[SCCC] VP6DX 6 Meter Beacon On the Air & 160 NA Sked

[Art-W6KY]

6m beacon now on the air
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At about 2008 Feb 19 Tue 0000z the VP6DX 6m beacon began operations. The 
beacon frequency is 50105.5 kHz. Beacon power is 70 watts to a Yagi. We 
will try beaming east-northeast for two hours around our sunrise... 
north-northeast to USA/Canada/Central America for the remainder of the day.

The beacon speaker is on our picnic table, used for meals and relaxing, 
and next to the east operating tent. In addition we have a spectrum 
display monitoring a portion of the 6m beacon band.

Please submit any reception reports via the VP6DX.COM website (they will 
be forwarded to the operator team). You may call us on the beacon 
frequency, or contact any of our HF operators to alert us for an opening.

North American 160m schedule
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Most 160m operators in North America recognize that, when sun sets at 
Ducie Island (0300z), it is dark in North America and most of Europe.

Between this time and European sunrise is the only propagation window 
for contacts between Ducie Island and Europe. Many years will pass 
before another expedition arrives at Ducie Island at the bottom of the 
sunspot cycle. As a result, one of our expedition goals is to give as 
many stations in Europe and Asia a 160m contact with Ducie Island.

To accomplish this goal, North American stations (with much shorter path 
to Ducie) will need to wait.

Our top band operating team proposes that, on every evening, we will 
begin making contacts with North America no later than 08z. There is no 
need for North America top band operators to wait until their local 
sunrise to contact Ducie Island. 160m is staffed with an operator 
throughout the night.

As described elsewhere, the team has invested considerable work in an 
effective receiving antenna system to help us pull weak signals out from 
the static. Please give 160m a try! We are waiting for your call.

We would be delighted if DX editors would publish this information as 
widely as possible and DXers bring it to the attention of their clubs 
and fellow DXers.