China on 6m and Iono to Sweden on 2m - Summer is here!

Today I have worked one station. Thankfully that one station was in a new country on 6m. BA4SI produced DXCC number 111 on 50MHz. He is in square PM01 at a distance of 8928km. 

I did work China before on 6m, but I could not count it as a new country. The previous QSO was mixed up and I did not receive my report directly, though I did receive RR73. The WSJT-X log did show a report, but I decided not to claim it. Enough information was probably exchanged but I waited for today's contact with a different station to make things certain. I reckon that I had better to do it correctly with a clean contact before claiming it.

FT8 contact between GM4FVM and BA4SI on 28 June 2024

Earlier I was hearing several Japanese stations, but they were not hearing me. Another time maybe.

Enough of 50MHz. Conditions have been pretty good at times on 144MHz too. 

On 23 June I worked three SM stations on Q65 on 144.180MHz. This was clearly Ionoscatter as each contact was perfectly stable but weak. The tell-tale streaky patterns on the waterfall gave the game away as Iono. The DX was correct for Iono at 1204, 1218 and 1253km. I then moved to FT8 on 144.174 where there was lots of calling and replying but no completed contacts. This often happens during Iono openings. I then worked OH6KTL on FT8 in KP02 at 1504km. This might have been Es because he appeared suddenly, was pretty strong, and disappeared similarly quickly.

Ionoscatter is interesting but I only have 200W and a 9 element antenna on 2m which may be a bit on the low side. I can hopefully rely on superstations at the other end. 

24 June started with some tropo propagation on VHF. I worked OZ7UV on 2m and then OZ2ND on 2m and 70cm. Nothing was heard on 23cm. I tried the 23cm beacons with disappointing results. After that the tropo faded and I watched as a large Es patch developed over France and Spain

DXMaps "MUF Sp-E" chart on 24 June

This patch was just too far South for me, as the 1000km ideal spot for DX needs to be over IN87 to work for me in this direction. Instead I could only observe the action as stations in the South of England (who of course I could hear) worked into Madeira, Morocco and Algeria.

After several hours of nothing in particular happening up popped EA5AJX in IM98 at 1930km. There was just time to work him before he faded out. I like to see the red squares on the DX Maps Es chart as that means 2m is likely to be in the action, but of course the Es also works below that maximum frequency. I also worked EA1BYA on 70MHz.

144MHz contacts at GM4FVM 23 to 27 June 2024

There has been some high pressure around generally and I was very pleased to work LA6GKA on 144MHz on 26 June at 17:09 with +09dB reports both ways. The tropo openings along the path to Norway from here are often very localised but also quite long lasting. It can be frustrating to hear each other calling CQ for ages and not working anyone. But of course there is not much activity around here, and the same seems to be true of South West Norway. 

Although I heard SM0KAK again today on Ionoscatter using Q65, no contact resulted. There is still time this summer to have some more contacts on this unusual propagation mode, plus lots of time for more Es and tropo. So we hope.

It must be summer. It is sunny, 13C, and the wind is gusting at 59km/h. Tomorrow night it is predicted to be 12C, with 7C for the next two nights. After that it is likely to be positively roasting at 8C. The heat pump maybe decide it is time to come on now that the nights are drawing in again. Got to keep the frost off the radios.

Whatever the temperature in IO85, propagation has taken a sunny turn. And my usual sunny disposition has returned.

73 Jim

GM4FVM