Tuesday 22 March 2011

Two new DXCC close to home.

Last night was Radio Club night, and what better way to start the evening than by working some new DXCC on 2m.

I heard a station on 145.500 FM, G0VHS, Terry in Weymouth, Dorset which is about 45 miles from my qth, this got me thinking, is there a lift on, anyway before I had a chance to call back, my local pal, Alan, G2DXU has done so, and I follow up to listen.

As soon as I heard Mike, GU3WHN, from Guernsey (distance 84 miles) break in I knew we were onto something, so Alan brought me in and we worked them both, with reports of 5/3 both ways.

As we said 73 to go off to the club I heard Ian, GJ7DNJ from Jersey, (distance 106 miles) so I decided to call him from the mobile, so I switched the amp on which gives 100 watts out, and gave him a call, and was delighted to receive a 5/9 +60dB report !

From our club location, I switched the amp off and wound the power down to a watt. and still received a 5/3 report, I suspect we had some very nice tropo ducting !

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-meter_band

4 comments:

  1. Good afternoon Paul, I have never operated FM outside of the local repeaters. Sounds interesting. It sounds like you have to be in the right place at the right time.

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  2. Hi Paul:
    Yes there was something happening on VHF - I was out and about and was recieving poor sigs on the car radio -stopping to tune manually I found several French stations on - this was at sea level as well, could'nt check 144 though.

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  3. Hi Paul, because of high pressure above western Europe, there is nice tropo on 2 meter expected. Also today. Keep an eye on 2 meter today! 73 Paul

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  4. It was a cool and foggy evening with the following day glorious sunshine, so I expect we had the low pressure in with high pressure arriving helping to create the ducting ?

    And yes Peter often the first signs of a lift on is hearing a French station wiping out Simon Mayo on radio 2 !

    I've been trying to work the Channel Isl's since first licensed, but always suspected that even on 40/80m it's too far for groundwave, and in the dead zone for inospheric propogation, as Northern France also is somewhere I just don't hear.

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