Tag Archives: Scandinavia

September 2020 tropo

Posted on September 23, 2020 | Leave a comment

After a long time with no decent tropo it has been an interesting week with a good opening to Scandinavia and the Baltic. Conditions were first good on 17^th September when I worked OZ on 23 cms, but on 2 metres it seemed initially that the good propagation was going over our heads on the East Coast, with the West, Wales and Northern Ireland being favoured into Scandinavia. I cannot complain too much. I did make some good QSOs as the days moved on, the highlights being on 2 metres SM4GGC at 1183 km and on 70 cms SP1MVG who called me when I was just finishing with OZ1BNN. Poland was a new country on 70 cms and obviously a new square.

I run 100 watts on 2 metres and 10 watts on 23 cms with my IC-9700, and 50 watts on 70 cms using my FT991.

Here is a summary of the most pleasing contacts, all SSB:

2 metres

17/09/20	OZ1BEF	JO46
18/09/20	DK4EE	JO41
	DL2RZ	JO54
19/09/20	GM4YXI	IO87
	GM0OQV	IO85
20/09/20	DG8LG	JO44
	DL0CX	JO43
	DL5BBF	JO42
	SM4GGC	JO69	1183 km
	OZ1BNN	JO55
	OZ6OL	JO65
21/09/20	SM7GVF	JO77
	OZ8ZY	JO54
	GM4JOJ	IO97
	SM6VTZ	JO58

70 cms

17/09/20	SM6VTZ	JO58
	OZ9FW	JO65
20/09/20	DJ8MS	JO54
	DL4EEC	JO33
	MM0CEZ	IO75
	OZ1BNN	JO55
	SP1MVG	JO74	987 km	New country on 70 cms
21/09/20	SM7GVF	JO77
	OZ4VW	JO45

23 cms

15/09/20	OZ1FF	JO45
20/09/20	DB8WK	JO33

Late June tropo

Posted on July 10, 2019 | Leave a comment

Having missed out on all the Sporadic E on 2 metres save IK8EVE (JN71) on 1^st June it was good to be treated to some decent tropo. Starting on the evening of 27^th June, on 2 metres I worked with my 25 watts all on SSB:

DF2WF JO30

DM8MM JO31

DF0WD JO42

DJ6AG JO51

DK5DQ JO31

On 28^th June in the evening on 2 metres:

SK7MW JO65

SM7XWX JO65

OZ6TY JO55

OZ1BEF JO46

DL3TW JO44

DL2RZ JO54

On 29^th June in the morning earlyish

DK3EE JO41

SM7YES JO67 and incredibly strong signal.

On 29^th June, SK6VHF (JO57) on 144.404 MHz was audible until about midday but faded as pressure fell so that when we were down to 1012 millibars at 1700 I knew the event was over.

I did try my luck on 70 cms with my one watt, and worked on 28^th June:

SM6CEN JO67

OZ9FW JO65

So, a little bit of fun finding and working a little way away. I seem to have some advantage with sea paths, being near to the Thames and Crouch estuaries, and reaching mainly stations near the coast in Scandinavia.

Tropo update October 2018

Posted on October 20, 2018 | Leave a comment

After several decades absence I have been operational on 2 metres SSB since the end of February 2018. I have been using an old Eighties FT290R and a small amplifier running only 25 watts to a 7-element antenna.

I have not observed any spectacular tropo openings, but last week we had some propagation into Scandinavia.

On 8^th October in the evening I worked

OZ6OL JO65dj 878 km

SM7DTT JO65lj 923 km

SM7NR JO76rc 1091 km

And on the morning of 9^th

SM7NR JO76 again with minimal activity from UK.

On 70 cms with one watt SSB from an FT790R I worked on the morning of 9^th:

OZ9FW JO65co 882 km

And in the UKAC 70 cms contest in the evening of 9^th with one watt:

SK7MW JO65mj 923 km

OV2T JO46qh 774 km

The opening seemed very localised. There was not much good propagation in between, at least as far as my location in Hockley, Essex was concerned. However, good results can be had with a modest station. I am hoping to have a bit more power soon.

Tag Archives: Scandinavia

September 2020 tropo

Late June tropo

Tropo update October 2018

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