Posted: 3/14/2012 6:53:05 AM EDT
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I've kept http://aprs.mountainlake.k12.mn.us/ open on my work PC over the past month or so as I wait to build my new 2M SSB station.
Yesterday and today propagation in the center of the US seems to be amazing through the morning until sometime in the early afternoon. Are any of you working any of this? Can anyone tell me exactly what kind of propagation this is? Any other bands open too? I have ideas but I'm very new to this. 
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Yep, tropospheric ducting along the weather fronts really perks up in the spring with the extreme temperature differentials that are out there.
As far as other bands, 1.25m would be as good if not better than 2m with most ducting; 70cm can be exceptional as well although (IME) not at quite the range that the other two bands can do, and sometimes it propagates even when 2m doesn't much. 6m usually doesn't pick up much unless it's an exceptional Tropo opening. One of my favorite tropo memories wasn't even from a contest or anything... when I was in college I had an evening opening about 75 miles into a 70cm repeater. 2m wasn't happening but there I was in my apt, running 1/2 watt into my HT and chatting on this 440 repeater that was 75mi away, which was coming in full scale. |
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Quoted: I've kept http://aprs.mountainlake.k12.mn.us/ open on my work PC over the past month or so as I wait to build my new 2M SSB station. Would you mind sharing what you're building? |
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Interdasting. Seems to drop off quite a bit just north of Miami (where I am  )
How would an Ed Fong PVC antenna factor into this? Is an entirely different antenna needed? As always, it's always about the antenna... with that said, a good tropo opening will get you long distances with next to nothing (witness my 1/2 watt + rubber duck + indoors repeater story above). Only time it would be a "no" is if you were trying to do SSB on 2m, as the convention is horizontal polarization for the weak signal modes. |
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At my present qth I ran a Icom 746Pro a pair of M2 stacked 6m holoops and pair of 2 meter holoops stacked between them. Height of the top loop was only about 35 feet. On 6m I ran a PW1 amplifier at 1000 watts and 100 watts on 2m. Not a big gun or optimal station but could always create a pileup on 6m and 2m was fun but challenging with only 100 watts an omni antennas.
At the new qth I will be able to put up a tower. So will be adding yagis for 6 and 2. I will still use the stacked loops hung from side of the tower. |
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I've kept http://aprs.mountainlake.k12.mn.us/ open on my work PC over the past month or so as I wait to build my new 2M SSB station. Would you mind sharing what you're building? Thanks for the replies. It looks like it's happening again this morning but not quite as strong or widespread yet. I've never really tried SSB above 10 M but this past January I tuned my IC-R7100 around 6 and 2 M during the ARRL January VHF Contest and decided that it sounded like a lot of fun. I didn't hear much on 2 but I heard a lot of activity on 6 just using my regular HF antennas. I had already decided to get a Flex-5000A, and this made me decide to get it with the VHF/UHF module installed. That should arrive in a couple weeks since they've been back ordered. I've also decided what to get for antennas but still haven't pulled the trigger on them or the tower. It's a lot of money that I should be spending somewhere besides my Ham hobby! Could just make a couple dipoles or something and wait until next year for the tower... A lot of factors went into my tower and antenna selections. Number one and two being survivability and cost, which are usually mutually exclusive. I chose a Heights 48' with stiffened sections on a fold over kit. Engineered for 16 SF at 115 MPH. Actual height once on the base is 53' and then about 8' of mast above that, so the top antenna will be around 61'. Mosley TA-63-N 3-element for 6 through 20 meters above the tower. Then a M2 2M9SSB and a Directive Systems DSFO432-15RS on the mast above. The best bang for the buck with quality construction and a low wind profile that I could come up. |