[VHFcontesting] 2M JT44 & FSK441... WOW!

[Tim Marek]

I am amazed!

Nothing has revolutionized "Weak Signal VHF" so dramatically in recent
memory that that of FSK441 MS and JT44 Tropo!

FSK441 took a rather dismal Persieds 2002 and made it very interesting. The
few pings present were weak and short lived. FSK441 made contacts under 800
miles relatively easy. From DM09ol I worked W0AH DM78, KB5XE DM65, N7CZ
DN47, AA7A DM43 and N0VSB DN70. Attempts at over 800 miles resu;ted in
little if any pings at all. All with 100W and a 18XXX at 42'.

JT44 is something I have just started to experiment with only this past
week. Using 100W from a IC746 into a 18XXX at 42' I have worked from home,
Not a hilltop mind you...But from home, K7ICW DM26, AF6O DM14, WJ6T DM05,
KM6WC CM97, K7XQ CM97, W6MT CM87, and tonight over a very dificult path to
UT I worked WA7ADK DN31. He started out below the noise floor and over 20
minutes was at times peaking S3 to S5. I had no hope to make the QSO when I
heard nothing in the speaker but when his first transmitting period was over
and it started to decode I was blown away! In the past, to work Utah from
DM09 I had to operate portable from a tall mtn. Since I bacame active on 2M
SSB/CW in 1991, I can count the total number of 2M Utah QSO's on two hands!
This mode has a very real potential to smash the existing DX records! I
wonder when we will hear of KH6HME working Utah on JT44 during a tropo
opening?

I have save all the data recovered from thses QSOs along with many WAV files
and will be building a new addition to the K7XC Weak Signal VHF web pages in
tribute to these excellent modes. My hat is of to Joe - K1JT for such
pioneering work.

I Am Truly Amazed!

73s de Tim - K7XC - DM09ol ... sk


http://k7xc.tripod.com/K7XCweaksignal/