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Reply To: | Mike Duke, K5XU |
Date: | Sun, 27 Jun 2010 06:13:06 -0500 |
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Lloyd mentioned the good band conditions from Field Day of 1976.
That weekend brought the longest duration Sporadic E opening to the
upper HF bands and 6 meters that I have ever experienced. I've seen
some shorter openings which brought stronger signals, but this opening
began for me on the Friday of field day week, and continued well into
Monday.
I had just graduated from Mississippi State University, and went back
up to Starkville to operate field day with the radio club there.
Fifteen meters did not shut down at any point during the weekend, and
10 meters was only quiet for 2 or 3 hours, well after midnight.
Our big attention grabber in the club at that time was a 2 element 40
meter quad. We would begin with it pointed toward the east coast, and
gradually turn it full circle as the band shifted westward. To rotate
it, two guys would untie an anchor rope at each end, and walk it
around to the new direction.
That weekend, we had literally worked everything we could hear on 40
meters by 6 AM Sunday morning.
I was new to 6 meters, and a friend had brought a Swan 250. Nobody
else in the club thought there would be any 6 meter activity, but
after we had cleaned out 40 meters, they let us put that Swan on the
air with a 3 element beam at about 30 feet.
By the end of the contest, we had worked 30 states, 4 provinces, and
made an average of 1 contact per minute over the 7 hours that we were
on 6 meters.
We did not have any bands above 6, but I was told that 2 meter
sideband gave many clubs lots of extra points that year as well.
Mike Duke, K5XU
American Council of Blind Radio Amateurs
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