[SECC] 6 Meter Opening on Tuesday

[ku8e at bellsouth.net]

  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