Hi Rob, the scale under the chart won’t change - it is the guide to the chart. What you are looking to see change are the colours of the dots on the chart.
You are most likely right about it being a subjective scale - there MUST be more than 20 spots per hour at the moment for many of the bands.
73 Ed.
CQ WW WPX SSB - one of the biggest contests of the year!
https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php#14448
73 Ed.
27 March
20m 200mW WSPR beacon in operation by VK1AD
LP opened at 05:12 UTC to one station OE9GHV @ -27dB
05:46: Open to F1EYG -21dB, LX1DQ -22dB, ON5KQ -31dB, PD0OHW -27dB and DJ9PC -23dB
06:06 UTC: Addition of three UK stations, the band is open to broader Europe.
@07:46 UTC 20m band is still open to three UK stations and one in France.
LP closed: 07:58 UTC
March 27th
SFI = 159, kp = 1
WSPR (DL3TU): 20m, 1 W, Cushcraft R5
VK5: 5:00z - 10:00z, max. ~ 5:30z - 8:30z
ZL: 5:00z - 7:30z, max. ~ 5:30z
JA: no reports
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the offer to help out. OK, wx here looks do-able for tomorrow morning’s test run, so I’m planning on a 0630z start from my local DL/BE-093 . I’ve spent this morning checking out the gear, and discovered that I’d mislaid/lost my 40m extensions to my 20/17/15/10 linked dipole, so I had to spend a couple of hours cutting some new ones (measurements taken from a very useful online antenna designer app) - should be good to go on 40m and 20m tomorrow.
Thankfully, UTC times work out quite nicely for us here, in that 0630z on the air means 0830am here, so not too early. Although it still does mean 0500am wake-up call for this sleepy-head … and we like to call this a hobby! 
Looking forward to making a contact if you can make it there, and if all goes well.
Cheers, Rob
Are people just planning on trying 40m and 20m? Should I take my 17m (and 15m) antenna?
I intend to watch 20m but just in case I will also have 10m resonant antenna …
Time will show what will be useful 
My focus will be on 20m SSB up to sunset (in VK1 at 0800 UTC).
I will be QRT after 0800 UTC.
Andrew VK1AD
Shall have multi band aerial including 10M.
73’s Wal VK2WP
I’ve been fighting this latest flu virus for over a week now but it looks like I won’t have rid of it by the weekend, (generally, I am hearing it takes 3 weeks) so unfortunately I won’t be able to take part this coming Saturday but hope to be well enough for the EU-US event later in April.
Good luck and good propagation to all those activators taking part.
73 Ed.
Happy recovering Ed 
73, Jarek
Get well soon Ed.
I hope that’s not what I’ve got. I’m nearly a week into my man flu and am definitely getting better, so fingers crossed for (a currently drizzly) Saturday morning.
Sorry folks for pulling the pin a little early, unfortunately it’s now raining at Mt Stromlo. I did work Rob DM1CM/P S2S 
, thanks Rob for the S2S.
20m propagation had auroral flutter.
Mt Stromlo Observatory in the rain
Kangaroos don’t mind the rain
73 Andrew VK1AD
Short report
Thanks Andrew VK1DA at VK3/VC-031 for the S2S on 40m, QRM was S9 caused by a nearby thunderstorm over the northern suburbs of Canberra.
On 20m SSB I heard Rob DM1CM/P at 0632 UTC calling CQ on 14.310 his RST was 5-5. I waited a few minutes for Rob to work chasers. When there was a break in chasers I called S2S at 0636 UTC. Rob heard my call and we started the S2S exchange. In the middle of our S2S exchange two other stations started a QSO, it was difficult to tell. I had copied Rob’s details and sig report but Rob was asking me to confirm my callsign. I tried three times but the other stations talking were too strong.
With an incomplete S2S I QSYd to 14.320 and worked a few OE, DL, ZL, G, and VK chasers; OE6FIG, OE9HRV, ZL1KB, M7CBI, VK1MA, ZL3MR, DK7RD and DF4TD/M, that’s right mobile near Friedrichshafen.
