Solar flux at 98! That feels like it's the first time it's been under 100 in a long while. Maybe I'm wrong as until recently, I hadn't noted it each day - but it hasn't happened often.
Perhaps that will augur well for the Sporadic E season this year. Last year, in Practical Wireless, I explored the 'Old Wives' Tale' as Dave G4ASR called it, that high sunspot years were poor for Es. Yet, it felt to me that it was so. I thought back to, I think 1989, when we went to Porto Santo for 50MHz and 144MHz and operated as G4VXE/CT3 and it was a really tough Es year and it was around the peak of cycle 22. Since then, I've gently noticed a correlation. Last year, I asked Jim G3YLA about it and he felt that there was perhaps a 'loose correlation' on the basis that if there is a lot of solar disturbance, then Es struggles to form. Jim suggested that any day when the K was over 3 then the Es would struggle to form.
HF conditions certainly lived up to the numbers. It seemed to get better in the evening though (Summer conditions?). Worked a few in the Slow Speed Contest on 20m around 2030. N2GG in New Mexico was the best DX. Heard a trace from Steve WG0AT who was out SOTAing, but too weak to do anything with this evening. Hopefully another time. I always remember Steve very fondly from his Peanut and Rooster videos.
HF conditions haven't seen great today and also the bands have been noisy with strong winds affecting the overhead power lines.
Had a nice chat with Roger GW5NF on 80m. He reminded me that there is a CE0 expedition on at the moment. I ought to try and track them down. It's not a bad path from here. I remember my first QSO with Easter Island as G4VXE on 10m CW using an ex-CB aerial back in around 1983/1984.
Just had a quick look on DXWorld for details of the CE0 expedition. I can only see SSB spots, so I won't be worrying about that. No complaints - there are enough expeditions that spend little time on SSB in favour of either CW or FT8!
Not everyone feels the same way. I saw a comment under a post about an FT8 operation yesterday, 'Is he on SSB?', with a bit of a tone that he should be! The DX station in question was running low power at a fair distance on VHF, some 700km away. Well good luck with working that on 2m SSB in flat conditions. If you really want to work someone, surely you'd use the most appropriate mode available....rather than trying to persuade a DX station to waste their time on a mode that isn't suited to the propagation. Rant over!
A couple of nice CW QSOs in the late afternoon; K2JVB doing POTA from NY state and Ben EA8/G4WDZ/P running 5W from the Canaries. He was peaking up nicely at times.
By 2000z W1AW code practice was just audible on 17m, but nothing really doing on CW on the band, so dropped down to 20m and had a nice chat with PP5WX and worked a couple of POTA portables in Florida.
Paul G4RRA messaged to say that he'd worked UT1FG/MM this morning but wasn't sure about the square. So far I've only seen one decode from Yuri, presumably by aircraft, so I'm not hopeful of a QSO at this point. On the other hand, it's a misty morning here, which can do wonders for tropo - so we'll see.
As it turned out, I did see a few decodes from Yuri, but nothing consistent that I could try with him.
The most interesting QSO of the day was JW/KK6IK on 20m CW. He was well up the band and had quite a US pileup, but oddly very little from Europe. I've worked a few stations from JW in the past, but it's always pretty rare.
Didn't get to the shack until later on as a busy morning with visitors and work here. Both Paul G4RRA and Andy GW0KZG had kindly messaged to say that Yuri UT1FG/MM was in IO22 on 2m FT8. Yuri is apparently running 20W as his amplifier is not working. I saw a few isolated decodes from him during the morning but gave him a random call when I got to the shack and somewhat unbelievably, he came back! Even better, it turned out that he was just crossing into IO23, so a few minutes later, I was able to work him from there as well.
On Facebook, Yuri says that he will be travelling through IO33 and IO34 later, although that might be tough from here. We'll see!
Pleased to work Bob EX0T on 17m CW just after lunch and when we got back from popping over to the clock mender at Strumble Head, Yuri was on from IO33 - new square number 3 for the day on 2m.
A couple of US/250 stations worked on 15m CW and then SU9VB - not new, but Egypt is always pretty rare.
Around 1900z a very marginal QSO with UT1FG/MM from IO34, but to my surprise it was completed ok. Tomorrow he will be heading up the western coast of Scotland before heading over to Norway. I think it'll be a bit of an ask to make any QSOs tomorrow, but it just takes a bit of tropo in the right direction.
Well it's my birthday! I was saying to Brian WB4IT last night that I've been licensed for 43 years now (I just checked and my first day on the air was 16th Feb 1983). I think I find it even more fascinating than I did then....
It's interesting being able to monitor 2m and 6m FT8 at the same time, one of the best things I did last year! For example this morning, I noticed a quick meteor burst on 2m at 0925z of F8PKC (JN38) while over on 6m, at 0924:45z the same burst produced F1PBZ (JN26) and G7TQB (JO00). Tying the two bands together make it clear that the propagation for all the decodes was meteor scatter, but individually, I don't think I would have known, particularly for G7TQB - I'd have assumed aircraft scatter (which of course, it could still be, but it seems unlikely).
