May's bountiful gifts continue.

No, not Theresa, I mean the month of May.

I have been musing lately over the early arrival of various forms of multi-hop Es.

Three days ago I asked this question in an email:-

That is another day in May for transatlantic propagation, when in every other year apart from this one it started in early June. Will the same thing happen with the Japanese paths, which so far only occur for me in July?

And today guess what? A 6m opening to Japan.

The event kicked off with me working RO1M, 1956km away in KO59. Now that some more Russian stations are operating on 50MHz they do provide a pointer to when the band is open further East. They produce a lot of new squares too. Then I started hearing JA.

DX Maps on 50MHz at 08:27 on 29 May 2024.

This map looks pretty good but as usual these openings are often scrappy. I worked two stations JR1LZK and JA7QVI. Best DX 9164km. I also had another possible QSO which was a bit doubtful and I await confirmation. I am not complaining about working two, but I did hear a lot more.

JA on 6m in May is certainly an unusual event at GM4FVM. In fact, JA at 6m at any time is an unusual event GM4FVM.

Perhaps even more surprising was that several stations in GM were hearing a VK station later. Indeed a number of stations in these islands worked into VK. I did not even hear that station. Not that I am bitter about it of course.

Grrr.

There was a general Es opening and I was particularly busy on 70MHz:-

70MHz contacts at GM4FVM on 29 May 2024

Click image to enlarge if needed.

12 contacts on 4m in a morning is not at all shabby. Of course the best DX was to UN7MBH in LO51. That was my best DX on 70MHz so far this year at 3480km and my first contact into Asia on 4m in 2024.

The opening extended to 144MHz, though I did not manage to work any DX. I heard stations from Sweden and Kaliningrad, but neither of these produced a contact. I was heard in the Baltic and as far away as 2450km into Russia, but sadly nothing resulted. 

As I write this, the opening is still going on at 14:46. Although it has lost that initial power, it is producing good DX on 4m and 6m. Usually the double peak nature of Es means that morning openings rarely last into the afternoon, and afternoon ones rarely start in the morning. If both periods are involved the two openings are usually in different directions.

So there are you. Quite a morning. JAs on 6m in May, VK heard by almost everybody (not me), good opening on 4m and I was widely heard on 2m.

Whatever next.

73 Jim

GM4FVM