The above is a video of my first QSO on the six metre (50 Mhz) band this season. I saw that there was some activity on the band on DX Sherlock so switched on the Icom IC-746 and spun the VFO and suddenly I could hear morse. There were two OH stations (Finland) on different frequencies. I called on this one and he came back to me. He was 569 here on my fixed dipole, which ain't bad at all. Last year my first QSO on 6 metres was on May 1st so perhaps this is a sign of things to come? Well, we can always hope! Below is a map from DX Sherlock showing activity on 6m, including my own QSO, at the time.
Some time before this, earlier in the evening, there were some strange band conditions. I heard EI4KF putting out a CQ but there was no audible tone. I listened as he worked a couple of G stations and they had no tone either. Whatever conditions were present meant the tones were not coming through. Indeed EI4KF was giving the G stations a "441" report indicating an absent tone. I never encountered that in my previous two seasons on 6m. Below is a short (and poor quality) video of EI4KF with the absent tone.
I should also clarify that I worked EI4KF before the OH6 station, so technically EI4KF was my first 6m QSO of the season, but OH6NG was my first "outside Ireland" QSO of the year!
Congratulations on the contact!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike. Interesting to hear a nice signal on the band so early.
DeleteTrying to be as good as me with my 6m contact into Europe on the 30th December!!! That was the one I worked on 100watts on the long wire when you were up with me... I think you bring RF Propagation with you!!!
ReplyDeleteTony, no-one will ever be as good a VHFer as you were in your hayday!
DeleteHi Anthony
ReplyDeleteIntresting to see there was no sign of any Aurora on the signal, there was some reported on 6m yesterday,
maybe it was AU E's which I have never seen so not sure about how it affects tone.
the OH6 was a great signal
best of luck on 6 I hope its a good year after the disapointment that was the 2011 E's season
73
Trevor
EI2GLB
Trevor, I have a video of EI4KF CQing which I will try to upload to YouTube when I get the chance. It was fascinating. I recorded it on the FT-897 then I went downstairs and worked him from the shack on the 746 but I have no recording of me actually worting him.
DeleteTrevor, I have now added that video of EI4KF's CQ with absent tone. Let me know what you think.
ReplyDelete