I hope youse guys new to 6 meters have been monitoring the band on a regular basis looking for openings especially to Europe. Yesterday afternoon, Saturday 6/18, we had probably the best opening of the season to Europe with many many signals both SSB and CW. I had a run going on 50.162.5 where I had to sort out the many callers from G, GM, DL, OZ, SM, I, F, etc which didn’t quit for a couple of hours. I may have missed some of it as I came in from outdoors doing a home project around 3 PM and checked the band and it was wide open. I proceeded to find a clear frequency and call CQ and then the fun started. A bunch of callers each time I stood by. I didn’t slow down til about 5:30 when I think I was running out of stations to work…as I still heard EU stations calling for North America. I didn’t count the number of contacts but it was well over 100. I did hear Will K6ND who was on. A guy in Plymouth, MA who was portable at a campground called in to say he had worked some EU with a marginal setup….so it apparently didn’t take much to make it across the pond. Hope some of you caught it….and keep an eye on 6 meters for DX. BTW, it’s been open to the Caribbean often late in the afternoon …if you can hear the C6 beacon on 50,040 you know something is cooking. Look for PJ4E, HI3TEJ, a bunch of FGs. GL!
— John, W1XX
John,
You have to remember that your station is a little bit more robust on six than most of us, BUT, it’s great to hear that things are brewing. I am looking forward to getting home and installing the six-meter antennas! It will be fun. An opening on Field Day would be truly exciting.
Mike, K1DM/3
TNX Mike for the comment and I understand your point of course. However, I made a point of mentioning the guy at the campground to illustrate that others in New England were making it through with far less station robustness. It’s called the “Magic Band” for just that reason. I remember a couple of years ago a station out in the midwest somewhere reported on the vhfcontesting cluster that he had while at work at a hospital (he was in the medical field) took a break to go up on the roof with a flea powered rig and a VERTICAL antenna (presumably built into the radio) and there was a short opening in which he worked a JA. Eureka! A few years ago there was a massive opeing from JA to Florida in which everyone and their mother made Qs. And it is not unusual in the CQ VHF Contest to send out certificates to folks using 80 meter wire dipoles as an antenna. So it happens. Monitor 6 and GL!!
— John,W1XX
John,
All my current contacts on 6-meters were made using a 40-meter dipole, so Yes, it IS magic. I can’t wait to get a real 6-m antenna connected to the rig. Life keeps getting in my way it seems! Oh, well, there is always tomorrow after I get the lawn groomed.
Mike, K1DM
K1DM: Does Toro or LawnBoy make a lawn groomer? How about a lawn brider? Pax! — W1XX
Actually, I use a pair of scissors!
By the way, I was listening on 6 this afternoon, and I fired up N1MM and turned on the internet connection to W1DX. There was a load of 6-m DX listed. I didn’t hear anything except an N2 beacon in FN30. But then I still only have a 40-meter dipole for an antenna.
73, Mike, K1DM
K1DM: Unless I missed an opening….I checked several times yesterday and nada….there is almost always a bunch of EU stations listed who are working each other but not to NA. Did you see any stateside especially East Coast listed working EU? Probably not. If you hear locals like W1JJ, K1TOL, W3EP on CW it’s a pretty good bet that they are hearing DX which is a clue to listen carefully. With an HF dipole you will probably only hear the loud ones but should hear EU if the band is really wide open. Best signal to listen for on CW is CT1HZE who seems to like 50.087.3 and has the best signal. GL! — John
John, W1XX;
Thanks for the insight. It looked to me like some stateside stations were hearing some Caribeans. Otherwise, you are probably right. I will listen for CT1HZE. For me, anything outside Connecticut would probably be good DX right now on 6!:) – Mike, K1DM