Sporadic-E season is at it’s peak at the moment and I’ve already heard stories from activators receiving distant stations on 2m. To my knowledge, no-one managed to get a full Es QSO yet. Roman @DL3TU came very close to working an EA station yesterday, but unfortunately wasn’t able to complete the QSO
There are many skilled VHF/UHF challenge activators here in central Europe! Quite a few are well prepared to take advantage of a sporadic-E opening should they be lucky enough to encounter one.
I’ve been quite active as a chaser in this year’s Challenge and fairly active as an activator, where I always prioritize S2S contacts. I’d love to make a 2 m sporadic-E SOTA chase this year - or maybe even an S2S!
For this reason, I’m curious to hear whether there are any activators in EA, F, EI, G, SV, or other regions at a similar distance from Germany who also try to take advantage of sporadic-E openings when they get the chance. By that I mean bringing a decent antenna like a Yagi, ideally some power, and keeping an eye on Es conditions using tools such as this map.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you, as well as from the activators I already know. I think it’s useful to know who on the other side is also aware of sporadic-E, so we can maximize our chances for unforgettable QSOs and S2S over the coming months.
In the end, Es is largely a matter of luck. Still, knowing that the other station is monitoring conditions and is prepared to make the most of an opening makes it much more worthwhile to give it a try
Hi Don and thank you for your answer! I read the post. What a great DX contact. If I ever happen to activate during an Es opening to UK, I am hoping for a QSO with you guys
I worked a load of 6m EU this afternoon, during a rare session in the shack (like 1st time in a year ). Simon @G4JXP (who needs to change his callsign on here) was working SM on 2m SSB earlier today.
Yes, I dont get the chance to go out much but when I can I always like to try some 2m SSB.
Tommorow (Saturday the 27th) , myself and Peter (M1BZJ) will be active from G/WB-005 as part of the annual GW hog roast weekend.
For 2m SSB we have 50W and small beam (4 or 5 element ) .
My plan is to be active across 2m 70cm and 23cm for about 4/5 hours switching back and forth between bands, WIth luck the propagation gods will smile on us.
There are a number of other activators who will be active on 2m SSB from the same area , so theres a chance if you work one, then you may be able to work multiple.
I’ve seen your alert Ian. Also also many others in that region. But tomorrow I won’t be active on 2m SSB/CW. I’m still sitting in the train with almost 2 hours of delay. Nevertheless I am still looking forward to great activations in HB9 on the weekend
It will most probably be long hikes with just little time for activating which is why I left the Yagi and the 705 at home. But I want to be QRV next weekend in the big contests. I expect good activity and also many other activators in these contests
yesterday I was activating OE/VB-349 around noon, when 2 metres became suddenly very busy. The first signs I noticed were several stations calling “CQ sporadic”.
But I couldn’t hear anything until suddenly the band became very noisy and fragments of call signs from EA were audible.
EA6AB had a fairly good signal and I called him several times. Eventually he came back with DL3?
Since I was operating from OE, my call sign was probably a bit confusing. Even though we couldn’t finish the QSO in the remaining time until the skip disappeared, this was quite something!
I would love to have a QSO via Es during an activation, but I know that you really need to be at the right place at the right time. Yesterday I was very close…
there has been a long-standing debate regarding the interpretation of the rule for portable 6m operation in DL.
Unless the rules have changed, IMHO 6m operation from a summit is legal. I have dozens of QSOs in my log. First german S2S on 6m today
The relevant passage reads: “Use is restricted to fixed amateur radio stations.” (Die Nutzung ist auf feste Amateurfunkstellen beschränkt)
My interpretation rules out mobile operation but not fixed operation—for instance, from a summit.
The AI notes: Nevertheless, permanent, unrestricted portable operation represents a legal gray area, as interference caused by changing locations is harder to pinpoint.
It is clear that there must be no permanent interference within the military-utilized zone. However, that strikes me as unlikely to occur during a brief activation.
… at least both call signs and some kind of signal report exchanged and confirmed by the other station.
Since I wanted to count the QSO for the challenge, his QTH would have been necessary, too.
Ah well, it was a great experience anyway
some time ago, BNetzA confirmed to me on the phone that operation from a temporary fixed location (e.g. a SOTA reference) is not considered to be “portable”. Hence operating from a “temporary fixed location” on 6 metres is allowed in DL.
Just FYI. On the way to the hog roast in GW yesterday (which was a great day!) after activating, I tried to tune the car radio into something and picked up no less than 2 of what sounded like Spanish broadcasts. Solid 5-10 mins reception of both stations. One IDing as “*Radio1” and another “Bxxxxx” something. I don’t have any other explanation other than E’s. One was around 101Mhz the other 80 something. I was preoccupied with the windy road to be able to note things better, and a google search now is making me think i dreamt it as i can find no stations that match…
You did not dream this. You experienced a well-documented radio phenomenon called Sporadic E propagation (often abbreviated as “Es”). [1]
During late spring and summer, dense clouds of ionized electrons form in the ionosphere. These clouds act like a giant radio mirror in the sky. They reflect VHF signals (like FM radio) over massive distances—typically between 600 to 1,400 miles—allowing you to pick up crystal-clear foreign stations in your car for minutes or hours at a time.
Given your clues, the locations, and the frequencies, you almost certainly tuned into these exact stations:
The “Radio1” Station (~88 MHz)
The Station:Radio Nacional (historically and commonly known as Radio 1).
The Frequency: You noted it was “80 something.” Radio Nacional is Spain’s flagship public broadcaster. It populates the very bottom of the FM dial, transmitting on 88.2 MHz, 88.3 MHz, and 88.4 MHz across various major Spanish cities.
What you heard: General Spanish talk, news, and features. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The Identification: Spain has a highly popular indie-pop network based in northern Spain called Bi FM (often stylized as bi fm). Alternatively, if you heard English spoken with a Spanish accent/ads, it may have been Bay Radio, a massive expat network in Spain that broadcasts frequently on adjacent channels. [1, 2]
The Frequency: You noted “around 101Mhz.” Bi FM and other regional Basque or Catalan stations prominently utilize frequencies in the 100–102 MHz pocket, which frequently pierce through to the UK during a Sporadic E opening.
Why did it disappear?
Sporadic E clouds are notoriously unstable. They drift rapidly and can dissipate in minutes, which perfectly explains why you had a “solid 5–10 mins reception” before the signal faded back into standard static. Because your car radio was using a local tuner and not the internet, standard Google searches will only show you local UK stations for those frequencies, making it seem like a glitch.
Thanks to @DL1CR and Roman @DL3TU for pointing out the actual situation about 6m SOTA in Germany. When I read the legal texts last year I was also wondering if portable SOTA really counts as portable in that problematic sense where 6m is forbidden. I don’t want to max out out possibilities, but it is very interesting to know that it really might be allowed to do 6m SOTA here
). Simon 
