6 Meter Season: Pushing the Limits

I am declaring the end of the 2020 sporadic E season on 6 meters although there are still occasional DX openings. However those are marginal and deliver few results in my log. Indeed the last wide scale DX openings in this area were during the third week of July. Other parts of the North America and elsewhere are having better luck, but that doesn't help me.

In retrospect this year's sporadic E season was very good for DX despite starting late and fading early. There were a handful of spectacular openings and an irregular stream of interesting DX opportunities. My DXCC country count made a significant leap this season, more than I expected.

 

Later I'll discuss my future plans but first I'll recap the season that was, as I experienced it. Even between stations not far apart the experience can be surprisingly different due to spotlight propagation, station capability and the time one is willing to dedicate to the pursuit of 6 meter DX. I regularly checked in with friends during the season to compare notes.

DXCC progress

My worked country total on 6 meter FT8 stands at 89 and LoTW confirmations are 80. This is a big jump from 71 at the end of last year's sporadic E season and 56 after the 2018 season. I track my DXCC successes to measuring my progress, however for me it is not an operating objective. This atypical approach does not in any way limit my DXing enthusiasm.

 

Some countries that I almost snagged last year made it into the log this year: OH, LZ, etc. Others continued to elude me including many "easy" ones in Europe: 9H, LX, OM, etc. Some of my success is due to increasing activity from more stations in more countries. This was most noticable with stations in Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Africa. It is good to see them on 6. I hope to see even more of them next year.

 

Some of the activity is migration from HF due to the solar minimum and the support of 6 meters on most modern rigs. Since many of them will migrate back to HF when the sunspots return it is important to work them now and in 2021. Of course quite a few will stay and that's to the good. We must also tip our hats to FT8 which makes it easy for those without CW ability to get on the band and improve our DX prospects.

 

Notable openings

Among the notable openings this year were those of July 11. On that day I worked 60 stations in Europe and 30 in Japan. Numerous new countries were heard and a few were worked. Unlike the Asian opening of two weeks earlier that blessed those to the west and south there was just one HL (not worked). No other Asians were heard or worked.

A friend mentioned that he only worked north and central Japan. I must admit I'd never given much thought to Japanese call districts. When I checked my log I saw that he was right. I, too, worked nothing in southern Japan. This was despite HL being not far off their southwest coast and I did hear that and the southern districts. 

 

A few decibels difference in signal strength drew a boundary across the island nation. A kilowatt would have crossed that boundary.

 

Where the density of the ham population in the world is low the spotlight nature of long haul sporadic E illuminated little. When it does the results can be amazing.

In addition to those Africans noted in the earlier article there were CE, LU, CP, HC and others in South and Central America, UN in central Asia, KH6 in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, OX, JW, TF, Scandinavia and others in the Arctic. All were heard this season and some were worked. Despite their numbers Russia continued to elude me. That path is more northerly and longer than to eastern Europe.

Sometimes weak openings would last a long time. For example, an LU was weakly heard for almost an hour calling CQ and heard by few. Hearing him didn't help and I still need this one. Regular early morning openings to Europe are common but usually very weak and not workable with my station. 

 

A few nights I left WSJT-X running with the yagi pointed north since there are polar openings during the solstice period when the Arctic is in constant sunshine. There were a few pre-dawn surprises but little more than those always frustrating single decodes. Late in the evening a few signals are sometimes heard from the northern Europe coast and in turn they have success working Japan in their late evening.

Hawaii was a particular challenge. This year I heard KH6 stations on three separate dates. During the first I worked nothing for the few minutes it lasted. The second time I made my one and only Hawaii contact this year. In the third I had a partial QSO where I could not copy his RR73 message due to QRM. 

 

Indeed that's the big problem working Hawaii from here since signals must cross the North American continent and the FT8 window is filled edge to edge with signals. The QRMers are innocent since they do not hear the station I'm trying to work. Sporadic E is like that. Although more use made of the 50.323 MHz inter-continental FT8 window this year most operators prefer to endure the QRM on 50.313 MHz since that is where most of the action is.

