I was looking for some pictures I had and in my searching I came across these videos I took back in 2009 during the ARRL June VHF QSO Party, from my family’s place in EN39 - Nestor Falls, Ontario, Canada.
Aurora opening EN39 June VHF QSO Party 2009 – SSB
Aurora opening EN39 June VHF QSO Party 2009 – CW
The story behind these videos is I was working the June VHF QSO Party (one of the biggest VHF contests, if not THE biggest, of the year). Obviously I was trying to rack up as many contacts as I could during the contest period. I heard a 0 station calling and tracked his grid square to central Minnesota. Now, from where I was up in Canada he was DUE SOUTH of me. So I hit the rotator and put my antennas due south. The crazy part – his signal was GONE. NADA. Nothing. I thought I just went crazy. So I re-checked my findings and spun the antennas back around where they were before. His signal came back. Well, I sat there and let the antennas go around more.
Guess where his signal strength peaked?
His strength peaked OVER S9 with the antennas DUE NORTH!
OK, so how can that be? I know the location of the station I am listening to is due south of my QTH but I can’t hear them with my antennas due south… yet when the antennas are due north I can? I’ve never heard anything like this before, or since.
I am an avid VHF’er. During this same contest I worked a west coast station AND an east coast station, back to back in the log, and more surprising – they were both on the same frequency. I pointed one direction and got the one guy then spun the antennas 180deg and got the other guy. Pretty cool!
This is the kind of stuff that really intrigues me with Ham radio. Its awesome – in the most literal sense of the word.