacific (from GA) with the aid of the greyline early in the morning on 30 meter CW. Realizing I am now using an attic (or loft if you prefer) antenna, I assumed propagation was just not the same.
I found the Pacific! FT8 has taken it away from me on 30 meter CW. Running 15 wattsa and an attic antenna on FT8 reaching out that far is not easy, but doable. However, with FT8 there is just no personality to the contact. FT8 will not be my home on 30 meters, but I may visit from time to time.
a. I Run 25 watts on CW. But I reduce power to 15 watts as FT8 is a full duty cycle mode. The K3 can handle the power, but to prevent possible RFI I dial it back.