2m sporadic E

It is nice when a plan works.

On 24 May 2026 there was a large opening on 70MHz. When I say large I mean over a wide geographical area (there aren't enough active stations on 4m to make it really large). Large enough for me to work 11 DXCC and 25 stations in total on 4m. 

Total opening time on 70MHz: Four hours (so far!). 

Great fun.

70MHz as seen on DXMaps on 24 May 2026

As the 70MHz opening continued a lot of OIRT broadcast stations were heard at times. 

Some stations on 4m were +32dB and peaking S9 on the S meter. That is usually the time for me to move up my "3-band plan" and look for 2m Sporadic E.  So I called CQ on 144MHz 24 times between 10:32 and 12:51 with no result. [Keep pressing on Jim].

Then IW0RGN answered my 2m call. Out of the blue, 1771km away in JN62. We had a quick QSO with +2dB at my end and -11dB at his. I heard him call CQ one more time and the event on 2m was over for me. 

144MHz as seen on DX Maps on 24 May 2026

Total opening time on 144MHz: 75 seconds. That is the way it is with 2m Es. The searchlight covered by the signal is small, often only extending to one station. It sweeps rapidly across the map. There is usually no large scale opening as you might get on 6m or 4m. So you have to keep calling CQ in the hope that one station hear you.

And one did. 

So there. 

I noticed 12 stations in "these islands" who were copying all those CQs, Gs, EIs, GIs etc. I doubt if they thanked me for keeping appearing in their waterfalls. However, it is only by calling CQ that anyone can get DX stations to notice that a 144MHz Es opening is happening. Otherwise we all just listen and then everybody misses the whole thing.

OIRT broadcast station seen at GM4FVM 24 May 2026

So that remains the basic 3-band plan. When there is an opening on 6m with stations reaching about +0dB I will go to 4m, and when 4m reaches that level too I will try 2m. Seeing OIRT stations would provide another suggestion that 2m is worth a try, beaming to the East and South East in that case. 

At all times I will strive for the treble on all three bands, though each contact, however mundane it might appear, is welcome. 

Post Script:  The 4m opening went on eventually for nine hours. I had to stop calling toward EA as I had worked everybody there was to work. After tea I came back into the shack and found some new stations on 70MHz and worked EA4TX at 18:17 and my old pal Fidel EA1HRR at 18:18. I then had a hunch that as I was +12dB with  EA4TK on 4m it might be worth giving 144MHz another try. Once again 4m pointed the way and at 18:23 I found EA4DS on 2m at 1717km in IN80. This was followed by EA1BHB at 18:29, and he was at 1504km in IN82. That was an eight minute 2m opening. Two openings on 144MHz in one day is good going, even if they only yielded three contacts.

2m Es is difficult to find without 4m providing the clues. Openings are brief and difficult to follow. I find them hard work but rewarding. Yes, it is good when a plan works out. 

Without a plan based on the clues from the lower bands I would be lost.

73 Jim

GM4FVM

Rusty DUAL 23cm antenna restored - for a while anyway.

My 36 element 23cm Dual antenna from Antennas and Amplifiers works very well but suffers badly in the salty air blowing off the North Sea just 2 miles away. I bought it in May 2021 and by January 2023 the steel parts were rusting, though of course the boom and elements are aluminium alloy and remain in good condition up to today.

Bubbling under the coating on the 36 element Dual in January 2023

It was just getting worse over time and I knew that I would have to do something. I do not think this is structurally significant right now, but it could be in the long term. Those steel parts are very thin and will rust through eventually.

The solution I hit upon was to take it apart completely (36 bolts), clean the coating and rust off the steel parts, coat them with Hammerite paint, and then put it back together again (36 bolts). Lovely job. Cleaning the metalwork involved using wire brushes on an electric drill, just the sort of thing I do not want to do. So it took ages, not because it was really that hard, but mostly because I did not want to do it in the first place.

I am not the only person with this problem. I have heard reports of these parts rusting on other Dual antennas. I have also heard that Duals now come with stainless steel parts, apart from the boom and elements of course. Until I have seen it for myself I shall reserve judgement on that.

Eventually it got so disreputable looking that I decided I had to get stuck in.

Central section of the 36 element Dual partly completed

The photo shows the repaired side on the left and the original on the right. The mast bracket is also coated steel but I decided to leave it for now as it is not about to fall apart.

You may be wondering why I used green Hammerite. Answer: because that was the colour I could get. It should not affect the radiation pattern much.

This is not a long term solution. The Hammerite will not last too long either. 

In the meantime I fell back on my reserve 23cm antenna, the 28 element Wimo:- 

28 element Wimo

The Wimo does not look great at only 1.5m long but it is only 2dB down on the Dual and it kept me going for several months. Good enough to get across the North Sea to Norway, Sweden and Denmark plus into France, Germany and more.

The Dual is now finished and back up. It looks a lot better than the Wimo and gains me those extra 2dB.

36 element Dual restored

From ground level I cannot even spot that the steel parts of the antenna are now green.

I wonder where I will be able to work on 23cms now that this antenna has been restored and replaced on the mast?

73 Jim

GM4FVM

Blog resumes?

 OK, when I asked for comments I expected more than one email. Thanks Rick.

Two more people mentioned it in messages about other things, and two people remarked on it during conversations. Those four were not expecting it to return.

On the face of it there seems to be almost no demand for my blog. I certainly cannot keep it up as before with hundreds of postings going back over ten years with loads of links to keep up to date.

However, I am going to restart and see if anybody notices. It will be a bit different now in many ways, and just the same in others.

73 Jim

GM4FVM. 

Blog paused

The GM4FVM amateur radio blog is down at present for a re-think.

After more than 12 years it is in need of a new direction. 

If there is a demand for it, the blog may return later in a somewhat different form.

73 Jim

GM4FVM