Well, VHF works pretty well here in the summer time.  You are west or east
of the Rockies?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 2:13 PM
Subject: Re: recent openings in the midwest


>i am in alberta...north central alberta probably 400 miles north of the
> montana boarder.
> These findings arent really due to wide open conditions, but since we are
> so
> flat up here we can usually talk quite a good distance in the evening or
> when there is low cloud cover which helps to propigate the VHF signals.
> Summer time is actually a pretty bad time for vhf conditions and i will
> have
> to see how much better i can do during the colder months with heavier
> cloud
> cover to help the signals.
> Summer time conditions tend to be pretty speratic here so cant really nail
> down any consistantly long distance repeaters yet.
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jeff Kenyon" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 10:33 AM
> Subject: Re: recent openings in the midwest
>
>
>> Hi Collin, where are you?  I think that my repeater I used on Saturday
> night
>> may have been 80 or more miles.  I take it that the bands have been wide
>> opened where you are then too?
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2005 9:22 PM
>> Subject: Re: recent openings in the midwest
>>
>>
>> > what sort of long distance contacts on 2M?
>> > is that simplex or repeater contacts?
>> > I have been playing around with different distant repeaters for the
>> > past
>> > four days or so now that i have a programmable radio.
>> > The farthest repeater i am able to fairly consistantly key in the later
>> > evening is around 120 kilometers away.  Guess thats about 75/80 miles
>> > or
>> > something....not quite sure...but that particular repeater isn't
>> > considered
>> > long range....i can key a repeater 136 kilometers away on 10
>> > watts...its
> a
>> > long range repeater on a high hill.
>> > As far as simplex, i have been copied using 50 watts in the
>> > neighborhood
>> > of
>> > 70 kilometers away by a mobile in motion....sort of rough country in
> that
>> > direction so i would imagine in other directions i could go a little
>> > further. think thats 45 miles.
>> > One other repeater that i think is probably around 100 or 110
>> > kilometers
>> > away i can very easily key with 5 watts in the evening.
>> >
>> > antenna is a tram 1480 dual bander at 22 feet...of course these are all
> on
>> > VHF, i have not had the opportunity to try UHF yet.
>> > Are these findings fairly normal? i am in a fairly geographically flat
>> > area
>> > with repeaters tending to be set up on hill tops well above the main
> level
>> > of the land.
>> > I think the hill tops make a rather huge difference since there is a
>> > popular
>> > repeater i use about 45 miles away that i can get into with just a low
>> > static level on the carier using 5 watts...im pretty sure that is due
>> > to
>> > the
>> > fact that it is on a hill with about a 100 mile foot print in all
>> > directions.
>> > Flat land is great for 2M.
>> > 73
>> > Colin, V A6BKX
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: "Jeff Kenyon" <[log in to unmask]>
>> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> > Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2005 6:23 PM
>> > Subject: recent openings in the midwest
>> >
>> >
>> >> Hi everyone, how have the band openings been in other areas of the
>> >> country?  Over field day weekend they were great, and I am referring
>> >> to
>> >> the tropo ones that we have experienced in Michigan and Ohio.  Though
>> >> I
>> >> didn't get to participate in field day type things because of other
>> >> comittments this weekend I did manage some long distance contacts with
>> >> 2-meters!
>> >>
>>