Well according to Hepburn, the 2m band should have been in very good shape today!
Did anyone work any decent DX on 2m?
With exception of a call from GD onto G/SP-004 working 2m FM, I didn`t see very much activity.
I suspect at 1850ft ASL, I may have been above the ducting. Very disappointing 
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Hi Mike;
Worked Phil G4OBK/P on TW-004 on 2m vertical CW from Coventry (114 miles)but I can manage this distance on CW without a lift.
Thanks for our contact today, conditions were a bit peculiar as you were weaker than normal with me on 2m and remained so during your 2m activity.
73 de Ken G3XQE
In reply to G3XQE:
Hi Ken,
Your signal was well down from the usual 59! For one moment, I thought you were working QRP 
Very strange.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
I would have said you were on the boundary of any ducting here, your signal was very up & down with me from a perfect Q5 to nothing in the same over (with no reading on the meter), yet after passing the mic to Liz, you were Q5 all the way and actually registered on the meter.
73,
Colin.
In reply to M0XSD:
Hi Colin.
I think that is the answer. Andrew VK3OE has measured the height of ducts supporting VHF propagation and stations above 400 - 800 m will often be above the duct. On New Years Eve I heard VK6BE on 2 m some two and a half thousand km away as I drove up a 1,250 m summit 60 km W of Melbourne. His signal dropped out completely at about 900 m, well before the activation zone.
BUT an hour and a bit later he was 5x2 on 144.1 SSB with my 40 m dipole. The inversion layer had lifted prior to breaking up as it usually does. I could not be heard with my FT817 straight into the 40 m dipole. By the time I got to the car and 50 w into a whip the band had collapsed.
Never leave home without a small 2 m beam and a 40 m antenna. Often I have gone out with just one I have regretted not having the other. Yes I am a slow learner.
73
AX/VK3AFW
In reply to AX3AFW:
Hi Ron,
On the 15 Novevmber, I was activating GW/NW-035 Manod Mawr, which is 661m ASL. There was a big 2m lift on that day, however, I heard virtually nothing in the way of DX on my double 5/8 colinear. After the activation, I drove to my Radio Club shack, which is about 200m ASL, cranked up the tower and worked a big pile up on the Colinear.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Hi Mike! And a guid NY to you and I hope the health continues to improve.
Yes conditions on 2M where good yesterday when I was activating SS-088 . Heard a few G & GI stations (which I thought from it’s lowly location would have struggled to these countries) including Nick G4OOE/P who was on TW-002 - FM 500 & 525. Continued to call him for a S2S but no response - though had I known he was using CW along with Phil OBK down on 144.102? - than the alerted 144.100 which I checked for Phil on - two potential S2S’s missed (:>( (No cellular coverage to check the latest alerts - maybe should adopt the pratice that Gerald OIG uses SSB on 333 then CW - so the opportunity is there if it’s marginal on SSB it should go on CW)
73 es onwards es upwards
Jack (;>)
GM4COX
In reply to GM4COX:
Hi Jack,
In the past I have attempted to work 2m CW on 144.050 +/- with nothing gained for my efforts despite having alerted my activations on the 2m CW Yahoo Group and solicited apparent interest there. I now stay on 144.333MHz and run CW when the SSB contacts run dry - the same goes for 432.222MHz.
This last round of activations up in GM/SS was rather interesting in that I worked you using CW when I was on SSB. I did have a moment of indecision and wondered whether I should move over to CW, but I decided to run cross-mode. On one summit I went on to work Richard G4ERP who was running SSB while I was on CW.
It is a pity that there isn’t more CW activity on 2m. It certainly helps me to get out from the more shielded summits to people that I would not be able to work on SSB.
73, Gerald G4OIG
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Hi Mike seems good today towards GI GB3NGI 144.482 booming in today.73 happy new year Geoff
In reply to G6MZX:
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Hi Mike seems good today towards GI GB3NGI 144.482 booming in today.73
happy new year Geoff
Hi Geoff,
Well, it was another 2m DX disappointment for me on Gun G/SP-013 today and not too many takers. I suspect a lot of operators may have QSY’d to HF.
73 and HNY
Mike 2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Unless they just don’t want to talk with you anymore?
LOL
Looking on the Database for last year I really find it amazing that 8ooo+ people wanted to speak with you! Mind you Mike - thats one hell of a lot of logging…
Perhaps your nicer to other folk and its just me
In reply to G1STQ:
it’s just me and you John, 4,000 times each ;)))
In reply to G7LAS:
ROTFL
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Well, it was another 2m DX disappointment for me on Gun G/SP-013 today
and not too many takers. I suspect a lot of operators may have QSY’d
to HF.
I resemble that remark! Anyway, don’t moan - I couldn’t hear you on 2m but I managed to work you on 15m short skip, what better DX experience could you have?
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
I resemble that remark! Anyway, don’t moan - I couldn’t hear you on 2m
but I managed to work you on 15m short skip, what better DX experience
could you have?
It goes without saying Brian, you were of course, my best contact of the day on the 15m band ;-)))
73 Mike
2E0YYY