Hi All..
Just back from a week long vacation to visit my family in Ohio. We also
spent a couple days on the way back in the Smoky Mountains.
I had an interesting experience on Tuesday night. We drove up to Clingmans
Dome, which at 6200 ft is the 2nd highest point on the East coast behind Mt
Rogers , in VA. I brought the IC706MKIIG along with a 6 meter Hustler mobile
whip. I have been up to the mountain several times but the bands were always
dead and about all I ever heard as far as DX were the NWS stations as far away
as Nashville and Atlanta.
On Tuesday night the 6 meter band was wide open to the east coast and
midwest. This was about the most intense opening I have experienced since I
starting operating on 6 a few years ago. It was also neat to work what I think
what was ground wave to other parts of TN and down into GA. With the simple
antenna I was using I was able to generate pileups when calling CQ. Too bad I
didn't have a 2 meter antenna since I found out later that it was open with
some E skip as well. I guess I will have to put a 2 meter halo on the shopping
list !!! This might be a neat place to checkout for the next VHF contest ???
73, Jeff KU8E
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