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 Previous: The K7VVV Solar Update |  Next: Surfin': See Really Big Transmitters |
By Dave Patton, NT1N
November 2, 2001
Six meters, affectionately called the Magic band by enthusiasts, has come alive for real this week. Stations around the world are completing intercontinental contacts and finishing DXCCs on the band.
The fairly rare and very cyclical F2 propagation that is making these contacts possible has started getting really hot, and of course has done the same good things for 10 meters too. A bit of Aurora is accompanying these great conditions. This is par for the course with solar flux numbers over 230 and an active sun. The Aurora sometimes enhances conditions and occasionally causes noticeable short-term improvements in north-south propagation as well as "Auroral E" skip--multi-hop propagation that acts like E-skip across the Auroral regions.
A few weeks ago we asked our readers to rate the 6 meter DX so far this cycle. The results showed a bit of disappointment with Old Sol, but today that survey would be much more positive.
About 1100 UTC on November 2, much of Europe was having a ball working DU, ET3, J28, VK4, VK6, VU, XU, XV, XW, and others on the band. A bit later the band opened to the US and lucky New Englanders had a brief shot at 5R8, FR, D44, and Z2 stations. Although the band died out quickly in the Northeast it improved tremendously across the rest of the country. QSOs from the South, Midwest, even the Southwest went into the logs of Z22JE and VP8DBL. KB6NAN wrote on packet "I am in Shock" after working Z22JE in Zimbabwe.
The list of DX that seems to be available daily to Southern European stations is enough to make one drool this week: 7Q7, ZS, D6, FR, TT8, TR0, ET3, 9G, 8Q7, 5N, SU, and on and on...
Earlier in the week New England stations logged pages of DX from Latin America and parts of Europe including, YV, P4, OA, HK, HP, TI, YS, 9Y, FY, PA, ON, 9A, LZ, YO, S5, I, IT9, IS0, 9H, the British Isles, France, and many others. There was even a 10 minute opening to SM and OH on Tuesday, October 30. Stations across the West Coast have had great runs of stations in Japan and daily activity into the Pacific.
Some of the most active stations include a terrific operation by the guys at E30NA in Eritrea, who were copiable across much of the world every day they were active. The DXpedition to Ghana, signing 9G5AN on 6 meters, has reported making more than 2200 QSOs in more than 70 countries on the band. TG9NX reported working over 20 countries on November 1 alone. KH6SX has been working stations into the Midwest. ZL stations were worked in Vermont, and Japanese stations were worked longpath into Central America.
It doesn't
require a huge station to participate in these openings. Some stations have
reported working E30NA while running only 4 watts to small yagis. Most 6 meter
DXers are running 100 watts into small yagis thanks to the proliferation of the
terrific new radios that include 6 meters. A typical F2 opening is not very
widespread and changes quickly, so the pile-ups aren't quite as bad as you
might hear on the HF bands. Six meter DXing does take a lot of patience and a
lot of listening to the white noise of a dead band, but when it opens you can
be rewarded with fabulous QSOs that you will remember for the rest of your
life. Catch the "F2 flu" and try out the 6-meter position on your radio now!
| Previous: The K7VVV Solar Update | Next: Surfin': See Really Big Transmitters |
