MF/LF OPERATING: Life Below the AM Broadcast Band
… plus continued efforts at W7IUV for an optimal 2200-meter antenna, an intermittent 2200-meter interloper appears, transatlantic CW attempts on 630 meters, advanced switching at NO3M, and burning antennas at VK4YB not caused by RF!
With the change in months that this column will appear in CQ magazine, it feels like it’s been a long time since I have written to all of you. Let’s begin with a rundown, to date, of happenings on 630 and 2200 meters for the 2021/2022 season.
The season got off to a good start in North America with reasonable activity on both 630 and 2200 meters and long-haul openings reported on both transatlantic and transpacific paths. In usual form, storm noise was an early-season fixture that was slow to diminish, but by early October, openings between Europe and the east coast of North America were commonplace on 630-meter WSPR and FST4W. Tim Urban, N4WLO, of Theodore, Alabama, was the first North American station who did not reside on the East Coast to be reported on 630-meter WSPR in Europe on October 2. WSPR and FST4W openings between Australia and North America also made an appearance on this date, with Paul Johnson, KM5SW, of Jemez Springs, New Mexico, reporting WSPR and FST4W signals from Roger Crofts, VK4YB, of Brisbane. Those reports were supplemented by numerous decodes from West Coast stations in addition to the station of Laurence Howell, KL7L, located outside of Anchorage, Alaska.
