Traditionally, the Es season in the northern hemisphere peaks around May, June, July. It is now well into August and I am wondering if more people are "staying around" on 10m and 6m FT8 than before?
In the past, many people took a look, heard nobody, so QSYed to a lower band. With FT8 a band can be monitored very easily and signals can be fleeting and weak. It is my thought that brief peaks in Es occur far more often than we think. FT8 might just be the key that "unlocks the door".
Today, as an example my 2.5W to a vertical omni has been spotted widely in Europe (96 stations at 1442z) on 6m FT8. Openings may only be fleeting and weak, but that can be enough. With more power and a beam just imagine what could be possible.
4 comments:
To be fair, weak signal modes like FT8 are extending any season of propagation, so yes, FT8 does extend the Es season.
Vy 73 de OZ9QV, Jan
Agreed Jan. I suspect many QSY too soon, not realising the band is still "open".
Oh yes, FT8 extends it for shure. I still received Japan this morning on 6m. And saw scandinavian stations making QSOs with JA. 73, Bas
Oh, yes, Bas,
I saw a JA on my monitor setup this morning, with very poor antenna setup, using the 6m portion of my R-6000 antenna. Poor performance, but giid enough for general monitoring.
73, Jan
Post a Comment