Noticed that the 40m dipole was down on receive this afternoon, so dropped it down and cleaned the coax/centre connection. Also noticed that it may have been shorting against the mast, so I've insulated the mast, so if there's a strong westerly and the dipole centre hits the mast, hopefully the problem won't recur.
Higher bands poor again this evening. Heard Jim KF7E from Arizona on 17m around 2030z. We just about scraped a QSO. He was stronger on the dipole that the vertical, but didn't seem to copy me any better on that aerial. Jim said he had power line noise, which won't have helped.
Storm Dave went through last night, so I'd dropped the 80/40/15m mast down. Winds were normal this morning, so I've put it back up again. Still on the smaller vertical for HF. VHF conditions have moved away to the east now.
There's an SP contest on HF which I don't feel enthused about, so just been turning around on 17m this morning - a couple of Russian special event calls as well as EA8A.
Interestingly, I put the 6m rig on the vertical today, thinking that there might be some early Es around and having the vertical on means you can listen in all directions. Didn't hear any Es, but around 1910z I copied PY5CC and PP5ZP, probably the only stations I've heard outside the UK on 6m all day.
17m pretty quiet this evening, so popped onto 20m CW and worked Brian WB4IT in Alabama followed by Sandro I7ALE.
Checked 2m around 0625z as it had been good yesterday and sure enough CT9ACF was there, working G4KWQ. He seemed to go off pretty promptly after that QSO, so I didn't get a chance to call. Fortunately, by the time I'd showered and fed the chickens (and Duke the neighbour's horse), signals on 2m had improved and I was pleased to work Stevo. I wondered whether I might hear anything on 70cm and to my surprise, he was coming through there as well - so called him and was very pleased to work him - on the vertical of course.
Not my best DX on 70cm (EA8 is about 500km further) but a welcome new country and one I was hoping to work.
Got back from the tip at around 1030z and saw EA8CSB calling CQ on 2m FT8. Not too strong, but I have a recollection that like me he uses a vertical. Gave him a call and he responded, but unfortunately signals faded and we couldn't complete the QSO.
Got back from tip run number 2 around 1200z and could see I'd received one or two loud decodes from EA8CSB on 2m while I'd been out. Tried a CQ down that way which he heard well, but probably wasn't in the shack. Popped over to 70cm for a CQ or two (no replies) but when I went back to 2m, EA8CSB was calling me at a steady -10, so this time we were able to complete the QSO without any problems.
According to the Hepburn forecast, the propagation will move away from me this afternoon - but it was a good morning.
By the afternoon, the VHF/UHF propagation was moving off to the East. Had a little play with the automatic FT8 app on 17m, but fairly unsuccessful (conditions not software!). Bands seemed poor in the evening - did work W1AW/4 from NC on 17m, but little else doing.
Some 2m propagation down to CT3 this morning - around 1000z - CT9ACF made it to around -15 here. On the vertical of course, so he would have been a great signal on a 'proper aerial'. I wasn't in the shack at the time otherwise could have probably worked him.
You can see that here, we're on the edge of the propagation, at the moment at least. Around 1400z, GM0HBK was visible for a couple of periods on 2m.
Other than that, a fair bit of testing with the automatic FT8 QSOs on 18MHz, running 100W (under close supervision!). The software did well only requiring a little manual intervention. Will I be doing lots of this? I don't think so, but it's fun to get going as well as possible.
When you look at the solar data for the day and think....oh! I guess the transpolar paths may not be great today then.
Played a bit of HF FT8 as I was testing an interface that Pete MM9SQL is building between WSJT-X and Cloudlog. Looking useful so far. Nice to catch Rene DL2JRM operating as UT/DL2JRM which must be a new WAFOCC country.
A bit more semi-automatic FT8 operation on 17m in the evening - not sure I want to do a lot of this, but it's quite interesting to get going!
Started off looking for T31TTT on 12m FT8. No sign - but did find TT1GD which was a nice one - I thought it was a new country but after logging it, I noticed I'd worked TT8XX on 10/12m before.
Another QSO today with RI0SP up in the Arctic, this time on 17m CW. He had a very fluttery signal, perhaps not surprising where he is, up in the polar zone.
Bit of a play in the 13z CWT. Hard going to North America on 20 earlier on, but improved later and 15m too - although only really hearing the East Coast. Jim K6AR audible on 20m, but couldn't attract his attention this week.
Nice chat with Roger GW5NF on 80m SSB this afternoon. Missed the 19z CWT as went out for a bite to eat with a friend, but tried a CQ call on 17m when I got back and was really surprised to be called by Dave AL7LO in Anchorage, Alaska - a very easy and enjoyable QSO. I *think* I've only worked Alaska on satellite from here before - and then a nice chat with John W8FJ to close out the day.
