[Moon-net] 6m DXCC #118!

[Lance Collister]

I have the pleasure of reporting that UN8GC and I completed a 6m EME 
contact yesterday, August 11 at 2315Z.  That contact was DXCC #118 for 
me (DXCC #67 using 6m EME) and we believe is the first contact on 6m 
between Kazakhistan and the USA.  Mike UN8GC has been working hard for 
several years to assemble a 6m EME station, and it worked FB on the 
first sked - he was -23 dB here on JT65A.  Mike was using 500w from a 
Heathkit SB220 amplifier that was converted to 6m by K1SG and W1JJ.  His 
antenna is a 10 element homebrew yagi designed by Pop, YU7EF.  We 
completed on Mike's moonrise, and I was decoding signals from him 
between 1.5 and 7 degrees elevation, so he has a very broad main lobe on 
moonrise.  N5BLZ copied many decodes of his signal on his second lobe 
around 11 degrees.  His moonset is more of a problem because there is a 
large apartment building immediately to his west.  Because of UN8GC's 
location in MN83kf, all of the USA also has a good chance to contact him 
at some time during the month using USA moonset.  That really opens up 
the door for contacts with many large USA 6m stations who do not have 
elevation, and are horizon-only. 

I also had the good fortune to complete with TWO KH6 stations on 6m EME 
yesterday, which are the first KH6 stations I have contacted via 6m 
EME.  The exciting thing about that - for European hams - is that 
moonrise in KH6 can be the same as moonset in Europe (as was the case 
yesterday).  KH7Y and KH6FI both have excellent views of moonrise out 
over the ocean, and both are horizon-only. 

I also enjoyed JT65A contacts yesterday with a number of other stations, 
including IS0/I0JU, GM4WJA, PA7MM, G1OAR, G4IGO and LA8AJA (with a 
single 4 element yagi).  The high Kp index and aurora made it impossible 
to complete with OY4TN, but they copied signals many times from me.

GL and DX to all, and I hope to see you off the moon on 6m!  VY 73, Lance

-- 
Lance Collister, W7GJ (ex: WN3GPL, WA3GPL, WA1JXN, WA1JXN/C6A, ZF2OC/ZF8)
P.O. Box 73
Frenchtown, MT  59834  USA
QTH: DN27UB
TEL: (406) 626-5728
URL: http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj
2m DXCC #11/6m DXCC #815