6m QSO with K1TOL on June 25th 2007

June 25th 2007 saw one of the best 6m summer sporadic-E openings I can remember. At one point tuning across 6m was like listening to 20m with the band filled with DX signals from the USA and Canada - yet this was 6m at the sunspot minimum. Competition from high powered stations with big antennas was high, so little did I expect to break pileups with my FT817 and small vertical omni-directional antenna fed by a longish piece of RG58 coax cable. So, content to listen, I tuned across the band. Luck took me to the lower end of the 6m CW band where I heard K1TOL calling CQ. I think he had just come on as he had not been spotted by the DX cluster. When first heard he was not immensely strong so when I called him little did I expect an immediate reply and an RST519 report !!!!! Now Lofty has a massive antenna system on 6m (multiple 9el at 120 feet) which certainly helped as did his sharp ears to pick out my pipsqueak QRP signal in the noise that night.

This QSO has confirmed 6m as a truly magic band - ANYTHING is possible I now firmly believe given the right conditions, some good operating skills and some luck.

QSL Card

This is the QSL card I received from Lefty K1TOL confirming the QSO. It takes pride of place in my shack as this ranks as one of my best ever contacts on VHF equalling my 160km cross-channel QSO with a 10mW AM handheld on 2m many years ago in excitement factor.