Longtime 6 meter enthusiasts are, of course, not young. For many the transition to digital modes has been difficult or unwelcome. We all do it for one simple reason: it delivers the goods. The advantages of FT8 far outweigh its perceived negatives on 6 meters. What was once difficult to impossible is, well, not routine but doable. Previously unknown marginal paths are being discovered and exploited to make QSOs. 

That is why FT8 has not only been accepted on the magic band but, over time, enthusiastically embraced. I don't see that changing.

Operating aids

In addition to spotting networks and continuous monitoring of the FT8 window at 50.313 MHz two operating aids were added to my arsenal this year: PSK Reporter and ON4KST chat.

PSK Reporter turns yours digital mode receiver into a reporter of stations heard. These can be viewed by you (or anyone) to see where in the world you're being received, including the time and signal strength. It's a great way to uncover openings. There are often surprises, such as one morning I was heard in W6 before their dawn while I was beaming Europe.

 

 

WSJT-X has a setting to turn on PSK Reporter reports. It is a good idea to check the box. That way you contribute to the community in exchange for your use of the system.

ON4KST chat has been around a long time. Before the internet it was common for DX coordination to take place on 28.885 MHz (SSB). This was a good choice since the MUF would reach 10 meters before extending to 6 meters and higher. Like every aspect of amateur radio the internet changed everything and, in my opinion, made it easier to navigate the whims of fickle VHF propagation.

I used the chat myself this season to coordinate contacts. It adds an incentive to know that the DX station is listening specifically for you. When you call blind it can be a lonely and solitary pursuit. It is also a good place to learn what others are hearing and working so that you can predict (as much as you can!) when your turn will come. You learn a lot just by monitoring.

Pushing the limits: future station improvements

With a bigger signal I could have reached 100 this year. There were countless times I heard stations that couldn't hear me, that resulted in partial QSOs or signals both ways were too weak and the opening no longer than 1 or 2 minutes. Missed countries in this category ranged from central Asia (UN) to the Middle East (9K, 4Z, OD), Africa, South America (LU, CE), Asia (HL) and many countries in Europe. 

Despite excellent DX results this year I am running into the limits of my station capabily. Sporadic E on the longest DX paths are brief and signals are very weak. Every decibel counts. At the very least I need more power. This year my plan was to have a kilowatt and lower loss transmission line it was delayed (again) by tower, antenna and equipment projects for HF.

The lack of an amplifier will be dealt with before the 2021 season. I would have had it this year but for some doubts over which amplifier to purchase. It's primarily for HF contesting and those requirements are the priority. I am close to making a decision.

My roll of Andrew AVA7 is still unused. When I began work on it this spring I discovered that my connectors -- two DIN and one N -- are for LDF7. They are not compatible. The problem areas can be rectified with some metal work but I couldn't spare the time to get it done on time.

I will probably have the Heliax prepared this fall as part of other HF antenna work because the cables will share a trench. The change from LMR400 should deliver up to 2 db lower loss. With remote switching the Heliax will eventually be used for 2 meters as well, another band where I like to chase DX (of the less exotic variety).

After 2021 when work on the HF station will be largely complete I will investigate larger antennas. With 6 elements up 24 meters my present antenna is pretty good but it can always be better. Better means more gain with a longer boom and a stack. These will garner 4 to 5 db improvement. For sporadic E propagation antenna gain is more important than height.

 

To many this will seem excessive considering the short season and relatively small number of QSOs that a few extra decibels will garner. But nothing about this hobby is profit driven: you spend what you can to have the fun you want. No matter your operating interests and objectives every expense in your shack and in your antennas follows the same calculus.

In light of forecasts for solar cycle 25 there is little hope for F-layer propagation. We had none at this latitude in cycle 24. Cycle 21 was fabulous for 6 meters in 1989/1990 and to get there took one of the highest solar cycle peaks on record. A repeat performance is unlikely during my lifetime.

 

Sporadic E and other challenging modes are all we are likely to have for many years, and to squeeze DX from those with small antennas and low power is too limiting for my taste. In 2021 my 6 meter station will be more effective. By this time next year I expect to have reached 100 countries on 6 meters FT8.

 

Last word

 

It seems I lied earlier. While writing this article (August 15) I worked one more country. D4 makes 90.

 

 

Maybe this really is it, but on 6 meters you never know. That's a part of its allure.