Yes the Sporadic E propagation season can be a lot of fun.
A few days ago I was listening to the sporadic E inter-Europe traffic on 28.6 mhz fm when a Spanish station was called by a 9M2 portable station in Indonesia.
I think the Spanish station was rather confused as he asked the 9M2 station if he was a UK call !
I guess he was not expecting a call from the far side of Asia.
The Indonesian station said he was using a ‘handi’ outside his house.
I am not quite sure how the propagation works for a QSO like this but its quite amazing when you can hear both ends of a QSO like this.
So if there are any 28 mhz FM activators out there who can explain to me how this works I would be please to hear from them.
TBH I don’t believe it was a genuine 9M2, it is far too many hops to be convincing as Es (particularly from a handheld!) and the sunspot number is way too low for it to be F2, so I suspect a pirate having fun. Still, funny things can happen!
In reply to G3RDQ:
Multi Hop ‘E’ propagation on 28MHz, of course, is quite common compared to the higher bands as the E-layer ionisation or whatever doesn’t need to be so great as it does for 50MHz and above. And together with F2 propagation that you get when the Solar Flux is far higher than at present [need to have a few more sun spots for this to happen] then the far side of Asia from Spain wouldn’t be that difficult. However using a hand held with a few watts output sounds unlikely as with multi hop ‘Es’ there is a lot of attenuation every time the signal is refracted from the ground. So a signal needs a lot of power to last the distance of 3 or 4 hops. Of course with a single hop there is virtually no attenuation with ‘E’ propagation and so a QSO of around 1.5KMs [one hop] from a hand held transmitter on low power is quite common.
I think I’ve got it about right and simplified things a little.
de Damian M0BKV
The hand held rig could have been connected to a 1kw linear and a ten element beam. We amateurs have been known to stretch the truth at times for effect.
6m seemed to drop out here at about 11:30z, for a few hours before it was wide open to Spain & Portugal with very little QSB. I haven’t worked further than North Wales on 4m yet & haven’t heard any Es at all on that band.
As well as HF CW field day, the UK Six Metre Group Summer Sporadic E contest also runs from 1300z today until 1300z tomorrow. Maybe the band will open up again later this evening or tomorrow morning.
It’s a shame 4m can’t open up like it did a few weeks ago when we worked on 2m ssb when we were both portable but non-sota. I still can’t believe how strong S51DI was on 70.450 FM.
And no sooner than I post that the band is flat, it opens up again! HI!
I called a G3SVD in Hampshire in the contest but lost him in QSB, next thing I heard HB9ZCV calling at S9 on 50.197ssb. He’s still calling if you want a listen Walt.
Conditions good at the moment on 6 with regular contacts into Croatia, Bosnia and mainly Italy!! Hopefully the E will reach the 70MHz band for the PW Contest
Conditions good at the moment on 6 with regular contacts into Croatia,
Bosnia and mainly Italy!! Hopefully the E will reach the 70MHz band
for the PW Contest.
It didn’t! I worked just 8 stations on 4m FM during the contest: 1 GW and 7 G stations.
I have yet to hear any signal from outside the UK on 4m FM.
Eight? You should count yourself lucky! I only got half that, even with MW-003 on my side! One was quite good - Mid Wales to S. Oxfordshire, Wouxun to Wouxun - the path deteriorated not long after swapping details. 60m was in strange shape, lots of rapid QSB, but very good sigs when it was up. I believe both F2 and Es had a hand in it such that cancellation was causing fading.
The most exotic place I have worked so far on 4m FM is GD =)
Only ever heard Slovenia on FM. SSB is a different teapot of fry altogether. Last time there was a good lift I was hearing loads on SSB (where I cannot TX) but only a couple of S56s on FM. Still wanting something for SSB on 4m and then I have a nice big 4m beam to go up.
Over 10 European stations worked on 50MHz and was pleasantly surprised by the solo contact into Slovenia on 70MHz FM!!! Will pop up Titterstone Clee Hill next time there is a lift like today!
Over 10 European stations worked on 50MHz and was pleasantly surprised
by the solo contact into Slovenia on 70MHz FM!!!
Indeed, I decided to see whether I could hear the S57AX / S57AJJ team activating S5/JA-036 on 50MHz - unfortunately not, but I ended up having some very enjoyable CW QSOs around HA, OE, YL, OK, 9A4, DL, UT2, and YU, most of which were off the side of the dipole. Getaways were LZ and UW8. For once I just couldn’t be bothered to use SSB. Seems like I’d better dust off the delta loop ready for my next activation…
