SOTA memes (Part 1)

4 big ones in the last few days.

I probably would have picked something else for 80m

The Barron Knights classic, and since I have no means of editing you may have to skip to 00:48 to 01:30

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Making good on my word and heading out /P now to see if anyone is alive on 12m. Let’s see…

Edit: qrv

Edit 2: @M1GEO if you read this, so sorry we were mid QSO and my battery died! Digging out the KH1 now and will try 20 through 12 with the whip. I was about to RST you too. Apologies!

Back on 7034 now with 10w ic705 hooked up to the ATAS.

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No worries! :joy:

There was an EI6 also calling you (don’t remember their full call). :joy:

I assumed it was battery related - glad you’re OK!

And thanks for the chases when I was in EA-land back in April.

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Thats probably Axel. The man is a legend. Im on 7934 now using my pre tuned ATAS so we will see. Bands are pants. 12m was great though and I got 2 contacts and RBN went right out to the USA very loud SNR.

EDIT: EI6 was Denis @EI6IF another legend. QSO bagged so my KH1 +ATAS frankenradio is working!

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Nothing on 7034 :disappointed_face:

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ORLY?

(c) 2026 DXheat.com

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Definitely! …well, running 5w on a telescopic whip doesn’t help but still! :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Loads of QSB for me at least out there today. Oddly even VHF and UHF were feeling a bit under the weather, both sent and received signal reports.

I think the Sun might have a dicky tum today or summat.

Oddly, today marks my first ever qso’s on 12 meters. Glad I went out now! So there you have it, two 12 meter QSO’s to beat this weekend folks (no FT8 allowed!). Winner gets a pat on the back and honourary membership to the new club (that doesn’t sound at all like a gang from The Warriors) I just made up ‘The Midnight Runners’ (the whole 12 theme there… :sweat_smile: ).

Who will get the most 12 meter QSO’s this weekend? Or, better yet, who will get the most 12 meter QSO’s using only one mode for their entire SOTA activation?

Off you go! :laughing:

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There was an M6.8 flare a couple of hours ago to add to the fun, plus the first CME arrived lunchtime but was ineffective, perhaps the one due tomorrow may stir things up! With the sfi at 203 perhaps 12m might show some around the world echoes to make life more difficult on CW even if there is no storming!

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I’ve found of late that despite what the online tools say, the bands are poor and very patchy.

I suspected my gear - almost everything I use is home assembled - but it matters not if I change batteries / rigs / antennas etc, the QSOs have been in short supply recently.

The DX is still there, I managed to work PY and 7N a couple of weeks ago on 20m but normal, solid propagation seems to be in short supply.

Odd conditions, never known anything like it.

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Someone give the Sun a pack of Rennies! :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Just to note as well, RBN while I was on 12m looked pretty good. Reasonably good reach in to the USA by the looks of it.

100% this.

Oh, and because @G4TGJ inadvertently started all this by saying there were two 12m spots today :rofl: I’ve made a (AI generated) badge for anyone taking part in this pseudo bit of fun for the weekend. I’ll hopefully get a SOTA in this weekend too so I can join in too.

Won’t derail the thread any more than I have (apologies all) so will chuck it in a different thread. Just for fun and for something different to do this weekend for a laugh. :+1:

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7 in last 24 hours

Upping the ante! 7 must be a new record? :face_with_peeking_eye:

1 of those was me! :laughing:

There is often a bit of a dip in conditions in midsummer, I have a theory that the sporadic E clouds giving DX on 10m and above tend to attenuate signals on the lower bands, a case of swings and roundabouts!

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No spots from you on Sotawatch.

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Ah that’s why then. :face_with_peeking_eye:

I’ll be out Sunday all being well, possibly Djouce. Not 100% yet, depends on WX.

Lots of FT8 on 12 right now but nothing else.

EDIT: We may have our first 12 on 12 Midnight Runner badge attempt!

@ZL1BYZ is on 12m CW right now.

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In temperate latitudes this is due to the D layer being much more energised by the extended solar exposure. And we have had 5 flares in the last 5 days which helps pump up the D layer even more meaning there’s lots of absorption.

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Tasmania from North West England on Friday was good with the ability to chat, albeit at 5:30 the morning, Both ends with the FT-857D and 100w, me using a Chameleon MPAS-2 and the other end VK7JON/M using a screwdriver antenna on the car.

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