North America <> Europe SOTA S2S Party - 19th November 2016 1400 - 1700 UTC

@N1EU
I hope to be to the “right side” of all that mess on the weather forecast…

RJ

Current table of alerts (18/11/2106 0700 UTC) - red indicates two spots for the same summit (2 operators).
54 Alerts
52 Summits
12 stations CW only
23 stations SSB only
15 stations CW and SSB
4 stations SSB and PSK (2 in the US, 2 in EU).

38 Europe based operators on 33 summits
1 Africa based operator
19 North America based operators on 18 summits.

Another comment - Alert times are always aproximate and stations don’t have to wait unto 1400 UTC before starting operation, so look for spots and listen on the bands and please spot a station if not already spotted on their frequency.

There are so few SOTA PSK QSOs made that a specific frequency has not been established. Just look at your waterfall readout and go for a clear spot around the normal PSK frequencies you mention.

I hope that you make some S2S contacts on the mode.

73, Gerald G4OIG

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Hi Roberto,
Whoever in your 4-operator group is trying to make a PSK contact could look out for the other three summits (operators, G8XYJ, ND9Q and W3CDW/N2GBR) on SSB, call them on SSB and agree a frequency for PSK - or even agree to run PSK on their SSB frequency while the other chasers and S2S wait.

Ed.

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From Finnish perspective 20 m and 15 m are most optimal tomorrow (5W). On 17 m connection probability is 1% only. Propagation estimation is between OH - W Boston MA. Let’s see what the status is tomorrow.

Weather forecast is + 4 C, which means that it is 6 degrees warmer than last Saturday. This week took snow away.

Hi Saku,
I intend to start on 15m, as I have had success there before with S2S contacts into North America. But if other summits are on 17m or 20m I can switch antennas.

Ed.
P.S. one weather forecast has temperature down at 0-3 degrees, another at 4-7 degrees. The lower temperature one is without rain, so that would be my preference.

At our location they forecast rain and temperatures around 5 C so we are going to set up our MSR tent to be on the safe side. We walked in 30 cm of snow last Sunday but sadly this has all gone :frowning2:
I am curious about tomorrow’s conditions. Have never worked S2S with NA before…

Hope to hear/contact some of you!

73, Sylvia OE5YYN

Ed,
I like this spreadsheet. Can you email me a copy of it?

Thank you,
Mark
N0MTN@yahoo.com

I believe we’re at 59 alerts and 56 unique summits (or thereabouts) and a new SOTAwatch record for alerts for one event. I suspect it will go up further in the next 18 hours.

Good luck activators!

73, Barry N1EU

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When I was packing I threw in the 12m antenna “just in case”. Predictions suggest that 12m should be a shoe-in for UK stations. Is there any interest from chasers in trying 12m? I didn’t look to see what the predictions was like for other countries.

OT: We were down the far South of Fuerteventura today and spent some time on a fabulous beach. As we we’re leaving (1730Z) my daughter wanted the radio turning on but the electro-dance-rave station she had been listening to earlier was not receivable from the beach so Mrs. FMF hit scan. She just kept hitting scan looking for music but didn’t notice all the stations were in French or Arabic and so I assume coming from N. Africa. It’s not too far 120kms or so, but you don’t normally beam out to sea where there are no listeners. I assumed this was some kind of marine ducting because as we drove up from the beach onto the road which runs higher up the cliffs, the N. African stations all disappeared. Ain’t propagation and the anomalous forms great!

Last minute check on projected conditions.

12M looking pretty weak for Northeastern NA to UK, but 15m, 17m, and 20m look quite solid. I’ll give a listen on 12m if I see a spot, however.

17m seems to be a good choice for the continent.

My informants tell me the window in the tower at Quabbin Hill is still open, so it looks like my operating position is going to be about as good as can be (it’s echo-y in the concrete tower however - please do tell me if my audio seems odd, as I would like to know how much gets picked up).

Too bad about needing to hit the road at 6:30am or before. At least the weather looks good. Sorry to see EU and Western NA weather isn’t quite as nice. Stay safe!

And the latest update UTC 0730 19th. November 2016

  • 68 alerts over 65 summits - so we have broken the 55 record for the VK-EU S2S event - now lets see how many summits are actually spotted as activated.

75 operators on 65 summits.
40 alerts for stations in Europe
27 alerts for stations in North America
1 alert for a station in Africa (Canary Islands).

18 stations CW only
31 stations SSB only
15 stations CW and SSB
1 station PSK only (EU)
3 stations SSB and PSK (2x NA, 1 x EU)

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It’s interesting how a slight change of loction at each end can give different results - from my plot for Central EU - Eastern USA - 15m looks better. This of course is VOACAP, so it’s not 100% certain by far - get on any try the band is the only sure way.

It looks like I might Just miss the rain! (again only a forecast - so take it with a grain of salt) - times are local (UTC+1).

(From Weaher Underground)

Ed.

Slovenia already covered heavy rain clouds and precipitation intensity will be greatest just between activations … but anyway we will activate (“swimming” guaranteed hi …)

73 de S58R - Rado

The sun is shining in Macclesfield and 20 m is picking up nicely.

http://dxplorer.net/wspr/tx/dxgraph.html?callsign=G3cwi&timelimit=4d

But is it safe?

I’ll get my coat …

73,
Walt (G3NYY)

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Pretty vile here in Addingham.

Good luck to all who take part, looking forward to reading the reports!

Sorry guys but for various reasons I am not going to be able to make it to Dundry Down this afternoon after all. Should be able to do some chasing from home so if anyone hears me I will be at my home station and not /P.

Good luck to all
Martin

<imgsrc="/uploads/db9433/original/2X/f/fb295fbe8efaf036f6e36cdc1e0431f238712209.jpg" width=“690” height=“388”>managed a few NA S2S and AF S2S with M0FMF. Thanks all. 73 from a very wet g/sc008!

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As my one and only activator attempt failed several months ago, (Blue Badge holder with walking stick), I decided to be a chaser.

I got my first chaser point today - I wasn’t going to get many, there were only four PSK’ers to choose from - my only work on HF is PSK.
.
Thanks Joao, CT1BHG/P !

(I am intending to put in some operations on 2m - I may be found lurking in layby’s in the future, with an FT290 and clutching an HB9CV)

John

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