I wouldn't call myself a propagation expert, but here are some
thoughts. In Winter at near the bottom of the Solar cycle, 75
meters is pretty decent for medium distances after dark and this
time of year, it is usually dark by 17:30 local time and by
19:00, 40 is way long. People work Europe all evening long and I
hear lots of East and West Coasters when I hear anybody at all.

	The 75 meter band is probably the best choice if you
want to keep the net around 01:00 Z.

	Keep in mind that it will be a different world in the
Summer months because of both Daylight Saving Time and the
longer day. Our ARES net, for example, is usually on 40 meters
during the Summer because it occurs at 21:30 Z or 16:30 CDT but
it has been known to move to 80 meters on occasion because the
skip is too long on 40 during the Winter.

Martin McCormick WB5AGZ  Stillwater, OK 
Systems Engineer
OSU Information Technology Department Telecommunications Services Group