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[WB0U]

I'm picking off the states I need for 5BWAS.

VOACAP showed greater than a 90% chance of propagation (100 watts cw 1/4 wave vertical ) between Minnesota and Hawaii for several hours on both 40 and 80 meters during the Hawaii QSO party last weekend.

I worked several Hawaii stations on 40 but none on 80.

I called CQ HI on 80 cw around 0700Z, but didn't make any contacts or see any reports from Hawaii on reverse beacon net.  I had a S5 noise level and was hoping a contester in Hawaii with a Beverage antenna could hear me.  My 80 meter antenna is a  vertical consisting of a 40 meter inverted vee up 30 feet fed with window line shorted together and run against ground with a tuner. 

I did see spots from W6 and W2 call areas hearing Hawaii on 80.

Will I have a better change of working Hawaii on 80  this winter when the noise floor is lower due to reduced number of thunderstorms?

Should I have tried at 1000Z instead to get a boost from gray line?

73,
Lynn WB0U

[W1VT]

I've made forty contacts with Hawaii on 75/80M in the last 10 years using a 40' top loaded vertical and elevated radials.

Real estate is ridiculously expensive in Hawaii so a Beverage RX antenna is a real rarity.

Your best bet is the  CQ WW and ARRL DX contests.  I've worked them as early as 6:58Z and as late as 11:45Z in the ARRL CW DX contest.

A big factor is the local  time in Hawaii.  Greyline in the state translates to the wee hours in Hawaii. 
And operating at 9PM in a densely packed residential area has its own set of issues.

Zak W1VT

[K1FBI]

I have Hawaii confirmed on 20 and 40 SSB from Connecticut. You should have no problem from the Midwest on 75/80 CW. Yes it's way quieter in the Winter months. One important thing is always taking into account the time difference. It's hard to work them when they're at their job, or eating or sleeping.

[NO9E]

Very few stations on CW especially on 80m and 160m are active outside of contests. To find out whether you are heard in KH6, call CQ around sunrise and check your spots on reverse beacon service.  I get routinely spots from KH6 and VK, and sometimes from ZL. The spotters use wide coverage antennas so an actual station is likely to hear you better. 

You can also log to a KiwiSDR station in Hawai and check your own signal.

[W1VT]

Hawaiians are serious contesters.  I've worked three Hawaiians on 160 CW in ten minutes with 600W to a 36ft high Inverted-L!  ARRL CW DX contest.