6 Meter's Open

[wc5b]

Just pulled into Oklahoma City and the locals are working Canada on FM 6m. Have not checked 10M yet.

[KA4DPO]

I just checked 6 and it's dead from one end to the other on the East coast.

[KC9ECI]

http://www.dxers.info/google/earth/dx/6m/1hr_nwl.kmz

Look like it's been open to me. I've even worked a few.

[N2RJ]

I got so excited when I heard NL7XM/B on 50.073, but when I looked him up, he was all the way in EPA. :mad:

[wc5b]

The opening appeared to be from the lower plain states to the north in Canada. Which means if it were open on east coast, you may have been open to low pop water areas.

[wa8rti]

Sunday before Memorial Day there was a nice opening from Ohio into TX,MS and Louisiana. I caught about 20 minutes of the action around 1130 hrs EDT. I left the rig for about 15 minutes and when I came back, it was all over.

[kg4kww]

ka4dpo--I just checked 6 and it's dead from one end to the other on the East coast.


I'm on it, it will be in the prep room soon.

[W4MAJ]

I made a couple of contacts on 10 meters last night. Scared me to death, I thought something was broken. 6 meters? Was that you sending static KWW?

[cu2jt]

We have had a couple of fair openings. On Thursday, May 22, the US east coast and up to Ontario/Ohio came in with good signals for a couple of hours. This week has been open to the Caribbean and to southern Europe incl. 4X4 from here. Still waiting for the big one, like July 18, last year when I worked 160 US stations in less than 3 hours, as far away as Utah and Wyoming.

[kc4umo]

Today was great on 6 meters. This afternoon was stations from Canada. Good 56-57 signals. Tonight was even better. Opened to the west. I even worked Southern Cal. Heard a few locals I have not heard from in a long time.

I heard this one call , WB2WIK/6. I know I heard this call before :) Just did not get a chance to work him.

Anyway, filled up a whole sheet in the log.

[KC9ECI]

I've been working them as fast as I can log them. AM, CW, and SSB.

Here is a look at 6M based on info from the cluster overlayed on Google Earth for the last hour.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/7278/6m1hrzw5.jpg

[kc4umo]

Looks like you got me when I made a contact with WB0NQD.
He had a very nice signal.

[WB2WIK]

I was on briefly this evening from home in Los Angeles (DM04) and worked:

W8OP EM99
KI4EME EM78
W3CMP FN10
N2NRD FM29
WA3EOQ FM09
N3ALN FM19
K5VRX FM18
K4QI FM06

These are mostly 3000 mile contacts, coast to coast, so likely double-hop Es.

Easy pickins'. However I think I caught the "tail end" of the opening, since it faded with about 10 mins. Not sure what happened earlier.

One thing that's very apparent: A lot of 6m ops have rather poor receivers! I ran 200W to make these contacts and mostly got "55" or "57" reports, when in reality almost everybody here was "59," easily. "59" not by only S-meter reading, but by just listening: Very loud and clear.

I'm only using an FT-736R + 4X150A amp with a masthead MGF1402 GaAsFET preamp set to 10 dB gain, so nothing special here. But I suspect some of these stations are using an "HF+VHF" do-everything rig, most of which are not so hot on 6m. Exception: The IC-7800 has a very hot 6m receiver, I've used it, and it's better than anything else that covers HF+6.

WB2WIK/6

[kg4kww]

Tom, that's a cool pic. How did you get google earth to do that?

Is there one for 2m ssb and HF?

[w8znx]

best time for openings on six meters

is spring and fall

[KC9ECI]

Tom, that's a cool pic. How did you get google earth to do that?

Is there one for 2m ssb and HF?

There is Greg. You need to have Google Earth installed, then go to http://www.dxers.info/maps and select "Use Google Earth" and select the band and time frame you wish to look at, download it, and open with Google Earth.

