Topband: Equinox EU DX season report at VE6WZ

[Mike Smith VE9AA]

Interesting Steve.

I spent decades working everything that moved on 6m cw and to a lesser
degree, ssb.  Since ft has taken over 6m I almost never turn a 6m rig on.
But I digress.  

I even went so far as to leave sites like on4kst chats and other logging
programs bubble along (for alarms) when I was sleeping and squelch and scan
the 6m rig.  More than once I'd be awoken after midnight to work something
exotic while most others slept.

There were times during or after (usually strong) Auroras that northern
stations like myself and especially Lefty, K1TOL (huge antennas) would be
able to work what we called "Auroral Es" to some pretty far away locations.
Top of the world places like  Deadhorse Alaska, N. Greenland, TF Iceland, JX
(Jan Mayen, beacon only) Scotland, OH,LA,SM, 49.750MHz UA0/9 TV video
carriers, etc.  well past normal Es layer or even double hop Es layer range.


I have pages and pages of what I might call "extraordinary" 6m AU-Es QSO's.
Later, Lefty and I coined the phrase "Arctic Es" as it seemed like it was
mostly a northern station thing.  Even the guys in S New England or S., VE3
would not "normally" get in on this fun.

At times there was absolutely no buzz or ringing normally associated with AU
or AU-Es signals.

Wondering out loud if the Es layer assisted by some type of Au-Es action
could possibly be a vehicle for your VE6 to SM (type) of 160m QSO's?
VE9AA in FN66
Mike - Keswick Ridge, NB, Canada