Aurora Borealis May 2024

Something you don't see every day. Or every year... The Aurora Borealis is visible across most of the sky. This was the evening of Friday 10th May 2024.

With the eye you could only see flickering "clouds". My mobile phone didn't see anything, but Lucky's phone caught it in the preview. I alternated between taking pictures and listening to the band. I had the remote on OL7M. The 6m band was full of CW stations, the FT8 signals could not be decoded, they were "spreaded" over a wide area. The view of the 2m band was amazing, lots of stations and on the waterfall you could see beautifully which signals were spread out by the aurora. I gradually tuned in and heard stations from G to EW in beautiful strength. Mila OK1FPR appeared on the band, so I listened for a few moments and even tried 6m. 

The next day I have to help my parents in the cottage and so I quickly pack the IC-9700, CW key, power supply and paper and pencil. I have a small yagi 3m above the ground in the cottage. I set up the radio quite late, tune the band and the first QSO on the IC-9700 is DK3BU.

Then I find G4PIQ, weak signal, but I get 59A on the first try. Then another G, but the conditions disappear for me, the stations get lost and I only hear classic tropo signals. Then the band starts to fizzle and the DX stations are gone. I pack up the TRX and drive home.

Still a nice experience and my first QSO over the aurora. I have to finish the antennas at work, then it will be possible to be QRV faster - not counting the FT8 QSOs...

2m and 6m bands

I have never seen such a high number :)

My small hamshack in cottage, IC-9700, abt 80W and 10el Yagi between cottages