DUCT OPENING 3rd & 4th October 2005

OK OK, calm down, here we go with the news.

New updates in the Long Distance Comp as of this morning:

Top 2 National positions on the 432 MHz 'Tropo I'
Top spot in VK2 division 432 MHz 'Tropo I'
Top 2 spots in VK5 division 432 MHz 'Tropo I'

2nd spot in National 146 MHz FMS (simplex)
All 4 National 146 MHz FMR (repeater) shook up.

Further state position changes as a result of the above 146 MHz FM National
changes.

There was some really good tropo conditions in SE last night.

Too much for me to log down, becomes blurr. Just fininshed a day of the
first real sporadic E sessions and in comes a heap of tropo straight after.

Conditions seemed to peak strongest at  around 3 am Tuesday morning.

Adelaide 144.450 - 5/9
Adelaide 432.450 - 5/5
Adelaide 1296.450 - 5/0 audible at times but I would not say the CW is the
best quality

Port Lincoln repeater 146.750 @ 1019 Km was 5/9.

Heard almost all VK5 repeaters, though some were missing.

Biggest signal I think was from Lobethal and Murray Bridge both at 5/9+40.

Biggest dissapointment was the roll up on 144.100. Which was all of VK5ZK at
Goolwa who was 5/5. No one else heard.

Now the surprising parts.

Must have been 7.20 am? I found Brian VK5UBC at Corny Point on the Ararat
repeater 147.100 VK3RWA. Repeater was 5/9. Could not hear Brian on reverse.
Brian only had 432 MHz in horizontal and asked if we could try on 432.100. I
was going to say no dont worry about it, as I knew condx were not as good as
they were. Anyway I gave it a try.....
You wouldn't believe it, but Brian came back and he was 5/9+20 on my meter!
432.100 at 914 Km. More amazingly, Brian was only running a 5 element yagi
and 40 watts!

This contact with Brian on 432 MHz was also a new PB (Personal Best)
distance for me on 432 MHz. Thanks Brian!

After this Mark VK2EMA near Dubbo appeared on the propagation logger. I told
Mark to beam at Brian and give him a call on 432.100. Amazingly, Mark also
got through to Brian although weaker than with me still an easy contact none
the less. This was a big 1004 Km distance!

I also tried with Brian on 146.500, Brian has some vertical yagis there, we
worked easy but the signal was only S3 here.

Could not find anyone for a 1296 MHz contact, though the beacon was the best
I have ever seen it.

Regards

Leigh VK2KRR

You could say truly amazing. I turned radios on a little after 7am this
morning at my holiday house at Corny Point (150km west of Adelaide, PF85mc)
and found I could hear several 2m repeaters from Vic. Gave a call on Ararat
and back came Leigh VK2KRR. As he reported went to 432.1 SSB and I couldn't
believe it. I'm running my Icom IC821H (40w) with a 5el yagi 25 feet up
there was Leigh pushing the S meter to over S9, no preamps etc. It takes a
really strong sig to do that on 70cm and even at my home QTH with large ants
etc. have never heard Leigh so strong on 70cm. Carried on a QSO with Leigh
for over 1/2 hour with over S9+ sigs, also completed a duplex contact with
Leigh, 432.1 SSB and 146.6 FM. In between Leigh got Mark VK2EMA at Tottenham
(QF37qs) to come up on freq and guess what there he was at  solid 5/2. A
good contact at little over 1000km on 432.1 SSB.

After all this I checked the 2m rpts and worked VK3BMY on the Mt Macedon 2m
rpt (approx 850km). Several Vic rpts were workable all morning.

To top the day off 6m opened to NSW around 1.00pm and I worked 3 x VK2's
from around the Woolongong area. 6M was also open to VK6,4 &1 from here
yesterday (3/10) with several contacts being completed.

My QTH here is on Southern Yorke Peninsula and my house is located on the
beachfront. Its nice to be in the right spot at the right time.

73's Brian
VK5UBC