2021 CQ VHF WW Wrap Up

 I got back from Vacation on Friday in time for the 2021 CQ VHF WW contest, which ran Saturday and Sunday. I had a few things to do on Saturday so I didn't really put in a big effort, we had some sick family members that needed attention and my contest logging situation needed to be worked on. I ended up putting in a pretty full effort on Sunday 'till the end of the contest at 5pm local. Here are the results:

 Band   Mode  QSOs     Pts  Grd  Pt/Q

    50  FT8     63      63   36   1.0

    50  USB     25      25   18   1.0

   144  FT8     24      48   13   2.0

   144  USB      2       4    0   2.0

 Total  Both   114     140   67   1.2

Score: 9,380

1 Mult = 1.7 Q's

6M was open most of Saturday, at least for single-hop. Because I spent a bunch of time getting my logging situation worked out, I didn't end up working as many grids as I could have. I did, however, spend a bunch of time calling CQ on SSB. You can get better rates that sticking with FT8. 

The best contact for the whole weekend was a very brief 2M Sporadic E opening to Minnesota! I worked W0VTT in EN33. I was on vacation the previous week, which was apparently one of the best 2m Es opening since the 1980's here in New England. Timing is everything in life, I guess. 

The APRS map was the first indicator 2m was open

The MUF map showed a high spot over IN/OH

Finally, the stations that I heard/heard me in MN

Epic Day on 6m: 7/8/2021

 The day started with a pretty solid opening into Europe, with a very specific reflection off of an E cloud that gave me a bit of a spotlight into G/PA/DL:

There was activity most of the day, but the early buzz was about HV0A, Vatican City. I only ended up getting a single decode, so there is hope that it could happen eventually:

my sole decode from HV0A

lots of folks calling the pope

There was spotty activity for most of the day, but in the late after noon Europe really opened up, and this time it opened in a way that I hadn't seen in a while. At one point both 50.313 and 50.323 had full pages of decodes, 30-40 per page. There weren't any new DXCC entities but I managed to pull in 20-30 new grid squares. There was a more northern skew to the propagation this time, I was working many OH/SM/LA stations, more than ever before, which should have given me the clue for the main event to come!

The big guns on the ON4KST chat page started talking about JAs. When this happens I foolishly point my antenna to 335 degrees and pray. A few days ago I actually heard a station in Japan, but even with my 400W amp on, nobody was hearing me. I have a fairly modest station, so I didn't expect it to ever happen....until it did! As I was working OH/LA stations I zoomed out on the PSK-Reporter map and noticed that there were stations in Japan receiving me, even though I was pointed at Finland!

four stations in JA were decoding me while I was pointed at OH/SM/LA

 I immediately swung the beam around, added a little more power and started calling. It didn't take long before JP1LRT to reply back to me. Without actually breathing, I waited for each 15 second sequence to finish until I saw an RR73 from him! I could have been happy with that, but then I started getting called by more JA stations. 

In the end I worked 7 total: JP1LRT, JL1RUC, JG1TSG, JE1BMJ, JA2CXH, JR1LZK, and finally JK1BPA. Then, as soon as they came in, they faded back out. I would have been happy just to work one, but I ended up with seven

The band stayed open to Europe for quite a while after that. My final contact was with Bert, S57RR, in Slovenia. It was 3am in his time zone, but he was still working guys stateside. 

What a magic band!

Flags in all directions!

 

Occasionally things open up in funny ways. Tonight we had paths to Northern Ireland and Scotland, while pointing to the Caribbean. Simultaneously, there was a big opening to Asia from the SE and Central region (not here in New England). 

Update: July 5

 Since my last post on June 19th there was a terrible drought on 6m right during the peak of the season here in FN42. This, unfortunately, happened the same time as the N4EME team was operating from their second grid in the big expedition. Some highlights:

- Working two new grids on 2m and 6 with N4EME (FN57, FN66)

- Working Market Reef on 6/18 on 6m

- Decent EU openings on 6/19 and 6/21

- Working Mauritius on 6M finally! (5T5PA on June 27)

- Working OX3LX (Bo, in Greenland) on 6m SSB

The drought to EU finally broke big on July 1st and I worked quite a number of new stations and new grids. Then on the night of the 1st and into July 2nd we had consistent openings into the PNW and I worked quite a few new grids, which pushed my VUCC totals over 500. We had another small opening to EU on July 3rd. 

Some misses:

I had one decode from OH0Z and OH0100AX operating from Aland Island. That certainly would have been a new DXCC entity for me, but they faded before I could work them. I only got a single decode:

JAPAN!

I actually decoded Japan on 6m, which blows my mind a bit.

    

I had no chance of working the, since most of the continental US was hearing them. Here is just one sample of who was trying to work them at the same time:

I also had my second decode from Kuwait from earlier in the day on the 2nd:

I need to get more aluminum in the air, higher in the air!