Sunspots, Moonbeams and Earth Sites
A traveling Texan takes you around the world on VHF!
By Jimmy Treybig, W6JKV
Before we begin globe hopping on VHF, I want to say "thank you" to my fellow hams for all your efforts during these years since I started doing serious expeditions. I'm grateful for the many QSOs, for your patience waiting for the bands to open, and for listening for me hour after hour after hour.
Some hams, such as K6QXY, K5FF and W5FF, have spent literally a year of their lives doing this. Others, like K6MYC, K5AND (N4HSM) and KB6AFZ, have been companions on many of my trips. I couldn't have done it without you, and I think this is one of the things that makes being a ham so great. We surely are fortunate to share this spirit. I feel particularly fortunate, because I've also been able to do 56 serious expeditions, all VHF. Since 1982, I've been to 42 countries, focusing on 6 and 2 meters, including EME (moonbounce).
The real value of the expeditions from my point of view is not just hamming, but the fulfillment that comes with visiting so many different places. Even more than seeing all these countries, it's the people and cultures you encounter. You get to see the world in a different way. Consider this In Silicon Valley where I was living for most of these traveling years, all is semiconductors and revolves around computers. On Kiribati, the technology of the palm tree is the most important technology in the world. We think we're smart in computers, yet we would probably die on that island if we had to depend on PCs and Macs to survive.
VHF expeditions are fun. It's not 50 people fighting over 10 radios 100% of the time, like you find with HF expeditions. Six meters is only there part of the time, and the Moon is only there half of the time. That leaves you with hours for explorations and even romance.
There's the excitement of learning about propagation. Like experiencing aurora E-skip from Greenland, trans-equatorial propagation (TEP) from an island in the Pacific and four-hop E propagation from St. Lucia to Poland. Or hearing a signal emerge from the noise as the Moon rises. Or working meteor scatter from Belize to Louisiana. You just can't experience all of these at home!
The special allure of VHF expeditions was evident from the beginning. The original reason I got started was because no one could imagine being able to talk to 100 countries on VHF. Back then, in 1982, there wasn't enough overseas VHF activity for us to understand the propagation and realize that it was possible to work 100 countries above 50 MHz. So, I set out on a quest
to make it possible to achieve the mystical DXCC. I'm genuinely proud that my companions and I were able to help Lee, K5FF, achieve the first 50-MHz DXCC by operating from 17 countries, and to help Dave, W5UN, achieve the first 2-meter DXCC by setting up in 15 countries.
As you can see, I like the traveling radio life!
Sometimes, people ask me to name the best country, the best place. There's no best-there's something special about each destination. My pleasure is in going, and I think some of you might like it, too. As it happens, this is an unusually good time to start thinking about travel and expeditions because we're fresh into a new sunspot cycle. Already 6 meters is heating up with
long-haul contacts and it will only get better over the next few years.
Imagine all the places you could visit. The world is your radio playground. When I talk about my travel experiences, I think of them in terms of tours. I've put a few together so you can pick your trip.
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