Monday, July 16, 2018

70MHz Es season end? - UPDATE :-)

Nothing further from the truth it seems !    


What a Sunday morning it was !

Thanks to old 6m DX formula saying the radio must be on in the season time :-) loud FT8 beeps lead me to the shack where UN3M was pounding on 70.154.
Never heard Nick so loud, but hey! Just under 600Hz another trace appeared - what a suprise - EX9QT came with CQ at -11dB easily audible tones!
With such "strong" signal QSO was just formality, and EX9QT was in the pocket.

Wohoo - new DXCC #55, new grid MN82 and my personal & SP ODX on 70MHz at 4488km !

Sergey's signal started to rise up to +5dB, then he came on CW with CQ.
Quick reports exchange and done again !  EX9QT signal recording

Map source : DXatlas2 by VE3NEA



Note the path to EX from SP - At almost half of the distance we've got Nick UN3M. All the time Nick was much stronger than Sergey EX9QT  then path slowly started to fade.
No OIRT QRM except 70.060 were observed during this opening.

Sergey provided some pics of his summer radio shack, and permitted to post them here so You can see EX9T/EX9QT in action, as well as his antenna for 6/4m

Sergey and his shack 

EX9T/EX9QT duoband antenna


For those watching carefully 4m Es "magic" openings it's all nothing special after long haul QSO's between EA6FB and EX9T for 6246kilometers few weeks a go.

Ignoring all discussions and the pros and cons about using FT8 mode, it's no doubt it help us discover very brief opening we wouldn't even notice listening on CW, or SSB.
Proof?
Another big Es jump between Alex EA8DBM and Fabien A92HK for even more than previous distance - 6545km !
Who will discover another path? Should we soon point South for ZS?  No doubt there's a chance !

73

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