No F2 propagation on 6m? There is on 8m

Someone asked me "what difference does it make whether something is TEP or F-layer propagation?"

Many of us have been hoping that there might be F-2 propagation on 6m so that we could work some juicy DX. All I have seen so far this solar cycle is TEP. TEP is nice, with long paths, and even some from the northern hemisphere (see last posting). I have seen no F2 propagation on 50MHz yet, and anything I have seen is almost certainly TEP or related stuff.

I have seen contacts reported to the cluster claiming to be classic F-2 propagation, but on closer inspection these look like TEP or related methods. I am not the police force, nor a judge deciding which is which. I just try to decide so that I can make the most of the situation.

I have not seen classic F2 on 6m so I need to go down a band to illustrate what I mean. I have thought of showing a map of 10m but that is too crowded. So here is a screenshot of PSK Reporter on the "40MHz band".

40MHz signals shown on PSK Reporter 14 October 2023

You can see the TEP heading south from Europe to Africa. I recorded 15 different callsigns here that afternoon. We see that north-south type of propagation on 6m from time to time.

Then you can see the trans Atlantic paths heading West. I have not seen anything like that on 6m yet. There was a long, strong, F2 opening on 40MHz on 14 October between Canada and Europe.

So the difference is that TEP paths cross the equator around the equinox, or they are "F2 Single-Track" which from here heads towards the equator but does not cross it. On the other hand classic F2 is much more directly related to the sunspot cycle and you can sure it is that method if the path does not pass anywhere near the equator.

Now there may be classic F2 paths which cross the equator too and if we get widespread F2 openings I will be happy to see them. None here yet. TEP is very distinctive and although it is influenced by the solar cycle we have been seeing it around the equinox for years.

What difference does this make if something is one propagation mode rather than another? Well you could say no difference. Many amateurs just work what they hear. But for me who likes to seek out DX then I can hunt out TEP paths at certain times of the year more or less every year, whereas classic F2 is a solar maximum event on 50MHz. One clue is that if they come from totally different directions you can have a good idea which is which.

The map above seems to show that F2 paths have crossed the Atlantic at 40MHz. You have to be a bit careful with PSK Reporter or cluster paths because many are misreported. However in this case I am pretty confident that these reports are genuine.

It is easy to look at PSK Reporter or DX Maps and see long DX paths which may look like classic F2. Lately there have been many of these on 6m which are near and across the equator. The maps show the paths as great circle lines spreading far north and even north of Scotland. There is no point me hoping to get in on these openings. I reckon that these paths are TEP-related and do not come this far north at all. Nothing like that has come my way yet on 50MHz, and I am not expecting it from that type of propagation. From what I have seen, up here we have just had rare shots at TEP by Es linking.  

So there have now been signs that classic F2 has reached 40MHz. This has been widely reported. Will it reach 50MHz? I do not know. We shall see. Meanwhile, I am still looking for TEP.

I have to say that the evidence from 40MHz is very promising so I might get F2 to work on 50MHz very soon. Or maybe not.

Does it make any difference to know that what I am seeing at 6m is not classic F2? In my case, I think this knowledge helps me to point my antenna in the right direction at the right time. If you know what to expect you can be prepared. I am hoping for more TEP, and there is a chance some day for classic F2.

Some day. Maybe.

If I knew what was going to happen then 6m would be like 20m. I could not cope with that.

73 Jim

GM4FVM