50313: Share What You Hear

It's May and sporadic E season has arrived. Single hop and DX openings on 6 meters are becoming more frequent. I have resumed daily monitoring 6 meters. It is my habit to monitor 50.313 MHz with the yagi pointing in a likely (or hopeful) direction when I am elsewhere or not using the station on HF. Computer cycles are free and, who knows, surprises happen.

Apart from my own benefit from this practice, I am also helping others. There are many 6 meter enthusiasts around the world that periodically CQ when conditions are promising, and even when not, to see what they can turn up. Most often nothing is heard. But there's more to it than that.

Revisiting discovery

One of the great benefits of digital modes like FT8 is the ease of discovery. There is no need to constantly spin the VFO knob to hunt for stations. Although I am a strong believer in knob turning, it is not so practical for elusive sporadic E openings. 

The band opens for 2 minutes, a DX station or two pops out of the noise...but you miss the chance of a QSO because your VFO is elsewhere. Or you've grown weary of spinning the knob and you're taking a break. There goes your chance for a new DXCC country. Automatic scanning helps somewhat but it is still far from reliable. Think about how easy it is to miss a CW station as you tune past. All it takes is swishing past during the space between characters and you hear nothing.

You can tune to one of the many beacons on 6 meters and just sit there waiting for a signal. They're still there despite the prevalent use of digital modes, they're just not as necessary as they once were. When you hear a signal in Europe, what should you do? You can't work the beacon so back you go to spinning the knob or calling endless CQs, often to no avail. Sporadic E is really sporadic! Hearing a beacon is not always indicative of a broader opening or the presence of stations to work.

By monitoring the community FT8 watering hole at 50.313 MHz you will decode all signals that propagation brings your way. You can quickly see the activity and respond. The probability of a successful QSO under marginal conditions is far greater than on CW or SSB. When conditions are hot, move to the intercontinental DX window at 50.323 MHz to escape the QRM.

Where I'm being heard

We can do better. Here is a map produced by PSK Reporter from a recent opening. It shows where and when I was heard on 50.313 MHz FT8. The data comes from stations that upload their decoded messages to PSK Reporter.

I am highlighting OA4DYQ since I had just worked him for a new digital DXCC entity on 6 meters. The QSO was barely possible as you can see by his reception report of -21 db. His signal was about the same relative strength here. Notice in how many countries my signal was decoded.

Scratch my back and...

...I'll scratch yours. Returning a favour is not only polite. Everyone active on 6 meters benefits. Click one box and you're done. Unlike DX spotting networks, the spots do not have to be done manually for others to learn what you are hearing.

Check the box labelled "Enable PSK Reporter Spotting" and you're done (JTDX also has this feature). As you monitor, call signs and signal reports are uploaded to PSK Reporter in near real time. Since OA4DYQ was doing that, I could browse to the PSK Reporter mapping page, enter my call and select the band and mode to see that he is receiving me. 

I am surprised that many stations are not yet connected to PSK Reporter. When I work them I notice that they are not on the map. Perhaps this is a carryover from HF where there are so many active stations that there is less incentive to enable the feature. For the fickle propagation found on 6 meters it is very helpful for more stations to use the PSK Reporter service so that we can see what other stations are hearing. Knowing that the band is open spurs me to keep sending CQ. Those map markers tell you who is monitoring and I want to light them up.

Of course there are many stations in remote areas without a reliable internet connection. The rest of us should not overlook this valuable feature, which is why I am motivated to talk about it again at the start of a new sporadic E season.

I mentioned in a article two years ago how these reports led me to a wholly unexpected opening to Japan. On seeing a flag in Japan, I turned the yagi and immediately worked JA8EPO. That's the power of PSK Reporter. Those flags may be the only indication that a DX path is open.

Many 6 meter stalwarts make a point of testing propagation with a string of CQs and see what shows up on PSK Reporter. I am often surprised where I'm being heard.

Single Decodes

Marginal signals that have only one isolated decoded message are not workable, so why care? I care because it shows the potential of a workable opening. When I see them, I know to keep watching the propagation path for further developments or call CQ. Often nothing further develops. Other times it is the harbinger of a superb DX opening.

The single decode may be due to a short-lived zone of intense ionization in just the right spot in the E layer. It could also be a random meteor trail that foretells nothing of great interest. However, a meteor in the right place at the right time can combine with sporadic E or F layer propagation to result in a short-lived propagation path. Other combinations also may form, such as the more common sporadic E and TEP to bring South American signals to this part of North America.

Each isolated decode is enticing since there is no certain way to tell if a workable path will open. Keep monitoring or try to light up those PSK Reporter flags with a CQ. 

When you upload to PSK Reporter you are encouraging the DX stations to keep trying. You want that, to let them know that you hear them, even though they may be unworkable or you are not in the shack. They'll know propagation is present to your part of the world.

The coming maximum

With the peak of the solar cycle rapidly approaching, the opportunities for propagation modes that connect sporadic E to F-layer modes will increase. F-layer propagation on its own is fantastic but we don't yet know how high the maximum will go this solar cycle. 

The better the maximum, the better the traditional CW and SSB modes will work. Not everyone likes digital. There will be something for everyone. If the solar maximum turns out to be a dud, expect digital to continue to account for at least 90% of 6 meter DX contacts. Use the mode that suits the propagation to maximize DX success. The ionosphere is not obligated to do what we like, so be flexible.

That's enough for this article. Looking through my posting history there are an awful lot of articles about 6 meters and 6 meter DXing. It's one of my passions. Since the web statistics show that those articles are quite popular, many of you must feel the same way.