[SEDXC] Questions on 6 meter DX

[SteveWS4F at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/3/03 11:30:06 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
thompson at mindspring.com writes:


> This past week I kept the FT 920 on 6 meters while I worked on the CQ 160
> Logs.  Watching DX summit I found about 25% of the DX spots.   I noticed
> K4EA working Europe and my little 4 el at 10 feet over the roof ( 2 story so
> about 35 feet up).   I heard one of the stations he worked at S4 when he
> gave S7 which is OK but the others were not even a whisper.  The Beam is
> fixed at 45 degrees and I can switch between it and my 40 meter beam I have
> used in the past.
> 
> The biggest surprise was trying to hear CY9A.  He was spotted many times on
> 50106 but except for one burst of CW at 339 I never heard him.  VE1 came in
> several times but NADA on the CY9A.   One day about 2300Z I heard K4PI and
> others working him (even on SSB) but nothing on either antennas.  Later
> WA4NJP in Gainesville was working him on SSB and told him he was loud.  I
> asked Wa4NJP if he was on the frequency and he said yes just point NE (where
> I was pointing).  He then said he was 599 on CW (they had a beacon).   I
> listened for a while and finally heard the short burst at 339.
> 
> Is this common on 6 meters?   I was working W6 and 7 during the ARRL June
> VHF and a local who has a good antenna broke in and asked how loud they were
> as he could just copy them.
> 
> 73 Dave K4JRB
> 
> 
> 

Hi Dave-

It happens all the time on 6, in every combination and permutation possible.  
Anyone who has been on 6 for long has hundreds of weird stories.  I have 2- 9 
el. beams at 55 and 80 ft., and can access each individually, or both 
together.  Frequently, on all types of propagation,  I have Q5 copy on one antenna 
and nothing on the other- sometimes the upper antenna, and sometimes the lower.  
I also have a 5 el. at 40 ft., and sometimes it hears better than either or 
both of the big boys (admittedly, not often :).  WA4NJP and W4WA are both 
within 15 miles of me, and it is not at all unusual for what one of them is hearing 
to be very different from what I hear. The footprint of openings on 6 is 
frequetly very small, and moves around a lot.  Also, the angle of radiation is 
frequently very high in Sporadic E openings, which explains why low antennas 
sometimes do better than high ones.  These are among the things that make 6 both 
the most fascinating and the most frustrating band we have..

73,

Steve, K4RF