Improving 15M propagation from MN to EU!

It was great to finally contact some European activators on 15 meters after a few months of poor propagation from here in Minnesota (the Black Hole). I was able to work Mario, DJ2MX/p and F5KCC/p on CW and Julian, IN3JIB/p on SSB today. They have excellent ears - I am just running 5 watts here as usual. Not surprisingly there was a lot of fast QSB. I’m looking forward to improving conditions as we get into fall.
73,
Randy, ND0C

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Hello Randy,

I was really glad that we were able to hear each other again after six months.
Andy DL2DVE and Hermann DL3NE were only briefly on Sonntagshorn DL/CG-072 before moving on to the nearby summit Vorderlahnerkopf DL/CG-108. I stayed the whole time on DL/CG-072 and called CQ several times on 15m, hoping that someone from the USA might eventually respond.

The first transatlantic station to answer was Roger KF9D, you were the second, and after you, Derek WF4I also came through. Alfredo EC8ADS was the fourth DX contact of the day.

The contact with you was something special, as I was also running just a QMX with 5W and an EFHW antenna, a true QRP2QRP QSO :sunglasses:

Best regards and until next time!
73, Mario DJ2MX

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Thanks again, Mario, for the true QRP x QRP QSO! Always fun when that happens! I’m glad you stayed on the summit to try for the US! Vielen Dank!

73,

Randy, ND0C

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Randy, you chased me a couple of days ago on 15m, you made my day! It was a really rough day; hard climb, rainy, slippery rocks… So thanks for the QSO from MN. 73 Randy!

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It’s happening, finally. Let it last until next summer :folded_hands:

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I was pleased with 15m today.

Since becoming a grandfather and with a long running building project at home, I’ve had limited chances to get out playing SOTA. I’d like to go and grab some uniques up in GM/NS before the WX turns to Winter and so I’m hoping to repeatedly activate my local hill GM/SS-125 Scald Law mainly for the exercise.
It’s a month since I was out SOTAing and I found the ascent a little harder but I managed 47mins car to trig which is OK. After I was chased away by a shower the WX improved so I climbed up Scald Law’s neighbour Carnethy Hill. 18mins from col to cairn. I was impressed myself.

Anyway 15m, I was delighted to have some QSOs with Christian F4WBN and Eric F5JKK to start my 15m operation. Then very surprising, Simon G(M)4TJC/P on holiday on GM/WS-336. This was a 128km ground wave contact. Quite an eye opener. Then there was a weak station with a warbly sound, weak but differently weak to just weak. It took a while to get a good enough copy to see it was Hideo JH1MXV. The reports were 319 each way. What an excellent operator Hideo is, he made a weak and difficult QSO easy by his good operating style. :clap: :+1: WF4I and EA7GV were next. Then K4DY was 599++++ on 17m and DL1HBT finished off on 30m. Then the showers came so I packed up.

No huge log, the rain put play to that. KX2 10W + inv sloping L 4m vertical the rest sloping to a 1m high pole. But it was so good to be out and even better to hear familiar callsigns coming out of the radio. Maybe out tomorrow for more 15m.

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Too bad, Andy, that the S2S didn’t work today. I only heard your chaser.

But I remembered this thread and started spotting on 15m in CW. And for the first time in a very long time, two American chasers are in the log. Thanks to Leslie K4DY and Matthew W4GO and Ignacio EA2BD and Niclas F8DGF as well.

73 Chris

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We made a QSO with ZL1TM from Aneto on 15m CW. Definitely worth trying 15m starting at 10-11 UTC.

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Thank you for the contact Alberto! It was good to hear you again. I am grateful to you for making the hard climb to activate the summit! Great pictures! I look forward to working you again!

73,

Randy, ND0C