This is a picture of my new RF power divider control   head and HF/6M amplfier. The power divider also   allows switching from 0 degree phasing between   all four 6M Yagi's for maximum gain or adding 180   degrees phase delay on two for elevation null fill   and higher elevation lobes. While most stations   are stronger with 0 degree phasing, it's been   been common for some stations to stronger when   180 degrees is used. A single Yagi can also have   have its RF delayed 0, 90 or 180 degrees. Finally,   just two Yagi's can be fed with the other two being   connected to a different output from my RF amplifier   for switching between two different pairs of Yagi's   pointed in different directions. The switches control   RF relays which are located in another enclosure.

During the June 2011 ARRL VHF Contest the 120 degree phasing option on two Yagi's surprisingly brought stations in the 2, 3 and 8 call areas from at, or just below the noise level to 10 - 20 dB above the noise on Sunday morning and afternoon. The number of QSO's per hour during that time period were:

1500 - 1559z     107 Q's
1600 - 1659z     142 Q's
1700 - 1759z      80 Q's
1800 - 1859z     126 Q's
1900 - 1959z     126 Q's
2000 - 2059z     101 Q's
2100 - 2159z     37 Q's   (I had lunch during that hour)
2200 - 2259z     102 Q's

Please click on the picture above to see a full size image of it You'll have to see the full size version to make much sense of my QSO's per U.S. Call Area per Half Hour Charts:
Please click on the picture above to see a full size image of it

2010 was an excellent year for 6M Es propagation to Japan.       I had a total of 196 JA QSO's. If you want to hear what       the openings sounded like, see my YouTube video. It has       It has almost 50 JA 6M signals recorded on it. To see       the video go to: CQ 6M JA 2010 de K0HA       The number of QSO's per grid are shown to the right:       For a short version of what it sounded like after one QSO,       listen to: JA PileUp.mp3       It was not unusual to have that many JA callers. A weak       signal was generally not the reason that it took me a       couple of transmissions to copy some complete calls. Other       signals required repeats due to excessive fading. One       example of this was JF6TAC's signal from his PM43 location       near Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan: JF6TAC.mp3                        To review JE1BMJ's expanation of a possible propagation       mode between Japan and Nebraska see: SSSP       KH6/K6MIO & W3ZZ explored 6M propagation modes       in a report at a Central States VHF Society Conference       using my 2010 JA QSO's for part of their analysis.       This can be viewed at: Extreme Range 50 MHz Es.pdf       Other similar reports are at: 6M Propagation

  
How much power is required to work Japan from Nebraska on 6 meters via Es+ propagation during the summer? I thought that I could gauge that using the 6M QSL's that I've already received from some of the Japanese stations that I worked this summer (2010). I compiled a list of the equipment shown on their cards. Using that information I calculated the approximate effective radiated power (ERP) which they used. As a reference, I included their distance away from me in kilometers. Also listed is the number of 6M QSO's made with each station since 2007. I added one contact not made this year--the furthest JA that I've worked. That was my 6M contact with JR6SVW on 7 July 2009*.

K0HA - JAPAN 2010 6M QSO's
Call	Distance	ERP	# Q's	Call	Distance	ERP	# Q's	Call	Distance	ERP	# Q's
	Kilometers	Watts			Kilometers	Watts			Kilometers	Watts
	10,092	810	1		9,735	3,245	1		9,442	12,275	11
	9,700	890	2		9,912	3,560	1		9,680	16,300	1
JA8BP	8,974	890	1	JA1PVI	9,687	3,560	2		10,345	16,300	2
	10,365	930	2		8,990	4,480	1		10,015	17,800	2
*JR6SVW	11,244	1,120	1	JF2TAR	9,896	4,910	1		10,026	17,800	1
	9,931	1,120	1		9,565	5,600	1		9,736	17,800	8
JK6MXY	10,532	1,120	1		10,491	5,600	1		10,079	17,800	1
	8,988	1,230	1		10,485	5,600	1		9,904	22,400	1
	9,965	1,230	1	JA0EOK	9,806	6,080	1		9,904	22,400	4
	9,976	1,230	2	JH0BBE	9,612	6,150	3		10,001	22,400	2
	10,480	1,630	1		9,683	6,150	5		9,923	22,400	1
JH7XRZ	9,273	1,630	2		9,792	6,320	2		8,969	22,400	6
	9,968	1,780	2	JE6AZU	10,546	8,150	3		10,474	24,550	1
	8,974	1,780	1		9,964	8,900	6		9,554	24,550	1
	9,686	1,780	1		9,883	8,900	2		9,679	24,550	3
	9,764	2,240	5		10,0005	9,310	2		10,131	25,120	2
	10,419	2,455	2		9,660	9,310	7	JA9SJI	9,759	36,310	2
	9,882	2,460	3	JA7WSZ	9,469	9,750	5		10,126	37,240	3
	10,028	2,460	1	JA3RQ	10,055	11,200	2		9,647	49,000	5
	10,220	3,160	2		9,862	11,200	2		10,424	49,000	3

  
While also a good summer into Europe on 6M in 2010, it wasn't quite as good as last year. Among those worked this summer was LZ2CC:

  
I've belatedly produced a new CQ JA video. It includes recordings of 6M JA contacts made during the summer of 2009. I only chose from contacts made on either July 6-7, July 11-12 or August 8-9, 2009. I starts with a sweep of contacts through all ten of the JA call districts. To see it hit: CQ JA 2009 de K0HA

  
Late on August 18, 2009 the Canary Islands were still good copy in Nebraska EN10. To hear how EA8AK and EA8CQS sounded around 2240z hit: EA8AK & EA8CQS.mp3

There was another excellent 6M opening to           Japan on late August 8 / early August 9, 2009.           I made some late in the season 10,000+ km           QSO's. To hear one with JH4IUO in PM64           hit: JH4IUO.mp3

Here are some of the 6M QSLs from Japan                received already for summer 2009 QSOs:

Please click on the picture above to see a full size image of it

  

July 11/12, 2009 has replaced July 30, 2008 as having the best   6M opening to Japan. The map to the right shows the JA grids   worked on 6M late on July 11 / early July 12, 2009.   I worked JA0RUG at the start of the opening. After our QSO   Toshi started recording me. Magically that's when I began   recording as well. My next QSO was with JH0HZO, also in   Toshi's PM97 grid. So, I had audio from nearly both sides   of that QSO. I combined the recordings to include my copy of   JH0HZO along with JA0RUG's copy of me working JH0HZO.   To hear that QSO hit: JH0HZO-K0HA.mp3   JA0MVW later called me at different times with different   power levels and antennas (he used his club call JA0YUD for   one report). Having recorded all of his transmissions, I   combined parts of each transmission in the order of our QSO's:     2336z JA0MVW 600w to 2 x 8 ele @ 20M     2347z JA0YUD 100w to 5 ele @ 6M     2356z JA0MVW 10w to 2 x 8 ele @ 20M   To hear that audio hit: JA0MVW.mp3

  

The map shows the JA grids worked on 6M              late on July 6 / early July 7, 2009              To hear what JE6AZU, JL3IQE, JA4DLP, and              JA3APL sounded like then press - JA.mp3              Each of the recorded JA's are about 10,000 km              or further away from my EN10 location.

  

       For more information on 6M go to: More 6M

  

.mp3 Recordings
JA6TEW	JF2HEV
SV1DH	CU8F
OX3LX	IK5MEJ
SM7BAE	5T5SN
OX3OX	VP2E
VP5/K7BV	OX3VHF/B
VE8BY/B	7Q7SIX
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