GW4VXE's Station Diary

I realise I've not seen anything on 6m for a day or so. Slightly unusual not to see a single decode. Roger EI8KN saw a single decode from T8OK yesterday. Anyway - I checked the SWR on the beam and it's normal. A quick CQ and there's a report on PSK Reporter from Terry G4AMT in Sennen, Cornwall and Roger EI8KN across the water, so I guess it's all working - just conditions!

Pleased to find this morning that all 3 of the 3Y0K QSOs made yesterday are safely in their log.

Popped out this morning and came back at lunchtime to a screenful on 6m, so receiver and aerial are fine. A few EAs about and also this

ZS6NK on 6m

Picked up J51A on 12m CW (previously worked on FT8) and 8Q7ZW on 15m FT8 (new band country).

To my surprise, I was able to work Mike AD5A out on a SOTA peak in New Mexico and K2JB on a SOTA in North Carolina both on 12m.I always enjoy working SOTA and POTA stations - it's good fun trying to hear some of the low power portables, especially on the other side of the Atlantic - sometimes they sound surprised to have a call from GW. Other POTA/SOTA portables worked at a distance this afternoon were VE2JCW and WB2FUV on 12 and 10m respectively.

Caught TY5FR (Red DL1BUG) on 28MHz just as it was closing. Red's been quite active from Benin in the last year or so. He's got good ears, so perhaps will catch him on a few different bands on this trip.

Did see a couple of periods from J51A on 6m in the late afternoon. One period was at +6 - but sadly, that was it. Meteor burst from the Med or similar, I guess.