6M DX ING Jason Timmis, VE7AG Why, What, Where, When and How.
WHY? Intrigue of doing something rare; witnessing the mystique of propagation Playing with Mother Earth and winning Because it s not 20M s!! Not the RFI / TVI problem of yesteryear
What equipment is needed? Radio capable of SSB / CW FM possible Good NB essential in the city Preferably yagi or quad; 20-35ft good enough but the higher the better for F layer. Higher the F/B the better (quiet). Tilt able yagis? Good coax losses are a factor ~50 MHz Headphones cheapest increase of S/N CW skills for most (real) DX
What equipment continued.. 5-10 watts okay; especially Es 100 watts is good in general Higher power does not hurt on multi-hop type propagation but can t compensate for power at DX end antenna system key! General coverage receiver to watch MUF from ~27-50 MHz (48250 and 49750 Video)
What: conditions and equipment Successful DX QSO High enough MUF Strong enough TxPo Low enough Noise @ Rx
What: station improvements: ROI Radio Antenna Tower Coax Mode Amp Pre-amp Headphone Time d / yr Tx Po S/N (qrn ) MUF
What: Propagation Knowledge Understanding at a more than basic level will bring even more mystique to openings. Magic Band for a reason Beyond Line of Sight, Emil Pocock, W3EP Little Pistol s Guide to HF Prop, Robert Brown, NM7M (out of print) Array of Light leaflet paraphrased in July 2000 QST by the Force 12 co. ARRL: new 6m Guide Book Grid Square Map>know your grid; grid and call exchange
What: Helpful Web Sites http://www.uksmg.org/ http://members.shaw.ca/ve7sl/ (Video freqs) http://www.bcdxc.org/ http://www.dxworld.com/50prop.html
Where: Frequencies 50: 000-080 beacons 080-100 cw 100-120 dx window 110 DX calling 120-125 guard frequency 125 domestic calling 125-400 ssb / cw 52.525 fm simplex calling
Where: Frequencies Try to respect calling frequencies at all times and spread out after initial contact DX on 6m s is NOT lower tier of VE to top of XE; common sense and propagation knowledge. DX window small 125-400 BIG uksmg website
How Very easy Be at the radio 100% of the time and you will be there for the 6% of that time the band is actually open. If you want to help your 6m friends announce you have to leave just when things look interesting..guaranteed opening.
When: propagation modes Sporadic E (Es): Clouds of super ionization which form in the E region Can support MUF up to 150mhz (plus) Single hop distances to 2200KM Bread and butter of 6m Best April 15 Aug 15 & Dec 15 Jan 15 Most productive 7-11am & 4-9pm rag chewing possible
When: propagation modes F layer: F2 layer can support an MUF up to 55 MHz (plus) Single hop distances to 4000km Best at solar peak Sept Dec & March / April Watch for Es link to F during crossover months Watch for an Aurora event the preceding day and high SSN. Should be considered DX only no chat
When: propagation modes Aurora (Au): Can support an MUF from 28 450 MHz Signal are reflected back off the Au curtain Beam heading always Northward Watch for big jumps in the K index Watch for Au Es forming toward end of a strong Au event. (clear signals / long distances)
When: propagation modes Scatter Modes: Meteor, Ionospheric, Tropospheric refracting / scattering of VHF signals High power generally needed Contacts are very fast and lots of patience and perseverance needed Must match pace of prop and listen carefully
Inspirational DX from VE7AG Grid Squares? 100 s WAS Best DX: VK6JQ in NW VK @ 13,500km Most exciting: 1 st time VE7>Europe 2001 Most interesting: VK4 off Au VE7 firsts: 3G0Z(CE0Z), FO, ZK1(north), KH5 (Palmyra) Highlights: ON, OH, F, ZL, VK Heard / been heard highlights: YJ8, FK8, 9M6, PA, G Coolest: Arizona on 2m Es with 25w > vertical (cw)
VE7AG station Home brew 9el Yagi 2 wl boom
VE7AG main 6m station Yaesu FT1000mp MKV > DEM TRV Kenwood TS 570 general coverage Henry 3CX800 amp (~500-700 watts) Mirage 25>160w amp LMR 600 coax
Final thoughts I d hope that the Little Pistol would see the marvel and mystery in it all. More than anything else, however, I d hope that he understands DXing in an intellectual pursuit, worth thinking hard about and working at just for the pure joy of it. Robert Brown NM7M
Final thoughts VE7SL: I m not goofing off. I am just MAINTAINING VIGILANCE!