[50mhz] 6m update from KH8 - 4th and 5th moonpasses

[Lance Collister, W7GJ]

Sorry for the delay in updating things here - I have been kinda busy ;-)

Thursday July 17, 2014 - Fourth moon pass.  I was on from moonrise to moonset.   
Again, the night time skies were clear enough for visual aiming practically all the 
time.  Having no serious rain storms while I am at high elevations REALLY helps, 
since I have to shut down if the lower elements are in contact with the wet dacron 
guy ropes.   Stations worked this moon pass were:  On4GG, F6BKI, G4IGO, CT1HZE, 
ZL3NW, N6RMJ, W6XU, K7RWT, K8WW, W7IUV, E51SL (Es), YT1AR, SM7FJE, IW5DHN (who still 
decoded me when my moon was down to -2 degrees elevation!), and SM7AED.   That 
brought the total 6m EME stations in the log to 41.   Copied but NOT worked were: 
G8VR, W4IMD, W4CSW, N9FTC, K5RK, K5AM, W7EW, OH6MIK, HA0DU, and YU7EF.

Friday, July 18, 2015 - Fifth moon pass.  I confess that I finally crashed :-(   I 
slept 14 hours and missed the EU moonset and NA moonsets :-(   However, during the EU 
moonrise, I worked OH6MIK, HA7TM, YU7EF and HA0DU, bringing the total 6m EME worked 
to 45 so far.   Stations copied but NOT worked were:  S51DI, YO9HP, LZ2WO, 9A8A, 
OZ1DJJ, S57RR, SV8CS and UZ5DZ.

Just a reminder - PSE PSE only send me MSG #2 (calls and OOO reports) if you are 
seeing my trace in the previous period.   I use that to determine who I can work most 
quickly.  I will usually try 3 times to reply to such stations with calls and OOO 
reports to them, but if they don't reply by then with RO, I will move on to someone 
else and they are at the bottom of the list (because I just assume they are sending 
the wrong message all the time anyway).

We are working quickly through the list of active 6m EME stations, and the windows 
with EU are increasing, so there are still some good chances even though the 
Degradation is on the increase.  Remember, I have a negative horizon of 2 degrees on 
both moonrise and moonset - with ground gain lobes there! - so PSE do not wait until 
my moon is over zero degrees to look for me!    Tomorrow I will take some photos of 
my moonrise and moonset out over the ocean with NOTHING in the way ;-)

MANY of the stations I have worked have been single yagi stations. The smallest was 
again N3CXV using his 6M5X yagi aimed at the horizon during his moonset.   If you are 
a serious 6m DXer, please give me a call on 50.190 JT65A mode during your moonset.  
As long as you coordinate your calling frequency with others on the ON4KST EME CHAT 
page, you will not be QRMing anyone else.   Just do NOT change your frequency once 
you have started calling, because the DF of the callers is what I record and that is 
how I track what stations are sending what ;-)  It is very unlikely that we will copy 
each other best at exactly the same time, so it is nice if I can at least get a jump 
on a contact with you by decoding you first - PSE do NOT wait until you decode me to 
start warming up your XMTR!

A final HUGE THANK YOU to everyone for using the ON4KST EME CHAT page so well to 
coordinate your calling frequencies!  I have not missed any contacts due to QRM 
caused by stations on top of each other.   You have done an OUTSTANDING JOB of 
spreading out!  I am sure that is one of the reasons so many stations have made it 
into the log so far, despite the VERY short window with EU!   I have been able to 
access that page from time to time while I am operating, but I only rarely look at 
it, because I am busy enough decoding all the callers each sequence, making notes, 
completing contacts and  aiming the antenna.  If you have any questions about how to 
work me, please see the KH8 DXpedition page at my website, or ask some of the helpful 
6m EME stations on the ON4KST EME CHAT page.

And also, thanks for the many well wishers.  My infected toe is getting much better 
now that I have been on antibiotics for a few days.   I still have having trouble 
following the instructions of the Russian doctor at the hospital Emergency Room, 
though.  He said I needed to stay in bed for 5 days with my foot elevated.  I thanked 
him for the appointment and prescription, but explained that bedrest just was not in 
the published operating schedule on my website ;-)

I plan to be QRV from moonrise to moonset on Saturday and Sunday, and PROBABLY also 
Monday.  I hope to CU on the moon for a  REAL long path contact of half a million miles!

GL and VY 73, Lance

-- 
Lance Collister, W7GJ
(ex WA3GPL, WA1JXN, WA1JXN/C6A, ZF2OC/ZF8, E51SIX, 3D2LR, 5W0GJ, E6M, TX5K)
P.O. Box 73
Frenchtown, MT   59834-0073
USA
TEL: (406) 626-5728
QTH: DN27ub
URL: http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj
Skype: lanceW7GJ
2m DXCC #11/6m DXCC #815

Interested in 6m EME?  Ask me about subscribing to the Magic Band EME
email group, or just fill in the request box at the bottom of my web
page (above)!