[SixClub] Six is open in Oklahoma

[mikea]

On Wed, Jun 02, 2010 at 10:11:49AM -0400, Ryan Lughermo wrote:
> Some questions about 6 meter operating.
> 
> 1.  Typically when is the band open more frequently, morning, evenings or 
> ???

My experience, which may not be typical, is that it's more often open in
afternoons and early evenings. 

> 2.  Does anyone even bother with the FM calling frequency or nearby 
> frequencies?  I know it isn't the sexy SSB section, but right now thats all 
> I have to work with.  (i.e. 52.525mhz  +/-)

I confess I don't usually look at the FM freqs. I probably should, but
at the moment it wouldn't do me much good: my current HF+6 rig is a
Yaesu FT-920 without the FM board. Gotta get that!

> 3. Other issues I should look for such as weather conditions that help 6 
> meter propagation?

Meteor showers can provide lots of 10 second and longer bursts of good
propagation, from bounces off their trails of ionization, I understand.
I've been the beneficiary of some of those a few times, working west
from OKC to NM, AZ, NV, and CA one night. The best views of meteor
showers are around your local midnight, according to the astronomers, so
one or two hours each side of midnight (2200 to 0200 your local time)
may give you the best chance of meteor bounce.

Ducting caused by temperature inversions can help; my experience with
that is mostly up around 2m. I've worked repeaters in Dallas (200 miles)
from OKC, mobile, on mornings when there was a strong inversion. Listen
to your FM broadcast radio. If you start hearing DX stations on it, then
light up the rig and see what you can work on 2m -- and on 6m.

Sometimes, when a front is moving in, you get interesting propagation
because of the differences in refractive index at RF between the two
layers of air at different temperatures. This is related to ducting,
above. 

There's also transequatorial ducting, which is a different phenomenon; I
don't recall seeing an explanation for it, but hven't really looked. It
has been responsible for some of my more interesting mobile QSOs on 15m
and 17m. 

Others? 

-- 
Mike Andrews, W5EGO
mikea at mikea.ath.cx
Tired old sysadmin