1st subregional March VHF contest 2011 by OK7RA & OK1VAM JO60LJ

Hi all, we enjoyed March contest and tropo propagation, it looked more like during October. When I first checked Hepburn's map during Friday supper I moved to my tripod to tune the band. I use as the best local West tropo indicator well known beacon DB0FGB (QRB 86km) however on 47088,800 MHz and when I came on it's frequency it wasn't just audible... it was booming S5!! This year for second time. First time I heard FGB on 16th January 2011 however signal was barely above noise. Interesting was the fact that OK1AIY/p didn't copy FGB in Krkonose mountain. Jan (OK1VAM) said that he would like to work some 23cm stations around JO30 area (he use just 5W and 4xSBF antenna). When some better tropo occur on Klinovec hill it is usually in deferent time then contest and from home QTH near Prague surrounded by higher hills is any tropo extremely difficult, so it's little bit different compared to my situation in 1244m ASL with some wire antenna on 23cm and often contacts to UK, hi. During Saturday evening I heard how Jan is screaming in mike contacts with PA, G3XDY etc. - I was happy for him. F6DKW was trying to get me on 6cm, however my equipment for such a 796km QSO is too poor, I guess I would need something like 5W and 90cm dish. 24 GHz is fine band because of nice contact with OK3RM.. good job Zdenek! However some other stations are terrible skilled - some of them even don't know the terms like azimuth!  The microwave operation is synonymous for nonstop learning - for me in patience way (tnx OK1JHM).

What a enjoyable contest!

Jirka OK7RA

thermal inversion from Klinovec to the West

the sunset

  opened tropo duct from Klinovec to PA - G  - GW

thermal inversion from Klinovec - coal-fired power station  Prunrov