Cycle 25 6m F2 11-1-2024 SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING OLD
11-2-2024: The maximum phase of Cycle 25 was officially announced by NASA and NOAA in a teleconference on October 15. The peak will be identified in coming months. After a relatively poor Es season (certainly unproductive for me), we began to look for the long-awaited F2 propagation, which I have only experienced in the early 2000s. Cycle 24 was essentially devoid of 6m F2, as I recall. W3LPL, who sends a daily propagation update to the PVRC email reflector, started his 11-1-2024 email forecast with this: "Some of the best HF and 6m F2 propagation of Cycle 25 is likely to continue for the next week". One thing is for sure, it sure started for me on November 1st. As I write this on 11-2, we just experienced a packed band of European stations on FT8, with some activity on CW as well. FT4 was also active, with conditions easily supporting that mode as well.
Back to November 1st. I was monitoring the band for Lance, W7GJ, who activated ZD9GJ on 6m EME and terrestrial paths in mid-September. He was worked by local 6m DXers, K1HTV, K3SX and W3IP while I was out of town, and I was hoping for a last shot as he was detained from departing at least 2 or maybe 3 weeks beyond his original schedule. That didn't happen, but what came next was equally exciting. The "something new" as noted in the subhead above. AC4TO was working Adi, VU3WEW! Better than that, I was actually copying him! (see #1 below). He called CQ and I scrambled to find a clear frequency and began calling, figuring that the initial CQ and two following decodes of his QSO with Ken, AC4TO, might be the end of it. After several calls (limited control over colors in dark mode with JTDX, sorry for the white text with a yellow background), he emerged with a -8 signal, calling CQ. Could it be possible he'd actually hear me? The answer is a resounding "yes," and I worked one of my most unexpected DX QSOs on 6m since I first began operating on The Magic Band (TMB) in late 1999. My neighbor Rich, K1HTV, was next in line to work him from this area, before Adi faded out. I did not keep my BIC, and Rich, K1HTV, copied 4S7AB shortly thereafter, until local QRM captured the AGC of his K3 and pushed Kamal into the noise. The QSO with Adi was posted to LoTW almost immediately by both of us, and that confirmation will be applied when ARRL catches up after the LoTW difficulties from this last July. From QRZ, Adi is running a 3 el. yagi and has an Expert 1.3KFA with a Hermes-Lite 2 and IC-7300. I'm unsure of the radio used, but I am guessing it was the SDR. I was running an InnovAntennas 7 el. LFA at 63 ft. with a K3 driving my homebrew pair of 4CX250Bs at 400w.
As if the day didn't have enough excitement already, this was also the end of my quest for WAS on 160-6m, all on FT8. This includes 60m, which I know is not an "awards" band. I had completed everything but AK on 6m to fill in my own tally of 11-band W.A.S., starting with 20 states in 2017, the first partial year when FT8 was introduced. My QSO with NV on June 15, 2024 was my 49th state on 6m. Although I had watched for AK as part of the chase since 2017, I knew that conditions would need to improve to work it again on TMB. After working Les, KL7J numerous times on various bands and modes since 2009, I found that he was on the JTAlert chat most times when was operating FT8. I enjoyed several extended text chats as we operated, and began to reach out when I saw him spotted on 6m, just in case he was hearing the Mid-Atlantic states. When KL7HBK first appeared in our area, around 18:11Z, I was not in the shack, and my ALL.TXT file shows I only began to copy him at 18:31Z. My antenna was still aimed at 20 degrees to India, so he was likely readable somewhat earlier. Les was first called at 18:35Z by locals, only to be followed by KL7SB, KL1JP, and AL7LO. When I finally returned to the shack around 20:40Z and realized what I was missing, I turned the antenna, and found Les, but changing band conditions with significant QSB. I texted him, telling him I'd probably lost my chance, but he encouraged me to try anyway, so I began calling at 20:47Z without success, and began again at 21:04Z. Five minutes later, we completed our QSO as shown below (#4 and #5). A subsequent check showed that I worked Les, on all eleven bands on either FT4 or FT8. Thanks for going along for the long haul Les!
11-6-2024 Less than a week later, after a couple of very active days with long, busy EU openings, I was able to work another new country that I've seen spotted for months. New England has several very committed and highly capable 6m DXers. They spot things early in the openings (and early in the morning), that many days, don't ever make their way down the coast to me. I've had Patrice, 3B8FA, in my HamAlert 6m wanted list for a long while. I've worked him on 30, -10m, but had never copied him on TMB. When my chance came, I finally copied him for one cycle at 16:06Z and by 16:08:30Z, I was also able to copy Mike, 3B8HK, initially weaker than Patrice, but eventually becoming louder (at my QTH), When I began calling at 16:12Z, I chose Mike, thinking perhaps there might be fewer callers. As the minutes passed, Patrice was a bit stronger, but I left things as they were, and at 16:19Z, when he answered me with a -14 report, he was -23! He stayed with me for three cycles, and my last report to him was a -14, followed by a 73. Looking back, I see that Patrice had gotten much louder, CQing without callers! But I was in QSO with Mike and thanks to his persistence, I have another very special QSO in the log. (see below).
11-9-2024 Just 3 days later, still more great propagation ends in a special QSO to the Pacific once again. As Patrice called CQ AF, Nick, VK9DX appeared on the band. My log contains QSOs with Nick on 80m, and two Qs on 10m, including one on RTTY. But this is the most unexpected. After 24 years on the band, the last two have finally been productive working DX in the Pacific. Thanks Nick!
