Weird JT65 propagation

[VK3OHM]

New to JT65, but I have noticed a weird pattern in my contacts. I am located Melbourne, Australia (QF22), and have a dipole that runs North/South. Nearly every contact I have is off the end of my dipole, i.e. the direction in which it is least sensitive. I can only even hear China, Japan, Taiwan calling with a smattering of VE. I don't mind, as normally I can't make these contacts in any other mode, but why does JT65 seem to massively favour the least sensitive part of my antenna?

I've looked at the reverse beacons, and I seem to be getting out, so why can I only hear to the north? I know that JT65 works really well with weak signals, but surely they don't have to be weak to detect them?

Perhaps my sample size of 15 contacts is too small :-(

[K7JBQ]

I think the last sentence tells the tale.

There is nothing about JT65A that turns propagation, antenna patterns etc. upside down. What it does do is permit two-way communication when just about every other mode is useless. Because of that, you'll make contact with parts of the world that you would swear your antenna is deaf to.

Then again, there is theory, and there is practice. Or, as they say in sports, "that's why you play the game."

73,
Bill