2017/2018 Summer DX Season

[VK4WDM]

Good you worked the H44 on 50MHz there Wayne, heard him twice and very weak at that, also heard Antoine 3D2AG two or three times a 539 at very best on CW.  Very few of the FK8 gang around, only heard one.

OK Leigh and Hayden on the digital modes on 50MHz, sorry lads, they don't interest me.  The path 2017/2018 summer season seemed to favour the south, plenty of VK3, VK5 and VK7 plus ZL.  Accessed quite a few VK7 and the the two VK5 53MHz FM repeaters and worked a few of the regulars.  

Interesting that the southern people in VK3 and VK7 worked into the Philippines, that path totally skipped over me, not a thing heard of the DU this way.  Wasn't concerned as not a ATNO for me, I tend to concentrate on ATNO's.

Unlike last summer zero noted from Guam or Hawaii which are usually regulars in the summer season.  

Jack VK2XQ QF56dm.

"digital modes on 50MHz, sorry lads, they don't interest me"

Jack, this is 2018 not 1918.  The sound of ham radio is no longer di dah its diddly, diddly diddly!  

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I'd have to agree with Hayden that on 6m WSPR it was busy every day usually starting early morning from somewhere. On numerous days the MUF reached over 100 MHz. On some days it reached over 162 MHz.

A number of stations were able to work into parts of South America on at least 6 occassions on FT8 and I think some made it on SSB and CW, but that would need confirmation maybe from someone like Scott VK4CZ or Brian VK5BC.

There were a couple of paths to California that were detected to California earlier in the season before the solstice.

Was very hectic there for a while, was good fun.

The season was mixed up here in Townsville. There were 6m openings to all VK and ZL but they were usually very brief. I did not hear anything from the Americas. Highlight was working H44 which was a new country for me. Some southern stations were complaining that the Townsville 6m beacon VK4RTL was being heard but no stations were contacted. The beacon is on Mt Stuart at an elevation of 584m whereas most stations are located on the flat ground.

For me, 2m was disappointing with no sporadic E openings to the south.  FK8 commercial FM stations were heard several times but no 2m contacts eventuated.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

I am glad that you and Lloyd made it on 2m.  This shows the important of digital modes as indicators of open paths especially if the opening is brief.

The use of JT65 on 6m is certainly showing what is possible when weak-signal modes are used. I often ponder on what my DXCC entity count would be if JT65 was available during 1999-2002.

Wayne VK4WDM