Wow! HF Bands Smoking!

On the Bands
1

This time last year (2012) I was sat on the summit of Black Hill SS-253 on a beautifully warm and sunny Autumn (Fall) day. I’d just been to a local radio rally (hamfest) and this was a quick activation after the show. The colours were grand, the WX was grand and I worked a lot of nice US DX (W7, W5) on 15m. I didn’t have antennas for higher bands but I can remember hearing a W6 mobile near Venice Beach working a ZS6 with 25W. I thought “I want some of that.” and the seeds of a challenge for the solar maximum on HF were sown.

Move forward 1 year, WX was mild but showery, the rally was over and I was on the summit of Eildon Mid Hill SS-214 for another post rally activation. This time I was prepared and we have the 12m Challenge running and I had an antenna.

Boy oh boy oh boy were those bands alive. You name it and you could hear it. No space anywhere on 12 or 10m. When you consider what they are like a lot of the time it is amazing to hear them bursting with DX. If only we could poke the sun so it was active like this more often.

So apart from Europeans and several stations out in Crimea, I did work some nice US contacts, a total of 25 QSOs in 1hr including dodging a few showers.

CW: W7RV, VE2JCW, VE1WT, N7UN, W4DOW, KG3W, N5XL, KU6J
SSB: N7AMA, K0LAF, KI4SVM, K0NO, ND0C, W7RV

That’s Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, Missouri, Minnesota, South Carolina, Iowa. On 4.5W with a 1/4wave GP.

I made a profit at the rally selling stuff, met Neil 2M0NCM, Jim G0CQK, Mike 2E0YYY, filled up with eyewateringly cheap diesel and finished it off with a nice DX filled activation. A good day all round.

Thanks to those who persevered through some extreme QSB & QRM to work me.

Andy
MM0FMF

2

In reply to MM0FMF:

Sounds like you had a great day Andy! Thanks for the two-way QRP QSO on 12M - QSB and QRM was nasty. But you’re right the bands were sure hopping! Fun!

73,
Randy, ND0C

3

In reply to MM0FMF:

Andy,

I had just turned on the KX3 and sat down for my mornings cup of coffee when I heard your CW CQ coming through on 12M. Since I was not sure what your operating conditions were, I crossed my fingers that conditions were good enough to allow you to hear my 5 watt QRP signal from North America from an 88 foot doublet. I carefully checked my KX3 while you called CQ and at the appropriate time, I replied back with my call. I was pleased to hear you come back “XL?”. Figuring I had just surprised you with a NA DX reply, I carefully sent my call again, just a bit slower this time. Just like that, it was done. In less than one minute, we both exchanged callsigns, reports and sent our 73’s. Neither of us knew at the time that the other station was QRP, which makes it that much sweeter now. Simply brilliant.

Here are to many more SOTA contacts in the future Andy.

73
Dave
N5XL

4

i worked N7AMA from Arizona yesterday on OE/OO-316 in SSB (12m) with 10w and a MP-1 antenna :slight_smile:

JN77bw DM33wj

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In reply to OE5REO:

You pipped me on distance. IO85PN > DM33WJ = 8087km.

It was delicious being able to work QRP to QRP SSB for a few W7 contacts.

Andy
MM0FMF

6

In reply to MM0FMF:

24MHz has been on fire lately. I dont hear too many EU stations on 14 (surprisingly) and once and a while on 18, but 24… BRING IT ON!! The EU stations are strong enough that I may just try QRP 2 QRP on 24.

Kent
K9EZ

7

In reply to K9EZ:

On fire? Klaus was spotted this morning in VK2 on 24MHz. That’s really sweet. Although I’m not surprised as Klaus does manage to setup some very fine antennas for his SOTA ops.

“Wed 08:16 DF2GN/P +1] on DM/BW-038 -(Posted by VK2DAG) 24.9012 cw”

Andy
MM0FMF

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In reply to MM0FMF:

In reply to K9EZ:

On fire? Klaus was spotted this morning in VK2 on 24MHz. That’s really
sweet.

Aye Andy, I worked Roger N4ZC, in North Carolina on 10m FM yesterday afternoon. He dropped his power to just 2 Watts and was still 5/5!

73 Mike
2E0YYY

9

In reply to MM0FMF:

BTW, HF bands did also smoke 21/10/2013 10:45 (12m QSO with VK2DAG), not to speak of all the VK contacts on 20m during this summer.
It’s just that this is not new for those experienced some sunspot lifecycles.
Enjoy!

73 es gl, Heinz HB9BCB

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In reply to HB9BCB:
.
The sunspot number is 228, the A & K are 5 and 1, x-rays are in the low C range, solar wind is low and the geo-mag is very quiet. One would expect big things, eh?
We are at the anniversary of last year’s massive opening on 10 meters.

Elliott, K6EL
Dancing in
the Streets

11

In reply to K6ILM:

Too wet to dance anywhere here, seems to have been raining for ever. Slight dry spell just now & may be dry tomorrow so may bag a hill on the way back from Sheffield around 14 - 1600utc tomorrow (if dry).

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In reply to G1INK:

Too wet to dance anywhere here, seems to have been raining for ever.
Slight dry spell just now & may be dry tomorrow so may bag a hill on
the way back from Sheffield around 14 - 1600utc tomorrow (if dry).

Here in G/WB-land it has been sunny, mild and dry all day today!

73,
Walt (G3NYY)

13

In reply to G1INK:

Right now the sun is shining on
a) the righteous
b) Edinburgh

But it was wet yesterday!

Andy
MM0FMF