AmateurRadio.com

Last Tuesday I decided I’d had enough! Well not quite, but I did feel the need for some holiday. I booked last Thursday, Friday and this Monday and Tuesday off, to try and climb some hills and sit by rivers. I’ve managed both of those and feel a little more human again. I don’t suppose it will last when I go back to work, but what can you do….

Anyway, a real pleasure has been to spend some time keeping an eye on 50 and 70MHz and trying to work some Es QSOs. It’s worked out quite well. There haven’t been huge openings with lots of QSOs, but I have been content to keep a close eye on the bands and try and work people as they come up – even if it’s only for a few minutes. Very satisfying and great fun.

The new 70MHz transverter is working out well – I’m delighted with what I’ve been able to work. Over the last few days I’ve worked IW4BIF, IS0AWZ, EA1KV, OM3CLS, TF3ML, SP3RNZ, SP9HWY, SP2FH, IK7LMX, ES1CW and 9A2006R. A gotaway was SV8CS who I heard weakly, but propagation wasn’t quite right – interestingly the SV8FOUR beacon was louder than Spiros, who has a great station, so the heavens were just not quite aligned!

50MHz has been good fun too, with plenty of ‘bread and butter’ contacts of interest including ZB2EO, EA6BB, TF/VE3IKV, TF8GX, 1A0C with a couple of very welcome North American contacts today; W1MU and N3DB. Always a thrill to work the US on six with the vertical antenna – which really isn’t built for DX,

Back to work tomorrow.

One Response to “Six days off – fun with sporadic E on 50 and 70MHz”