The hunted and the hunter on Sporadic E

It is not often I get on the receiving end of a pile up on the two metre band.

Yesterday it happened thanks to a long Sporadic E opening. When I see strong signals on 50MHz, about +7dB or more, I often start watching in that direction on 70MHz and 144MHz. In this case the 6m signals were coming from Italy which does not have access to the 4m band at the moment, so it was 2m which first saw results here.

Between 15:44 and 16:56 I worked 16 stations in 8 squares in Italy on 2m. Well not quite all in Italy.

144MHz stations worked at GM4FVM on 9 July 2023

As usual, click to enlarge the image if you wish.

The question might arise as to why I would want to work all 16? Isn't one enough to prove that the propagation is there?

Well, first reason is vanity. It is very nice to have an hour long pile up on me after I call CQ. Loads of stations want to work me. Clearly my station is superior as all these seasoned amateurs suddenly want to work me. But we knew my station was superior before this opening [steady on, Jim Bighead].

Second, real reason number 1, it was amazing to watch the propagation move around the map. Sporadic E on 144MHz is very selective (localised) and only a maximum of three stations were calling me at any time, not all 16. I enjoy watching this appearance of Es jumping about. I tried to draw up a diagram of this for the blog but it just did my head in. It was hopping about too much to draw. 

There were also five stations who I tried to work and failed, plus quite a few more that never got started.

Three, real reason No 2, there was an all-time new DXCC on 2m in there for me. At 16:45 I worked T77GO in San Marino. The Serene Republic of San Marino to be exact, that small state surrounded by Italy. I have worked San Marino on 6m recently and famously did not work it on 4m a long time ago. Anyway, that is a new one for this year and for all time on 144MHz.

Four, real reason No 3, there is a new square in there too. 16 stations to work but only bringing one new square shows how well I have covered Italy on 2m up to now. The new square is JN40 in the North of Sardinia which I reached when I worked IS0BQE. For a VHF operator a new square is almost as good as a new country. Almost. San Marino was a new country but not a new square, IS0BQE was the reverse. Take your pick. I have worked 22 2m squares in Italy and I still need 8 more, plus a couple of small wet ones which I doubt I will ever reach. I am still trying for the others.

IS0BQE called me, unlike T77GO who I had to call for a while. Clearly, wherever I am in the 144MHz rare DX stakes it is below San Marino. Sardinian stations might call me, but I have to call San Marino. I know my place.

Five, real reason No 4, is that they (all except T77GO) wanted to work me. Clearly this was true given the number of times they were calling. Either they needed GM, or they needed IO85, or they needed greater DX, or they just wanted to. OK, sometimes I have to shut down the radio for some reason and have to deny somebody a contact. But, in general, I try to work everybody who calls me. Just call be big hearted (or a loser, as somebody termed it).

Within a few minutes of all this starting on 2m, 4m was going hammer and tongs. It was all I could do to watch the displays for 2m, 4m and 6m. There is only so much one man can do. Although things are arranged for me to transmit on two bands alternately, I usually do not do it. I have added various bandpass filters to allow this, for instance to transmit on 4m on one period and then after that on 6m on the other period, or 2m and 6m or whatever. There may be a little desensitisation but not much. Multiband contest stations do that all the time, but they have more than one operator.

I was watching 70MHz while remembering my rule that "higher frequencies count double", even though that rule is nonsense. Rules are rules. So 144MHz gets preference if both are open. Yes, I was also watching 6m and I saw that V51WW was loud and clear on 50MHz. This tempted me onto 6m on the other period and while I was working stations on 2m I was calling V51WW. I called for a long time, as in this case I was joining the pile-up, while on 2m the pile-up was on me.

If learned anything from having a pile-up on me it was that the whole process is random. I had clicked "AutoSeq" on WSJT-X and selected "CQ:Max Distance". You can imagine why - I could hardly have managed the 2m pile-up situation by selecting who to work next each time. The software decided who to work next while I was busy doing logging, DXMaps, watching other bands ... The effect of this is that some stations kept calling and got no reply from me as I was replying to others. It did not matter if those stations were stronger, clearer, more desirable for me to work or anything, if WSJT-X did not select them then I would not work them. That was why I had to decide to go after T77GO as it was possible he would call me and I would answer somebody else.

Anyway, I called V51WW on and off on 6m for about 15 minutes while I was busy on 2m. Even though he was often quite strong, up to -2dB, he did not reply. I know that this has got nothing to do with my signal, just the way WSJT-X and the other software all handle pile-ups. Anyway, at 17:00, just after the 2m opening faded out, I managed to work V51WW.

50MHz contacts at GM4FVM on 9 July 2023

V51WW was an all-time new country (Namibia) on 6m, and also a new square. 8510km was a good distance too. This brings my all-time DXCC worked total on 6m to 93, and means that 2023 equals my best year for DXCC on 50MHz. 2018 was also 69, but that took 12months and this is still only early July.

I also worked LZ3CB and KN32 is also a new square on 6m, bringing that total to 475. Well, 475 after working OH4MDY in KP32 today for another new one.

To round off the day yesterday I also worked EA5JHD and EB3ENW on 70MHz. I would have to say that 4m hardly got a look in yesterday. There are not many new countries left for me to work on that band [??? San Marino Jim] and pretty well everyone has worked me so they do not queue up to reach me on 70MHz. 

It was interesting to try to balance working a pile-up on 2m at the same time as joining a pile-up on 6m. The hunted versus the hunter. Clearly, it does not matter how good your signal is if the station you are calling is using "Auto Seq" in a data mode. However, there are still things you can do which are the standard tricks for getting heard. Watch how the DX station is working, call them at the right time, use whatever sequence they are answering, etc.

Most of all I enjoyed the frenzy of the multi band opening. The totals of DXCC and squares only show me I am making progress. The real thrill is watching the ionosphere doing its thing. 

The band opens, you work some, it closes.

73 Jim

GM4FVM