VHF Propagation Is Alive On 2 Meters SSB

[kg4kww]

VHF / UHF Propagation Is Alive And Well On 2 meter SSB.

Tues and Wed are looking good!!!! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Listen to the Propagation Beacon I received today
in FM17. This beacon is up north and all I will tell you is that it's broadcasting with 10 watts using a Halo Antenna.

[ai4ep]

not me...I aint getting baited...no way.

[nz3m]

That's the beacon I use here in FN10 to see how the band is. I can always hear it, but sometimes it's very strong.

Dave

[kg4kww]

4ep, this is no bait it's a fact, tropo for Tues and Wed is looking good for UHF/VHF ssb work. Yep, I have heard stations from NC and as far north as CT. Where are the Maine stations, the NY stations, NJ, pa, md, sc, ga Stations and so on, that are normally on the air? You dudes are missing out. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[ai4ep]

I just cant see the investment in beams, rotor, etc in an area that would only be used less than 20 - 15 times a year...and you have to be there right at that specific time / 2 - 3 hours early or late and you miss it all

[kg4kww]

4ep, I usually will point my beam towards the NE and set the rig to 144.200 or whatever freq I want to listen to and sooner or later I will hear some call CQ. Yes, I do scan up and down the band too and I do make contacts that way too. It takes patience and a willingness to overcome what could be easy boardom.

But you will make that contact, and when you do, it will be as special as your first kiss in the back seat of your old jolopy(old car).

[ai4ep]

I have never been in the back seat of a jolpy...nor do I even know what a jolpy is ?

[k4ah]

This GA station is on HF. KWW says HF is no challenge, and only VHF/UHF requires work. Try working a pileup with a QRP SSB signal.

I hate to tell him this but VHF/UHF propogation happens all the time. You also don't need a lot of fancy beams and stuff. I worked many VHF/UHF stations mobile in my old jolpy (his spelling?)(actually it was a minivan).

The good thing is kww will never come down to HF because that would be real work. More power to kww. If he enjoys working his limited contacts go for it. I will enjoy contacting other countires with HF and having to work hard to be heard in the pileup.

Also getting my first QSL card from another country was better than the first kiss. It was not as wet or sloppy and didn't have bad breath. Hi Hi.

[kg4kww]

4AH, VHF/UHF propagation doesn't happen all the time. That's why there is a Tropo forecast among other things.

When it does happen, one must take advantage of it.

Hope to you all of you with UHF/VHF ssb gear on the air.

[af2cw]

I'm looking forward to getting the QSL from 6O0CW,
another new one. I see Botswans is on, gotta go, time
to work for another new one.

[k4ah]

Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ Feb. 16 2005,04:42)]4AH, VHF/UHF propagation doesn't happen all the time. That's why there is a Tropo forecast among other things.
How do you explain being able to make a long distance contact when none of the forecast predicted it. They forecast weather too, doesn't make it right all the time. If I relied on forecast alone to make contact I would never turn the radio on.

Forcast are nice and yes they do help but good old hard work and monitoring is just as effective.

I know I am talking out of turn because I'm just a dumb old extra but I know a little about UHF/VHF too. Tropo windows can open anywher anytime. Nuff said.

[N5BO]

I'm not one to argue about which band/mode is better because I enjoy them all, but I can honestly say Tropo is definitely not the toughest probagation to use. Better yet, the time I did spend working 2M tropo was on a very limited station that consisted of a 25W IC-290H and a 3 element portable MFJ beam. Heck, I passed that yagi onto a friend who used it to work from EM60>FN05 with 20 watts.

As for forecasting the openings, it happens and IMO is very reliable, but I've worked some random openings that weren't really expected. Just have to be there http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Me personally, I can't wait for that first random CW EME QSO, but who knows when I'll have the setup for it http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[k4ah]

One thing I miss about the north (Wisconsin) was auroral propagation. That was neat and you could talk some good distances using the auroa. I agree I enjoy all ham bands just some more than others. The main thing is to have fun.

[WB2WIK]

KWW, I'm glad for your enthusiasm, but thought I'd add something here:

VHF-UHF "propagation" does, indeed, happen all the time. It varies in intensity, but is available almost 24/7 with very rare exceptions.

The common VHF forward tropo scatter is what makes 99% of all over the horizon contacts possible. It's always there, just a matter of whether you can personally participate, based on power, antenna gain and antenna height. With 1500W output to a +20 dBd antenna system at 100 feet above ground, from an average location, 600-800 mile contacts are possible pretty much around the clock, every day of the year.

I ran such a station for many years, back in NJ, and my normal, daily "working radius" was about 650 miles in all directions for tropo scatter, assuming signals with 3dB S+N/N are workable, as they usually are on CW with 250 Hz bandwidths.

Adding meteor scatter to the mix, and meteor scatter is



always available, there is never any time it is not, working range of 1000 miles on 144 MHz using PUA43, JT44 and other weak signal modes (that dig below noise level) that are admittedly pretty slow data rates, is always available, too.

The rarer propagation mechanisms like tropo ducts, Au, FAI, Es and such are indeed opportunistic and require study and timing. But tropo scatter, which is the meat & potatoes of all weak-signal VHF-UHF work, never goes away.

Whether you can work it or not depends on your station. But it's always there.

WB2WIK/6

[kg4kww]

I worked some 70cm ssb tonight, things were going well.