May 2020 – Sporadic E 6m/2m

50 MHz: After a few short band openings in April within Europe, things really got going in May. The first intercontinental opening for me took place this year on May 18 towards Asia, especially Japan and China. On May 25th XV1X suddenly appeared out of nowhere and brought the first new DXCC of the season.
Since this QTH is unfortunately not working so well to the west, only a few contacts were made into the Caribbean on May 29th. The pileup around various stations from Jamaica was huge and luckily 9Z4Y could be logged as another new country.
For the first time ever Saudi Arabia showed up on 6m and 7X1SJ was the first one I got among others.

In total, three new DXCC entities could be worked in May: 7X1SJ (Saudi Arabia), 9Y4D (Trinidad & Tobago) and XV1X (Vietnam).

Worked stations on 50 MHz – May2020
Stations worked on 50 MHz – May 2020
Top 10 distances on 50 MHz – May 2020

144 MHz: The first very short band opening 2020 at 144 MHz from here to TA and SV took place on May 25th. Just two stations could be heard and worked.
The next day the band opened towards east into UA4 and UA6. As the center of reflection was very far to the east, stations from the Saxony area were, as so often, clearly preferred. Nevertheless UA4ALQ was worked over a distance of 2.437 km.
The best ES opening of the month took place on May 29th. Spanish stations could be heard in CW, SSB and FT8 for hours. The 2m band sounded like shortwave. This time I focused in particular on new squares and DXCC and with CN8LI in Morocco DXCC # 95 came into the log. What a great day!

Worked stations on 144 MHz – May 2020
Stations worked on 144 MHz – May 2020

Late 2m Sporadic E Opening

Completely unexpected and very late for the season, this afternoon the 2m band opened again via Sporadic E direction of the Iberian Peninsula. Within about 45 minutes, 6 EA and a CT station came into the log. Unfortunately again no stations in SSB or CW were heard or worked.

EA1NL, EA1UU, EA1YV, EB1DJ, EA2BFM, and EA4CRP were heard only.

July 2019 – Sporadic E 6m/2m

Also the month of July brought some nice Es openings to Asia as well to North America. Unfortunately, due to geographical reasons, the midwest of the USA could not be reached again from here. On July 24 at around 8:00 am my signal was heard from a VK3 station. Unfortunately, there was no 2-way-QSO this time.

In total, another three new DXCC entities could be added on 50 MHz in July: 4L/DL7ZM (Georgia), BA4MY (China) and JW7QIA (Svalbard). Thanks to David, DL7ZM and Peter, LA7QIA for their great DX-Peditions!

Stations worked on 50 MHz – July 2019
Top 10 distances on 50 MHz – July 2019

For ES on 2m this month see further below (Opening 23.07.2019)

DK5AI – D41CV on 144 MHz via Es: New Region I Distance Record on 2m – 4.966 km!

The day was quiet on 6m as the band opened up to Africa in the afternoon, July 23, 2019. I was busy watching for a TU2 station from Ivory Coast and a look to the MUF showed some red spots in southern France, means the MUF was above 140 MHz!

Time to switch to 144 MHz. Not too late and after some CQ-calls CT1FJW popped in, followed by other stations from Portugal. And there was another caller in between – could I trust my eyes? I thought my heart stopped beating. D41CV from Cape Verde was calling me! 15 second periodes for FT8-mode could be sooo long, would the propagations be stable enough to finish? Yes they were and then it was done: D41CV was worked on 144 MHz via Sporadic E plus Tropo Extension over an unbelievable distance of 4.966 km (3,086 mi), also setting a new Region I Distance Record! The signal of D41CV war copied for about less than 5 minutes.

If we have a closer look at the Hepburn Tropo Index, we can find the highest value of 10+ for the area west of Africa just between the Canary and Cape Verde Islands. This maritime tropospheric ducting widens the range of the massive Sporadic E Opening between Germany and EA8. What a lucky constellation today!

Thanks Monteverde Contest Team Club for calling and for this incredible QSO and Record!

Thanks to EI7GL who made a very nice analysis about this remarkable contact, see here.

Heard but not worked were CT1BYM -9, EA1HRR -6 and EA8TJ -7.

June 2019 – Sporadic E 6m/2m

Seasonally 50 MHz was open every day within Europe. In addition, there were some very short band openings to Africa, Asia and North America. Towards the US and Canada, the terrain of my QTH rises to 10 degrees elevation, so at all only two stations from Canada have been heard and worked.

In total, five new DXCC entities could be added on 50 MHz in June: 9G2HO (Ghana), 9M2TO (West Malaysia), J69DS (St. Lucia), SU1SK (Egypt) and VU2NKS (India).

