[50mhz] Contest propagation de NE0P EM04

[John Geiger]

I hope everyone enjoyed themselves this past weekend,
and from SW Oklahoma, this was definitely a tale of 2
contest.  After a quiet week 6wise, we had a very nice
opening Friday night-to both the SE US and the West
Coast, and I heard many double hop E QSOs being made
between those 2.  I was hoping this was a good sign
for the contest weekend, and I even picked up a new
grid: EM97. That one has haunted me for quite a while.
 

At the start of the contest on saturday, we had nice
Eskip to Arizona and California, lasting for 90
minutes to 2 hours. The band then died, but the Eskip
reappeared around 6pm or so, lasting until almost
midnight.  It was open to California, Oregon,
Washington, Nevada, and a little to the Ohio Valley. 
My biggest surprised was workind DM80 in west Texas. 
That is pretty short for 6 meters, but it might have
been done on Tropo, I am not sure.  Several stations
in Oklahoma and Northern Texas had 2 meter Eskip into
California, but I was out doing family things at that
time (it figures), so I don't know if the Es made it
to my grid or not.  Most of the spots showed QSOs
being made with DM14, which I already have confirmed
on 2, but it would have made a nice contest
multiplier.  All in all I picked up 3 new grids on 6
during saturday's run, giving me about 390 worked for
grids.

Sunday was completely different-in one word: DEAD.  I
heard a few very brief Es or meteor burns on sunday AM
from EN37, heard K9NS weakly for a little while, and a
couple of EN82 stations, but that was it.  I didn't
work outside of the OK/TX area on 6 on sunday at all.
I guess we had some aurora in the area sunday evening,
but I missed it again due to family things (have to
get rid of that family).  I don't know if the AU
actually made it this far south, as the only report I
saw from the southern portion of OK was from KM5PO in
the Dallas area, but he has an EME class station.  Not
sure I could have worked it from here on 2 meters or
not.

Anyway, did get 62 grids on 6 during the contest,
which is not as good as last year (70 then), but I did
have more QSOs this year.

See everyone this weekend for the SMIRK contest.

73s John NE0P



		
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