Light at the End of the Tunnel?

2E0YYY · 26 August 2015 18:38

Rather frustratingly, for the DX’ers,10 Metres has proved to be a basket case for the last few months. So it was nice to log a 28 contacts on 10m from G/SP-013 today, 18 of them on FM. Very hard work with the K index at 4, though

G4CFS · 26 August 2015 18:54

Conditions are certainly on the up at the moment. In 42 years licenced I have never managed to work Sri Lanka until last night then I worked TWO in a row. They must have been queuing for a bus!!

Regards Glyn

G8ADD · 26 August 2015 21:44

The present high(ish) SFI (currently 125) is entirely due to one large sunspot group (2403) which was visible to the protected naked eye but has started to decay and will rotate out of view in a few days or so and the SFI will sink back into the doldrums. The light at the end of the tunnel is an approaching train, the Minimum Express!

Brian

GW2HFR · 27 August 2015 10:53

Already happening I think Brian ? Shame the weather didn’t play ball.

Jonathan

G8ADD · 27 August 2015 13:42

You mean the minimum? No, its still a few years away, time to plan for better antennas - I might try a Vee beam!

Brian

GW2HFR · 27 August 2015 19:31

Not the minimum, but the recent decline from SFI ~ 125. Thank goodness its some time away.

Jonathan

G1INK · 28 August 2015 17:04

Don’t despair about solar min. There’s always sporadic E plus a myriad of other modes. Don’t forget VHF/UHF are always available. For anyone interested we had quite good visible auroral here in IO93 last night, although I didn’t turn the radio on.

DD5LP · 28 August 2015 17:22

Not sure what you guys in the UK are experiencing, but conditions on 40 & 20m here appeared today to be better than they have been for a few weeks, so hopefully things will continue to improve. The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Ed.

GW2HFR · 28 August 2015 17:25

20m was OK, worked Colwyn on “Egginer” from home. I just wish 15m was better at the moment permanently semi-closed with no reasonable openings as far as I have observed. 40m has gone long skip again recently.

Jonathan

2E0YYY · 28 August 2015 19:46

This afternoon, I activated GW/NW-070. Worst HF conditions I can ever remember from a SOTA summit! 20m was garbage and 10m was utter garbage. To add insult to injury, it was blowing an absolute hooligan and I was forced to work with a short antenna.

Shows the state of the 20m band between G and W right now.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

G0VOF · 29 August 2015 01:25

Hi Steve,

I had a dabble on the radio on Friday evening & HF was very poor, although not as bad as it is as I write this. Currently a virtually completely blank ionogram at Chilton & the bands sound pretty much empty. It is the middle of the night, but still

There was some auroral activity on 50MHz on Friday evening & I managed to work EI on CW, not a great distance but 6m is very noisy here. Signals were very distorted by the aurora. It looked as if there would be a good chance of visible aurora later in the evening & into Saturday morning but it’s a bit cloudy & there’s too much light pollution where I am to be able to see it anyway.

Thanks & 73,

Mark G0VOF

G6TUH · 29 August 2015 04:43

Good morning Mark,
Just checked yet another solar storm with K@5
Oh dear…
Cheers
Mike

DD5LP · 29 August 2015 05:34

As you say “Oh dear” - looks like it’s going to be hard work tomorrow on the summit then, but we’ll do what we can anyway. Perhaps it’s time to pack the 80m sections to the linked dipole?

Ed.

M0LEP · 29 August 2015 07:03

[quote=“DD5LP, post:13, topic:11471”]pack the 80m sections[/quote]If this morning’s self-spotting trail is any guide, then Gerard VK2IO is giving 80 metres a try, and has been having a tough time on higher bands…

K still at 4 (and A at 43) this morning. Last night when I went to bed it was at 5 (and A at 48), but there was enough cloud that I didn’t bother looking for aurora.

G8ADD · 29 August 2015 08:41

You most likely wouldn’t have seen it, the moon was full and it was a so called “supermoon” so the sky was very bright.

Brian

DD5LP · 29 August 2015 15:30

Unfortuantely, despite picking up a couple of unexpected (close EU) contacts this morning I have to agree that HF conditions at the moment are not good, so we’ll have to wait longer for that “light at the end of the tunnel” I’m afraid.

Ed.

GW2HFR · 29 August 2015 21:05

20m has really opened up tonight, Brazil is coming in loud.

Jonathan

2E0YYY · 12 September 2015 12:52

Well, if anyone is looking for a bit of DX above 20m, you’ll struggle. A visit to my local summit G/SP-013 yesterday, showed just how cruel operating HF can be. SFI at a measly 84 and K index at a crippling 7, made the higher hf band conditions dreadful. Rather unexpectedly, I found 19 contacts on 20m, however, no DX was forthcoming. Quite frankly, I’d have been happy just to qualify the summit.

When it comes to the ten Metre band the A-99 is an outstanding antenna. Not yesterday though. Just four contacts, three ssb, one fm, all G stations. The 17m band showed some promise, when I heard Kuwait and Lebanon calling CQ, Lebanon found my log, Kuwait couldn’t pull me out.