New ones received on FT8-Mode while I was not in shack were 4S7AB (Sri Lanka), YI6ATT (Iraq) and BA7IO (China) – what a pitty! Hope to get them soon!

Stations worked on 50 MHz – June 2019
Top 10 distances on 50 MHz – June 2019

144 MHz ES was a big disappointment, just one opening from here on June 16. Unfortunately, all activity apparently concentrated on 144,174 MHz and FT8-Mode, what a waste of time! In such short openings it would have been easy to work many stations in SSB or CW, but FT8 is definately the wrong mode. Unfortunately, no station was heard in CW or SSB.
Just heard in FT8-Mode, mostly for only one periode: RA3EL (KO82), UR3UK KN59), RX3QFM (KO91) and UA3QC (KO91).

May 2019 – Sporadic E 6m/2m

After some first shorter ES openings on 50 MHz in April, the May of course was seasonally better. Several very long and very wide band openings across Europe were the result.
On 24.05.2019 my signal was heard from JR6FC (Okinawa) and DS4EIO (South Korea) in FT8, unfortunately both were not on the radios.

In total, six new DXCC entities could be worked in May: E31A (Eritrea), FG8OJ (Guadeloupe), TR8CA (Gabon), TY2AC (Benin), TZ4AM (Mali) and UN7AM (Kazakhstan).

Stations worked on 50 MHz – May 2019
Top 10 distances on 50 MHz – May 2019

On May 24, 2019 was the first opening on 144 MHz to the east from here. Unfortunately, only RA6C was heard and worked for about two minutes. Stations from the Ruhr area and southern Germany had a big advantage and a longer opening.
Another opening on 144 MHz was on May 29, 2019. Again, unfortunately only two stations were heard and worked. And again, stations in the Ruhr area and southern Germany had a big advantage and contacts to EA8, CN and 7X.

First 2m Sporadic E in 2018

Yesterday evening, May 28, the ES season 2018 for my QTH was started. Within a good hour, 2x CT and 5x EA stations found their way to the log. The signals were not very loud and could only be heard very briefly, usually not longer than a minute. Nevertheless, it was long enough for 4 new QTH Locator and an ODX of 2.098 km. More informations about this opening are here.
This event was followed by two further short ES openings on the 3rd and 4th of June.
2018-06-04_144_ES

ES: Two new DXCC’s on 144 MHz

What a morning! Already around 06 UT activity on 50 MHz was very high and increased also very fast on 70 MHz. Around 07 UT MUF reached 140 MHz direction SV / TA and at 07:31 UT Kadri, TA1D/3, from the asian part of Turkey was calling cq on 144.300 very lonely . Not too strong that time but strong enough to work him for a new DXCC # 56 and new square of course. Later his signal reached 59++ and Kadri was copied here for abt. 45 minutes. At 08:07 the band opened into Greece and at 08:16 Z32KF from Macedonia was worked for DXCC # 57. All signals disappeared around 08:45 UT. Glad to talk again to Costas, SV1DH, who was my first 2 m- contact into Greece back in 1979!

 2017-06-26_07432017-06-26_0734

2017-06-26_144But this was not all for this day: Around 14:26 UT the band opened up to EA for just some minutes and EA1BYC from IN70DX was worked for another new square. Heard but not worked was EB1HRW (IN71PQ).

New DXCC # 55 on 144 MHz

2017-06-20_ESOn Tuesday, June 20, MUF was far below 70 MHz during the whole day. In the late afternoon first ES reports (SV/LZ to UB5) were in the DX-Cluster and MUF raised more and more. At 16:43 UT the 2m band opened here for just some minutes and SV9CVY, Mike from Crete Island (KM25KA / 2.169 km),  was worked easy at first call. Thank you for a new DXCC # 55 on 144 Mhz!

 

First 2m Sporadic E in 2017

After spending countless hours over the past days listening into the noise and watching for the first 144 MHz ES-opening, this morning was breathtaking. 6m and 4m were open quite early and MUF raised quickly upon 144 MHz direction east. The band opened at 09:58 and closed around 12:45 UT! In times 144.300 sounds like one of the HF-bands. As a big surprise I worked my first UA4 station on 2m! Totally 6 new squares and best DX RA4A (LO20) 2.427 km!

2017-06-16_log144Heard but not worked were UR5UI (KN59), R3WW (KO81) and UA4AQL (LO20).
More informations about this opening are here.

Sunday evening ended with a little surprise, when suddenly the band opened here for just some minutes to UA3 – long enough to work these stations:

2017-06-18_144More informations about this opening are here.