Here are a few more recordings of multi-hop Eskip contacts made recently.
8R1DB, 22-Jun-2009, 1951z, SSB
8R1TO, 28-Jun-2009, 1801z, CW
JL8GFB, 29-Jun-2009, 0749z, CW
TZ6EI, 29-Jun-2009, 0829z, CW (record starts a bit too late … IW0HEX banging on top of TZ6EI who was working split … Some people never learn to listen)
Although still in automutilation mode, this weekend showed some awesome Es openings. Saturday was good for the Caribbean. 8R1DB was worked all over the place. I was lucky to catch him already on the 19th for my 200th DXCC on 6m (!), but Saturday’s opening was much better. I made a “security” QSO just to ensure I am in the log. That QSO was preceeded by YV4DDK in SSB. These QSOs are both on one MP3 track. Before that I was happy to work PJ7/K2GSJ in CW for #201 (no recording). Other goodies included FJ5DX and WP2B.
This morning (Sunday 21st of June) I could work 2 JA4’s. A bit too late out of my bed (Father’s day ceremony first), but still in time to catch JH4IFF and JH4MGU. Listen to the MP3’s below.
Then around late noon a string of East coast USA stations (K1TOL, W1JJ, etc.). First opening from the East coast to hit N-W Europe.
Tonight 8R1DB was heard for several hours again working a large area of Europe. No sign of VP2MRT and J39BS showed up way too late, as usual …
Sitting behind the rig, listening with your headphones on to almost eternal white noise. Is this life ? No, it’s called a hobby: chasing new countries on the 6 meter band. Everybody who is involved in this starts with trying to reach the 100 mark. No big deal with all the European countries active. Together with quite a few Asian, Middle-East and North African countries as well as the “easy” North American and Caribbean ones, everyone should be able to make the 100 even without F2 propagation.
But then, the next target is 200, in principle only reachable for those who at least witnessed one solar peak. And if you did not get at 200 during the last peak you now need to collect the last ones with multi-hop Es.
For me this means that this season I need to add 2 of these known active countries: J3, VP2M, VP9, 8R, PJ7, HK0, TN, SV/A, and, if things really go wild, BY, BV, …
So far TN is added for #199, so let there be propagation soon enabling me to add the remaining one for #200.
TN5SN came through quite good on 6m today. Worked him in SSB at 16.59utc with some difficulty (S3), but later at 17.27utc in CW which was a breeze: 559 both ways. Made 2 recordings after my QSO in which you can hear Nicolas in CW. He peaked S6 at times …
This is my 199th country on 6m so one more to go for the magic milestone of 200 !!
TN5SN, CW @ 17.28utc (15 mins MP3)
TN5SN, CW @ 17.45utc (3.5 mins MP3)
In contrast to the previous post from January, my antenna looks like this again:
