[50mhz] Re: [ZSVHF] WSJT EME Operation

[Lance Collister]

Hal ZS6WB wrote:
> During the past three years EME activity has grown to levels that the early
> amateur radio pioneers could not even dreamed of when the first amateur EME
> contact was completed on 1296 MHz on July 21, 1960 between W6HB in
> California and W1FZJ in Massachusetts. In April 1964 W6DNG and OH1NL
> completed the first 144 MHz EME contact and only one month later KP4BPZ and
> W1BU made an EME contact on 432 MHz. The 50 MHz band was more difficult
> because of the size of the antenna system that was necessary and the initial
> EME contact on this band was not made until July 1972. Until recently EME
> activity was limited to a relatively small group of amateur operators around
> the world because of the large antenna systems and high power levels that
> were required and most contacts were made on CW because it was the most
> efficient mode in use at the time.
>
> The WSJT software developed by Joe Taylor, K1JT only a few short years ago
> has brought about a huge amount of interest in VHF DXing via the moon and
> EME popularity has grown by leaps and bounds.  While initial WSJT EME
> activity was mainly on 144 MHz, recently interest has grown in operation on
> the 50, 432 and 1296 MHz bands and contacts on these bands are being made on
> almost a daily basis. Because of the improved efficiency in transmission and
> reception stations are smaller and at least a few contacts with the "Big
> Guns" can be made by even the smallest WSJT station.
>
> The 144 MHz band was added to the ARRL DXCC program a few years ago and W5UN
> received the first 2m DXCC award with his initial 100 countries made mostly
> on CW using his massive antenna system consisting of 36 stacked Yagis each 5
> wavelengths long. In the latest DXCC listing Dave currently has 183
> countries credited and it is my understanding that the 200 mark is not far
> off. Many DXCC entities are active on EME regularly and many DXpeditions to
> rare locations include EME operation on at least 144 MHz WSJT and some have
> even managed a few QSOs on 50 and 432 MHz.  Peter I, Libya and Mali are
> among rare entities recently active on 144 MHz EME and during 2006 Hannes,
> ZS6JDE made the first ever EME contacts from Mozambique on both 144 & 432
> MHz.
>
> During the holidays, why don't you add at least one EME contact to your
> logbook. If you have any questions regarding procedures or how to make
> schedules please contact me at zs6wb at telkomsa.net and I will do whatever I
> can to help. Making a VHF contact via the moon is something to tell the boys
> at your local club about.
>
>
>
>
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>   
Many thanks for the very good summary of the EME history and the impact 
that WSJT has made on making EME contacts more possible.  As Hal 
explained, JT65 mode mostly has made it more possible for smaller 
stations to complete contacts with weaker signals.  This is most 
apparent on 6m though, where previously impossible contacts are now 
routinely made with signals that CANNOT EVEN BE HEARD through the 
headphones!  But they can CLEARLY be seen on the JT65 computer screen, 
and the inaudible digital signals are decoded by the program and the 
messages are displayed on the computer screen.  Talk about the Magic 
Band!  If there ever was any question, there now is no doubt about the 
magic that is available on the 6m ham band!  I have been a ham for over 
40 years, and have never had so much fun as during the last year on 6m 
EME!  What was previously only a historic accomplishment between 
extremely well equipped stations with huge antennas has now become an 
almost everyday event with single yagi stations on at least one end of 
the contact!

Hal introduced me to the true magic that digital communications offers 
when we made the first 6m EME contact using digital communications about 
5 years ago.  I was very happy to work my first ZS station on 6m, but I 
was also totally amazed that it had actually been possible.  So we ran 
another sked the next weekend just to prove that it wasn't just a fluke 
- and we completely easily on the second try also!

Even with the help of the very sensitive digital mode of JT65A, 6m EME 
is still very susceptible to any type of signal degredation.  The 
distance to the moon, whether the sky behind the moon is noisy, whether 
the geomagnetic field is disturbed....all these combine to either make 
the weak EME signals barely discernible or lost in the noise.  However, 
the bottom of the sunspot cycle is upon us, and the geomagnetic field 
has been for the most part quite quiet, making this the perfect time to 
explore the magic of 6m EME!  The predictable orbital conditions for 6m 
EME look very good during the period between Christmas and New Year's, 
so please at least give a listen when your moon is below 15 degrees.  As 
it moves down through the various ground gain lobes of your antenna, you 
just might wind up with enough antenna gain to decode those magic 
signals at the end of their 750,000 km path!  You can see what schedules 
are taking place by monitoring the ON4KST 6m chat page or the N0UK JT65 
chat page:

http://www.on4kst.info/chat/index.php
http://www.chris.org/cgi-bin/jt65eme

If you have not already done so, you will be amazed to see all the magic 
EME contacts that are quietly going on "dead bands" around the world!  
And on 6m, many of the stations who have completed EME contacts are only 
using a single yagi, and are utilizing enhancement from the ground gain 
as the moon passes down (or up) through the antennna lobes near the 
horizon.  Best wishes to all for a Christmas (and a New Year) filled 
with Magic ;-) 

VY 73, Lance

Lance Collister, W7GJ
56 countries on 6m EME (109 6m countries total)
115+ countries on 144 MHz (lost count!)

http://www.bigsksyspaces.com/w7gj