Worked out to Ohio tonight, 650 miles on 2 meter SSB. More people need to get on and make some noise! 144.200 is the calling frequency so if you ragchew there give plenty of breaks for people farther out to hop in with a CQ etc! A good tropo indicator is here http://aprs.mountainlake.k12.mn.us/ And the region 2 chat here is where some of the stations land to chat back and forth waiting for a new station. The low band, VHF, UHF and microwave chats (by ON4KST) If you have never worked 2 meter tropo get on and give it a try! hearing those simplex signals hundreds of miles out is a blast! My best distance via tropospheric ducting over land is 1313 miles! Over water for some paths(CA to HI can be thousands of miles).
Hey Mary we are on the air- point to the east coast. Larry K0TPP EM48 has heard my CQ from FN30JV in Suffolk long island. We need some E's on 2M... Best time for us for tropo is September... I am ready with 1KW
My personal best on 2m tropo is 1,213 miles to the southern tip of TX! Of course with EME I can work the world... during that early 2000's massive tropo opening I heard CO2OJ but couldn't get his attention over the 4 land qrm wall
Tropos are what got me Hooked on DXing!! I just love working TROPOS out of the Chicago area back in 1968 to 1970. It was the MOST EXCITEMENT I have had in Ham Radio!!!! I nailed 8 states on 2 meter AM, it was great!!! We don't get much in the way of TROPOs out here in Kalifornia, but we do get the wonderful DUCTs to Hawaii!!! I worked a station there on the BIG ISLAND that was louder than any local on 2 Meter SSB.
Now that is amazing! I only have a mag mount on my jeep for 2m. OH! I do have an Arrow Sat antenna I could hook up and try SSB. hmmm!
Tried listening and making calls last night while I was covered in the "red" on the map. Both SSB and FM on my arrow, changing the polarity respectively for each. Nothing heard at all. Bummer.
