ICQ Podcast Episode 258 - Getting Ready for the Six Metre Season

In this episode, Martin M1MRB is joined by, Edmund Spicer M0MNG, Matthew Nassau M0NJX and Bill Barnes N3JIX to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief, and this episode’s feature is Getting ready for the six-metre season.

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News stories include:-

• Battery Powered 'Smart Bags' Raise Safety Concern
• New Technician License Question Pool Released
• Indonesian Pirates on 7 MHz
• WSPR Beacon En Route to the Antarctic
• 3D Printed Radio
• FT8 Operating Guide
• D-Star One v1.1 Phoenix
• AX Prefix on Australia's National Day
• Test Equipment at SOTABEAMS

The ICQPODCAST can be downloaded from http://www.icqpodcast.com

 

Get ready for Six metre season?

Just exactly when is "6 metre season" ?

I listened to the inane podcast, and it didn't answer that question.
Is it just clickbait?

Normally, summer and winter are the peak of Sporadic E (Es) propagation, which is good for 6 metres.

But it is currently the end of January, so northern hemisphere winter (southern hemisphere summer) will be over soon.

We are currently in the bottom of the solar cycle, so, F2 propagation at 50 MHz is very very extremely unlikely.
At the bottom of the solar cycle, regular spring/autumn seasonal F2 at 50 MHz disappears.

So, please tell us, how is "6 metre season" happening during spring/autumn this year?
Really, I would like to know... and there are probably others who would like to know.

 

back in the days before digital TV, we would monitor TV channels 2,3,4,5 and 6. Here in the USA, the TV signals would come up from the southern states and interfere with local TV stations. Here in Vermont, you always count on channel 4 Greenville,SC to come booming in. When you would see this " SKIP " coming in on the low band TV channels, you knew that 6 meters was open. There radio aircraft guide beacons on 75 mhz on am that transmit in mcw the guide paths for incoming aircraft's at local airports. Anyone that still has a TV that will pick up these signals can still hear them.

 

Here in South Wales of the UK, I monitor the European 6m beacons (50.020 to 50.080mhz ) . I scan these freqs regularly on my Icom IC R7000 receiver. My antenna is a simple 'quad' loop in the back yard about 15 feet above ground level. It is fed with 75 ohm tv cable, which is a reasonable match to the receiver. The 10m. band can produce SpE signals in wintertime. There was an opening into Spain ac week ago here. The 10m. band should be monitored for SpE and if any signals appear, it's worth also checking the 6m band . from Brian de GW0GHF . (Look me up on QSL dot com to contact me for further info)

 

Yes..some people have`nt heard of Sporadic E !!
Active here in North Wales on 6m (100w into 5ele Tonna at 40ft).....looking forward to the usual `SE` openings into Europe this spring and poss some multi hop and TEP !
73`s

 

What you see there is the radio of the future. There is the hand mic for Upper Sideband and the desk mic for Lower Sideband. What a versatile radio it must be.

73, Larry WB8LBZ
El Paso, TX

 

"Just exactly when is "6 metre season" ?"

Sporadic E usually peaks in the month of June

 

6 Meters is Open Every Day Stateside , Old School Meteor Scatter 500 -1200 Mile Paths.





The Best 73 de KB3RHR

 

6 Meter Season has been quiet poor or worse this year.I can't remember a single year since 1994 that I did not hear a single station in Europe on the band.I only do Phone so I don't do like some who say they worked an EU station when in fact it was their computer that made a contact on some digital mode.If I make a contact it will be me making it not a computer & anyone who can hear my signal will know I made it & not a computer.Looks like the bottom of the cycle has also Killed E skip season.Well maybe next year will be better or maybe the summer E season but we can only hurry up & wait.

Clayton
W4KVW
EM80

 

We also enjoy MSK144

 

Most Amateurs must miss that question on the license exam.

 

My first reaction to the question is to ask what has become a somewhat similar question to 6M activity: "Just exactly when is there a season for accidents?"

I have in my life made 2 (TWO) QSO's on 6M. Sure, I live in a hole at the end of a valley in the Appalachians and do not have a dedicated antennas for 6M (which would probably be better) but the three antennas do tune up on 6M without a tuner but when monitoring 6M, I hear practically nothing...!

Once I heard a voice on 6M sometime in the past three/four months and it said: "Is this frequency in use?" — Nothing more. I sometimes hear voices that remind me of when I used to use a crystal radio where some stations could be heard and sometimes a syllable or two distinctly but that was back in the mid-60's.

I still leave the radio on 6M in listening mode when I'm watching the news on TV or reading something on the computer. I have not given up... And I realize that if I lived in a big city in a 'scraper or if I lived in the flatlands, I'd probably hear more from 6M somewhat like I hear some random burst on .52S on 2M. And I believe the concept of having a TV set up for the lower channels (2-5), it would be a good indicator of a band opening. Monitoring a 6M beacon "could" also be useful. Using a non-directional antenna (J-Pole?) would also be good way to go but then the V-H orientation would not be the best.

 

It's not called the "magic band" for nothing.

The band is open when it's open.

Meteor scatter is pretty normal every morning ops; and I'm only running 100 watts into a 3 ele; well, so far.
Look at my qrz page, the Geminids provided great MSK144 contacts and with ease.
The VHF/UHF contest was cookin' pretty good..

If one is referring to SSB, that's another story; also depends on one's definition of "open".

Nice Es opening in January for 3-4 hrs where I made 5-9 contacts out to 800 miles (mostly east & south of my qth) with my dinky 100 watts and 3 ele.

6 meter season?..It's always 6 meter season.

 

I"m one step Closer To hearing That band now That I Got a yaesu ft-847, Just need Coax and a 6 meter's Antenna and Antenna Tuner all Coming soon, I alway's just keep a watch on The solar Condition's box on The home page of This site and dxmaps, They will say when 6 Is open.