Different more focussed propagation. You aren’t as widely heard.
No SSB on 30m. Some transceivers won’t work on 60m, some amateurs don’t use the band.
Keep getting cold guys, thank you for the chaser points. I’m waiting until it warms up a bit before I go out, my bloods too thin due to medication. Never been one for chasing winter bonus points much. I might go out for a ride on my bike on Friday with the local U3A cycling club if its not icy.
Channel Islands for me in June - 3 summits, and trying to talk XYL into a trip to the DM/RP DM/HE area in May via Frankfurt, cheap Cryanair flights from Stansted - but she isn’t biting my hand off at the moment, probably thinks there would be too much SOTA and not much tourism… she would be right.
There is one regular chaser who is always a little too far off frequency so is quite weak. I need to use RIT to make him stronger. Unfortunately access to RIT on my rig isn’t very quick. It’s a homebrew rig so I can easily tweak the software but I’ll do it after tomorrow’s activations.
I agree re 60m - it’s a pity that more amateurs don’t use it. It’s also a pity there’s a very narrow range of frequencies that overlap between WRC-15 and the UK allocation. And despite my preference for CW, like @MM0FMF, I find I get more contacts with SSB than CW on 60m [and 10W of SSB (with speech compression) with my 60m inverted v does the business]…
However Phil, I disagree w.r.t. to 30m. The propagation is always good when I use it [usually mid mornings to early afternoons] and I can’t recall an activation where I got less than four contacts. I recall rude folk on 40m and 20m but not 30m.
Which is why I am now trying to cope with 40m. I used to have time to work 60m first and then move to 80, 40 or 20m when that dried up. Now the calls on 60m use up most of the time and if I go on to 40m I have to cut it short. Situation aggravated by more extensive use of 70cm FM which means M6BWA/P often does not have to keep plugging away to get her 4 on 70. She has often qualified the hill before my first CQ
Currently considering using higher bands and a vertical aerial which will be quicker to set up (I hope). The downside is the heavier mast needed to get the height.
I have listened for you, Fraser, on recent hills but heard only chasers.
73,
Rod
And I don’t. I always work at least one other band than 60m. But if I did want to work only 60m on a particular activation, that would be my choice - with no feeling of guilt.
There are always one or more groups of chasers who are excluded by the activator’s choice of bands, e.g.
SSB chasers when I work only CW on HF,
Local/regional chasers when I work only 20m-10m,
All HF chasers when I do a 2m FM-only activation.
Other activators will work that same summit so chasers should be patient and understanding of activator’s choices.
BTW: The NVIS properties of 60m make it a great band with low daytime D-layer absorption. That [and other reasons] should act as an incentive to those with excluded license types to progress to obtaining their full license.
That’s the point behind incentive licencing. You make it reasonably easy to get a licence and see if you like radio as a hobby. Then if you do, you work up along the different licence types to get more privileges such as 60m, overseas operation, holding club licence/repeater NoV etc.
Andy, what do you think about taking away a hams existing frequency privileges to incentivise him/her to earn them back with a higher license? That’s what happened in the US, and all the important DX frequencies were suddenly denied. Seems more fair to grandfather in, rather than pulling away the football.
A daft idea to remove frequency privileges that have been hard-won. In my case, a debilitating illness from which I still suffer denied me the chance to complete my RAE course in 1996. The incentive-based exam system to which Andy MM0FMF refers was a wonderful opportunity to allow me to get on the air as a Foundation licence holder many years later. My illness means I am very unlikely to be able to progress to a higher class of licence, sadly, although I have been studying hard. No matter, I enjoy QRP working, take pride in my chasing and activating, am now a CW novice and I have no problem with some frequencies being denied to me as an MM7. I have learned to be very patient when SOTA chasing by usually waiting for a pile-up to subside before making a call. Sometimes I miss out but, hey, nobody dies and there’s always tomorrow. I am just grateful to be allowed good HF access with my 10 watts, which wasn’t always the case.
I have to say, though, that just as it seems amazing that all UK motorists have passed a driving test, given their crazy standards of driving, on the HF bands that I use it isn’t always “novices” who tune up on a working frequency, shout over the top of an ongoing QSO, send partial callsigns to attract attention, pass rude comments when overlooked, or are just plain disrespectful on the air. One wonders if some of them ever passed any licence exam at all? We should all be patient, respectful, supportive and enthusiastic on the air. That’s what led me into this wonderful hobby 55 years ago - and I intend to keep plugging away, QRP, for a long time to come…! 73 Mike
I’ve used 60 m on occasion and enjoyed doing do. Even made a contact with Norway once. I don’t understand why it’s not open to Foundation license holders.
All well and good, but not everyone has the ability, time or desire to attain a full license. QSO of the week for me from EA8 was an M7 in Birmingham, QRP each way. He sounded amazed that I’d bothered to pick him out of the pile up.
Mike, I have immensely enjoyed our QRP QSO’s from EA8 to GM these last few days. You do an incredible job from your QTH, especially with a lot of granite in the way.
You are a prime example of that “patient, respectful, supportive and enthusiastic” attitude to which I referred and which means so much to those of us for whom a full licence seems out of reach, and to many thousands of others, too. Thank you so much.
Enjoying here 60 m as a good way to cover well rocky HB9 and the surroundings when 40 m fails. Learnt that my end-fed for 40/20 is tuned quite well on 60 m and that we should use around here 5,363 kHz SSB to match the UK bandplan. Unless a primary user blocks this QRG. Or a sunspot cycle attracts people to spend their summit time now on the higher bands.
Markus, I can confirm that. When I made my first attempt at 60m with my 20m long EFHW, I always extended it to 26.5m.
At some point I compared this optimal version with the tuned 20m long one.
I couldn’t tell any noticeable difference. And could always reach you and Jürg, Bruno, Artur, Andy and all the callers on 60m for an S2S.
73 Chris
This is something you almost always run into in Central Europe.
Unfortunately…
Armin’s approach is helping here. Stick to your rules. After 5-10 min many stations will disapear.
In addition use RIT. Still many stations do not zero beat your signal…
Quick update - todays 40m and 2m activation from Hoove G/NP-024 was enjoyable and civilised with the possible exception of Woody who was distracted by the passing grouse……
Many thanks to all the chasers. The rainbow did precede the rain….which didn’t last…