The KMZ file for the last hour of data on 2M is http://www.dxers.info/google/earth/dx/2m/1hr_nwl.kmz

[KI4ITV]

6m is trying to open up on the east coast. Lots of EL"" grids in fm17.

[kc4umo]

Today was another great day on 6 meters. Had contacts around mid country then later Florida was strong.One station was running 100 watts into a 3 element beam at 50 foot. Had him 57. I was running 10 watts into a 6 element beam at 50 foot. He had me 57.

Gonna have to get me an amp I guess.

[KC9ECI]

It was just starting to open here, I worked a station in Utah, a new one for me, was about to work another new grid, and had a fire call. I wasn't out long, just long enough though that band conditions changed and now I'm hearing nothing.

[aa3re]

I wish that some operators would think to go to the AM mode on 6 meters when things are open like that. When I hear things getting crowded on 6 ssb, sounding like 20 meters, to me thats the que to go to the AM mode. I have a couple of 6 meter tube rigs and its fun to use them when the band is open. Plenty of folks on ssb even quite a few on FM. I had my AM radio on concurrently during the last couple of openings. Tons of stations worked on SSB. I even worked over a dozen on FM. One station worked on AM with one other heard but couldn't work him.
I see 6 meter AM tube gear being gobbled up on Epay. Where are all the operators with them? Are the rigs sitting in a museium or do people plan to use them?
So just asking, if you think of it, join me on 50.4 AM the next time 6 meters is slam open.
73 de AA3RE

[KC9ECI]

I will often take a bit of time to move up to 50.4 AM if the band is busy. I will also go to 52.525 FM, and 50.090 CW. I usually snag a few contacts there as well. I really ought to go to 50.290 PSK more often.

[KI4ITV]

Good point about using AM. I found two guys on 6 yesterday using it. One was in FL, using 20W, very good copy. I never heard a peep out of the other ham.
I hung around hoping to call and make my first 6m AM contact, but they faded away before ending the qso.
:(

I'm going to make it a point to check the 50.400 AM calling freq. from now on.
Thanks for prompting me to do so.

[ve2nsm]

Just worked YV4DYJ in FK50... S9+40 :p
On 50125

[ve2nsm]

Right now he's working a G0 but I barely hear him.

[ve2nsm]

Just worked ON7GB DK1MAX, F5OZF and PA2M

[kc4umo]

Band is quiet here. All day. :(

[KC9ECI]

Band is quiet here. All day. :(

I just worked CA from WI. The band is rocking!

[W0LPQ]

Western MT, ID, SD...

[KC9ECI]

I missed a WY station a bit ago.

[ai4ep]

I was on 50.125 and heard a EM- 63 station ( didnt copy his call ), and a few stations where you would hear 2 - 4 words and that is all .

say 50.400 is the AM calling frequency ? interesting to note...!!

[KC9ECI]

6M for the last hour
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2995/lasthouron6mse1.jpg

[N4BWR]

Where is that map from? I don't have 6 meter capability, but I'm curious. I use this (http://www.mountainlake.k12.mn.us/ham/aprs/path.cgi?map=na) for 2 meters.

[KC9ECI]

Where is that map from? I don't have 6 meter capability, but I'm curious. I use this (http://www.mountainlake.k12.mn.us/ham/aprs/path.cgi?map=na) for 2 meters.

Google Earth. You can get that at http://earth.google.com/ You can get it to run under Windows or Linux. Then you need a KML file for the band and duration that you're interested in. The last hour on 2M would be http://www.dxers.info/google/earth/dx/2m/1hr_nwl.kmz You can find more variations on this theme at http://www.dxers.info/maps and select 'Use Google Earth.'

[N4BWR]

I'll have to look into this. I haven't used Google Earth much, and the map isn't showing the propagation paths. Probably a setting somewhere in the program.

[KM5FL]

I was on 50.125 and heard a EM- 63 station ( didnt copy his call )........

One grid square away??? Why, that's very good Robert.. Very good.. :D :D


KM5FL