At 0646 UTC I went back to 14.310 where Rob and I completed a S2S, this time uninterrupted for DL/BE-093.
Thanks Rob for the S2S, I’m looking forward to Saturday.
There was a distinct auroral flutter on 20m for my short activation, 0617 to 0652 UTC. The Wx forecast for storms was on the mark!
73, Andrew VK1AD
Just got back from a gentle and leisurely activation of my local SOTA summit DL/BE-093, as a rehearsal for Saturday’s party. I can feel my fingers again, but my toes feel like they’re burning with the frost-nip - I’d estimate the wind-chill on the top at -10°C or -15°C. I found it difficult to stand on the summit, with the wind strong enough to blow everything away that wasn’t tied down. Managed to save myself a little effort by strapping the pole to the summit cross, got the antenna strung out, and then realized I’d forgotten to attach the coax cable! Down the pole came, and eventually got everything ship-shape.
Used the sotamat app to spot myself, and got on air at precisely 0630z. A few calls, and heard a VK voice calling weakly. With headphones and volume turned right up … there was Andrew VK1AD at about 33/43. After a few goes, we finally managed a clear S2S - my first ever VK SOTA contact and my first VK S2S in one go - many thanks and a big credit to Andrew for trying hard to make the S2S.
There then followed a couple of VK chasers, VK2PAS and VK1MA, with solid 53/54 signals - a fourth VK station was calling around 0700z as I was getting ready to call it a day, but the signal was too weak to copy. Didn’t manage to get 4 contacts to properly activate the summit, but I wasn’t hanging around - chucked everything into the rucksack and bag, and beat a slow and slippery retreat to the car.
Saturday promises to be a lot warmer here, but probably wet.
Congrats @VK1AD and @DM1CM on your S2S today! It seems you met the window with best SNR 
Here’s the report for March 28th:
SFI = 158, kp = 2
WSPR (DL3TU): 20m, 1 W, Cushcraft R5
VK5: 5:00z - 8:45z, max. ~ 6:30- 7:00z
ZL: 5:30z - 8:00z
JA: no reports for LP, there are a few reports for DL-Stations around 21:30z, though.
73, Roman
Hello all,
As on next saturday I will not be able to take part on the party (another local radioclub activity programmed long time ago), I will activate this afternoon and tomorrow at early morning and try to publish the results here tomorrow.
Data:
Summit: Oiz Mt EA2/BI-009 IN83QF
Activation periods:
2023-03-28: from 18:00 TO 20:00 UTC approx
2023-03-29 from 06:00 TO 08:00 UTC approx
Modes / Freqs:
CW: ± 14.062 18.088 21.062
USB:± 14.292 18.132 21.290
(I will try mainly on CW, SSB only if possible)
Antenna: Linked 1/4w ground plane
Pwr: ± 10w
73, Mikel EA2CW
Good propagation this afternoon with NA, several stns wkd. No S2S I was calling KN6CX on 20m (529 here) but NIL. Now all prepared for tomorrow dawn waiting for OC/AS activity from 06:00 UTC
nite, nite
Mikel EA2CW/P @ EA2/BI-009
Hi Rob,
At VK3/VC-031 I did hear Paul VK5PAS (note: not VK2PAS) and Matt VK1MA weakly (I was 450 km southwest of Canberra) during those contacts but I was not able to copy your signal. I retreated to the CW end of the band and filled my log with a number of contacts, some of which were DL at good strengths, but not S2S.
I was on a short trip south of Melbourne with my daughter and she was getting chilly, so QRT.
73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2DA
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for listening out for me! Yes, you’re right about the callsign VK5PAS, and not VK2PAS as I had written it - I have a very bad memory for names and callsigns, and at the time I wrote my posting above, my log-book and gear were all still in the car, and “PAS” was all I could remember! - I tried to amend that posting, but editing is now disabled.
Thanks again.
Cheers, Rob
