[AK-VHF] Auroral propagation

[Ed Cole]

Hudson,

I am on the Kenai Peninsula (and not in Fairbanks area) so my knowledge 
about VHF activity is limited to Anchorage area.

Most 2m activity is on FM and incorporates use of repeaters.  6m 
activity, out side of DX-openings, revolves around local VHF nets.

There are approx 2-3 dozen stations capable of CW/SSB but average the 
VHF-Up Net check-in's on 2m-SSB is about six.  Nearly double that on FM

Although I have made a couple contacts on 6m and 2m with Fairbanks it 
was using eme sized antenna arrays and min of 150w.  This was extended 
Tropo propagation.

6m auroral contacts have happened (on CW) but kind of rare.  6m-DX is 
mostly using FT8.  Sporadic-E is most common DX prop (April-mid July) 
and smaller extent in November.  Last Nov I made contact with CE6UFF in 
Chile (apparently via F2 prop):
https://www.kl7uw.com/6M-LOG2.pdf

So tropo, meteor-scatter, auroal-E, sporadic-E and occasionally F2 (on 6m).

VHF ham population is clustered around large population centers (such as 
Fairbanks & Anchorage).  Bush located hams typically operate only HF.

There is a population of approx. 4,000 hams living in AK.

73, Ed - KL7UW
NC for AK VHF-UP Net
https://www.kl7uw.com/

On 3/23/2025 3:02 PM, hspil via ak-vhf wrote:
> Howdy,
> 
> I'm moving back to AK (specifically the Fairbanks area) shortly and should soon have disposable time and income to apply to operating on VHF.
> 
> Does anyone have experience operating via auroral propagation on 2 and 6m in AK? Are there enough operators within range to have success or is 6m sporadic-E the only practical option for terrestrial weak signal VHF in AK? Or is there another propagation mode I'm overlooking?
> 
> Thanks and 73,
> Hudson Spillers, KL4LJ
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