JA <> NA S2S opportunity 22-23 April 2017

With the recent successes of the EU-VK, EU-NA, and VK-NA events, it makes sense to have a similar event with JA. Already on the calendar is the NA QRPTTF/SOTA event on 22 Apr, so there will be many NA operators that day. Toru JH0JCH has agreed to post the event on the JA mailing list. All that’s needed is for people to be active during the propagation window between JA-NA.

Some observations from prior events:

  • Having multiple operators on each side increases the chance of success. Prior to the EU-NA event I didn’t have any EU S2S, during the event I had 14. I had one coveted VK-NA qso during that experiment.

  • Multiband capability is productive. The ability to do 20m-17m-15m doubled the number of contacts I had for the EU-NA event over my originally planned 20m only ops.

  • Alerting on SOTAwatch well in advance is important. People need to be assured that there are operators out there. If you can commit to this, let us know!

As has been commented on the reflector previously, there are winners and losers for coordinated transcontinental QSOs. We need JA operators early in their day, and NA operators need to be on-the-air when JA opens.

Respond to this thead with a statement of interest (especially JA people!) so we can gauge who’s out there.

Note: for JA operators the window is the morning of 23 Apr.

Cheers and 73, Kevin AC2KL

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I’ll be on. Have had good luck, JA to Arizona on 15, 17, and 20M at around 2300 UTC.

Best 73, Ken

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I’ll probably be on a peak.

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During the last three hours of the CQ WPX SSB contest yesterday (21h to 24h UTC) 20m really opened up strong towards Asia. I was surprised and was really not expecting such good openings !

Among the countries heard: East Malaysia, China. Asian countries heard and worked: Asiatic Russia (Sakhalin Island) and most of all: Japan with 12 contacts, some of wich i could easily hear at S7 even using a simple sloper wire antenna.

I was thinking to myself : if i woud have been on a Sota at that moment no doubt i could have worked Japan ! :wink:

The greyline at the moment coincides on both sides America and Asia at around early evening here at my location so this is the ideal moment,greyline really gives a good boost.
Hopefully the conditions will be there during the NA SOTA event in a few weeks for QSO’s to be made between JA an NA, this would be awesome ! :+1:

Looking forward to it !

73 :slight_smile:
VA2MO

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Kevin and all,
Thank you for re-distribution of this topic. I have already distributed the event within JA SOTA mailing list. Also will do it using other media. Let’s do it, Just do it, and make it into success.
Cheers mate,
Toru JH0CJH

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Will join. I am looking forward to it.
Sunrise of Japan is 2015UTC.
I will begin climbing with sunrise.

Katsu JP3DGT

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I hope to join in. Thanks for the information!

73, Steve W6SAE

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Its now on my calendar, looking forward to an S2S with Japan from Maine.
73
Mike NS1TA

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I have had a fair amount of success working JA summits from Oregon between about 2300z and 0200z. Right now 20 meters seems best, with some success on 17 meters. Occasionally 15 meters too.

I hope to be on a summit that day to give it run.

73,
Phil, NS7P

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I plan on operating in QRPTTF. While I will look for the JA guys, prop to JA here hasn’t been the best recently. I would love to add some S2S to my log though, even just with NA stations.

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I’m in! Will plan to activate one of the summits on Okinawa, Japan on 20m SSB. Will also have the ability to do 17m or 15m. Thanks for organizing this.
-Brad
JS6TQS/W6BJB

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I’ll provide the CW contacts from Okinawa! Can work 20, 17, and 15.
Steve JS6TMW/AI6KX

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I will also be on CW from a “TBD” summit here in Arizona for this event.

Pete
WA7JTM
W7A

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I anticipate camping out overnight on a summit in the Catskill (NY) Mountains on 22nd/23rd, though East coast US to JA has been quiet for a while. Should be QRV in the late afternoon (EST) during the day and off and on into the night at least until 0200z (4/23) or so.

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Guys, a lot of people are suggesting they will be heading out, however there are very few alerts being posted to SOTA watch. I understand that plans may change, but its worth posting preliminary plans now to raise awareness of how busy the day will be. The QRPTTF guys will also appreciate knowing who’s going to be where.

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I’ll be in Japan, but won’t be able to make it up a summit, hopefully I can get the right timing to get a few summits in the log (as I may be travelling about that time).

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Sunrise in Sydney is 2019z, almost exactly the same as Tokyo.
I’ll join in shortly after sunrise and hope to work JA and NA activators and chasers.
Modes will be CW and SSB and whatever bands have propagation.

Cheers, Gerard - VK2IO

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It looks like we have critical mass between the people responding to this threat and the people that have alerted. There will be operators the other side. I’m hoping to stay on a summit from morning until evening, and will listen for EU in the morning and JA and VK later in the afternoon.

Good luck everyone, please post an after-action blurb to this thread. It’s fun to read a report about the other end of a qso, plus it helps evaluate propagation.

JA/VK/ZL SOTA guys

Are any of you (activators or chasers) planning on working voice for the NA-JA event this weekend?

I’m interested in participating but want to calibrate my expectations against the realities of interest, availability, CW preference and propagation.

Paul

Paul,

Worst case scenario, you will work plenty of NA S2S that weekend in place of DX. In fact, being on the east coast that is my goal, on top of working the QRP To The Field contest that is running that weekend as well.

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