Look at what Paul was doing to the PSK Reporter Europe map a short time ago on 10m band FT8.
Paul’s coming in very well now on 28333 KHZ from W6/SC-369 (1624z) S Meter reading up to S7, 5 by 5 on a wire antenna.
73 Phil G4OBK
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As Tony Harrison would say “It’s an outrage.” 
Or shows what can be done with a bit of determination along with being in the right place, right time, right equipment.
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What would the other Tony say? Hancock… (No idea who Tony Harrision is!)
Yes, you’re right - to do well in this game it is determination and application and making the best of the situation you are in.
73 Phil
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Hi Phil (@G4OBK)
Thanks for sharing the snap of my FT8 10m handiwork earlier today. It was great to work you on that mode and then voice.
As Andy (@MM0FMF) wrote, it’s all thoroughly outrage.
This is my first ever cycle peak and while I’ve heard about 10m being great it’s a very different thing to experience it first hand. Lot of EU contacts including many into the UK.
While I treasure each and everyone the cake goes to OX3MC in Greenland. 45w SSB had a perfectly copyable two way QSO.
No complaints from this end as the WX is fabulous unlike most of the USA Today.
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yep - I can confirm from GW/SW-006 in the grey hours this afternoon that 10m SSB was well and truly open to the US. Ridiculous signal report for a 10w summit to summit in California…
I could have continued, if it wasn’t seriously cold …
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Tim, you did great and so many NA contacts. Impressive for 10w and thanks for our S2S.
Keep it up!
Paul
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Hi Paul,
Yes, thank you so much for the s2s from such a distance. Made my day !
Thanks Tim
I don’t know if this is bigger than last the cycle or not. You should go and read about the 1957 IGY cycle and what could be worked on the radios of the day. Generating RF and lots of it wasn’t too much of an issue (lots of big bottles back then) but the receivers where not so good in general and many more simple antennas.
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Yes, G3LDI was telling me about 1957 recently. I was only five then. I can’t see it being that good again, although I did notice that EA and a D4 station were spotting on the cluster last night they were working VK and ZL on FT8 long path on 50 MHz. Condx were pretty good on 10m when I got my licence in 1982, although it took me a while to get a decent station and 10m antenna on my chimney and develop my interest in DX, as well as improve my CW skills up to a decent standard. By the time I did that we were well past the peak.
Despite getting use of the 12m band some years later, I have confirmed more countries on 12m (320) than I have on 10m (309) so the SOTA Challenge this year is encouraging me to spend more time on 10 metres with a better antenna, which will surely help me get some ATNOs on the band at the same time.
73 Phil G4OBK
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Sorry I missed you tonight Paul. When I went back to view my PSK Reporter screen where I was monitoring 28074, your signal had come in! Doh… sorry I missed you on FT8. It must have been a brief 10m opening and I was doing somethng else when your signal reached out to me briefly at 18:51z. I had looked earlier and given up all hope of working you as it got later. I did work @WB2FUV at 1840z - but that was on 18088 CW,
Earlier condx were very good with @N0QLR (CO), @N6AN (CA), @KT0A (SD), @VA2EO all worked on 10m CW between 17:06 and 17:50z. South Dakota a rare state on any band, I was really chuffed to work Gary!
73 Phil G4OBK
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Probably less chance of a QSO today Paul. Whilst I am here I’m currently changing over my HF antenna, so I have no HF beam until later this week. Let’s see if I can hear you on my OCF dipole instead once the band opens up.
73 Phil G4OBK
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He’s back up there now on 28.353
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All wrapped up for this morning.
Good conditions into EU but hard to hear many of my callers. Partly conditions but 857D isn’t inherently the quietest of rigs.
Winter field day yielded a few contacts and apparently I’m a 1O from ORG.
All fun and had a few S2S to EU and one into Brazil (a first for me).
2 el Yagi seems to work well as it was pointing to EU when I first tried PY1 and a little Armstrong action had it lined up with PY-land for a 55 or so each way.
We are 4 weeks into the 10m challenge and it’s great to see so many activators and chasers enjoying cycle 25’s peak and making the 2024 challenge super fun. Hats off to the MT for keeping us punters entertained and in the game.
Keep it up folks!!!
Somewhere under the picture is Europe.
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110+ Qs (~85 voice and ~25 FT8) this morning and its really (to me) interesting to see very pronounced propagation along a rather narrow band, much narrower than my very broad beam Yagi.
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I managed to sneak out to The Cloud G/SP-015 late this afternoon. I ascended and set up in daylight, but the headtorch needed to be switched on almost as soon as I started operating.
124 minutes operating: 1656 to 1900z
49 QSOs
10m FT4: 17
10m FT8: 2
10m SSB: 7
10m CW: 20
2m FM: 3
Brazil: 1
England: 4
USA: 44
US states:
AL: 2
AZ: 8
CA: 3
CO: 1
IL: 4
IN: 2
KY: 1
MD: 1
ME: 2
MT: 1
NC: 4
NE: 1
NJ: 1
NY: 3
OH: 2
OK: 1
SC: 1
TN. 2
TX: 2
UT: 2
A very enjoyable couple of hours playing portable QRP radio, with the highlight being a 10m CW S2S with N6AN on W6/SC-285 in California.
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Thanks for persisting earlier Paul for the S2S on 10M SSB from GW/SW-015 - Mynydd Llangorse as MW0RWX/P.
73, Robert
M0RWX
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You are welcome and I’m generally thrilled with the uptick in S2S for me into EU.
Catch you on the next one!!
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That was a pleasure, Tom! You were good copy despite some QRM on the frequency.
G/SP-015 is somewhere beyond the horizon.
Ironically, I could not copy Paul this morning.
72, David N6AN
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