It is your own fault! We told you several months ago! If you will not do what you are told, what can you expect? It's been done! WAC on six meters! The first station to make it was Bob Perry, K6GDI, and he made it when he worked Harry, EI2W for the European Continent. Next on the list of six metre WAC is another W6, and again the final continent was Europe, Harry EI2W. This time is was Paul Bobert W6BAZ who accomplished the feat. Congratulations fellas, you surely worked for it.

Six meters has really been kicking up it's heels since the 1st November. The first good opening came on that day, and the band quieted down only when night time came and also for a couple of days immediately following an aurora. Knowing mostly information gathered from our own contacts and stations in the New England vicinity here goes: Directly on six meters (both stations) from Europe so far we have heard and worked EI2W, Ireland; LA5YE, Norway; LA9T, Norway; SM7ZN, Sweden; in the other directions we have worked a number of VE7s including VE7AGG, VE7ND, VE7NM and VE7ACV. On the 16/17th November the band opened for the first time to KL7 from W1. KL7CDG was our contact from Alaska but we heard a number of other stations also. Apparently the band was open for the KLs to the entire United States, and the stations they were hearing best were W9s and W0s. How frustrating it can be to hear these rare ones S9 and then some, call them time after time, pull out hair, scream with rage and finally get a contact with one of them. Among those we heard were KL7AZI, KL7AUV, KL7AH. We also worked W7CIV/MM. Joe was aboard ship Five hundred miles west of Spain. What country does that give us? For more than two hours we heard Joe working the stations to left and right, north and south. The unbelievable part of this is that a good many of his contacts we were able to hear both ends of the QSO. Backscatter accounted for it, and brother what backscatter! On 6th November we talked to Clair, W8CMS, on aurora and he told us that he had worked KL7CDG the day before, and that Vince, W8SSD had worked KL7AZI.

California has had a number of openings to Japan and also to Africa so far this year. Jayne, K6GMX told us that she had worked VQ2PL, and heard ZS3G. From the grapevine we heard that VQ4EU is on 50.126 listening for us daily. Among others we have been told about, ZS2JE, SM5CHH, FF8AP, ZS1SW, ZC4IP, ZS6UR and KR6AF. CT3AE, Jose, in the Madeira Islands has been making hay also. He arrived in W1 land on a morning when we were doing column and so help me we missed him. Anyway, he worked W1OOP, W1HDQ and W1ELP and one other W1 whose call we did not get. Had a card from CT1CO that he had heard us on 6m, and that he would be on himself by 15th November. G3FXB, Al, tells us that ZC4IP and MP4BBL are both operating six meters. Rumor also sez that W4IKK, Bill, (now located in Tenessee) has worked two KH6s. Also that KH6UK has heard VQ2PL.

Now to the crossband DX. The Gs are working across our continent and many of them will probably have WAS before we do. Gordon G4LX, has worked W1,W2,W3,W4,W8,W9,W0 and VO1 lands. He had heard W5s,W6s,VE1s and VE3s, but not worked them. G5BD, Arthur, not as active as he was last year, was heard working W5SFD, he heard W6NLZ and W7RUX but did not get them. G3XC has been hearing K6GDI and 6UXN. G3COJ worked W9DSP and heard W7RUX, also W6NLZ. We heard LA5YE and SM7ZN both calling W4FPL. We heard the contact with W4FPL and SM7ZN but do not know how the other call came out. EI2W worked W5PDE (on six meters) and heard W7MAH and K6OXS. Stations heard and worked crossband at this station (W1HOY) are: EA1EY, EI2W, F9BG, G2BVN, G2CDI, G3BTA, G3BXI, G3COJ, G3FXB, G3IUD, G3XC, G4LX and G5BD. GC2RS in the Channel Islands, Frank, was receiving on a TV receiver only and the last word that we had was that he worked W4UCH and W1HOY, GM3EGW, LA5YE, LA9T, OH5NW and PA0FM. That is about it for the crossband work.

Ike, VE7AQQ and Vic, VE7CN pass information along to us from their territory. Seems like they are working into Japan almost daily for something like 10 days now. So far Ike has worked 60, yep I said sixty! JAs he has worked all JA call areas except 9 and 0. He has also heard SM7ZN but was unable to raise Ingvar. but he has definitely heard VS6CB calling him on six meters. One small trouble the VS6 faded out at the end of his call and was heard no more. Vic tells us that some of his openings into Japan start at 1600 GMT, and at that time it is pitch dark outside. The grapevine has so doggone many rumors but you can be sure that anything is possible from here on in, at least for a few months. Last year word went out that 1956 would be the peak year for DX for possibly the next 99 years. This year the word has gone out that 1957 is the peak year. Now I am beginning to wonder, maybe it will turn out to be 1958. Who knows?

And now for some letters......
From Berkshire, England, Brain G3COJ sends lots of information from across the ocean. "Here are some of the 50 mc highlights observed here. The band first opened for me on the 25th of October at 1300 GMT when W1GKE and W1QCC/VE1 were heard. It was open most, if not all days until the 5th of November when it was washed out for several days. Today (11th) VE1PQ and W1QCC/VE1 were heard weakly around 1509 GMT. No Ws." "The band has been better this year than last and all W call areas have been heard, plus Channel 2 TV. Of course the best conditions have occurred when I have been listening at work in London, and unable to transmit! Nov 2nd. Worked W9DSP at 1500 GMT and audible until 1700. Very good signal but no trace of any other W9s. W0AKJ and K0GOG heard between 1515 and 1545, plus two unidentified W0s.

Nov 3rd. Ill in bed. What a nerve! Nov 4th. W7RUX heard between 1615 and 1640, signal S9 at times. W6NLZ heard on CW between 1625 and 1640 calling "CQ, answer on 10m" and calling G2BVN. Unfortunately I was not able to call him at this time. W5VY was a good signal most of the afternoon. A number of the Gs have heard W5VY and W7RUX. Nov 5th. Channel 2 TV resolved between 1250 and 1300 GMT, man playing a violin and woman singing. Multipath made pictures very unstable. No sign of the sound. The signal came through the previous day but no picture was obtained. I could not listen on six on the afternoon of the 5th much to my regret. Nov 6th. Weak snatches of TV came on 55.25 mc. East coast Ws were heard. I am looking for crossband contacts 28/50 mc and also 50/70 mc. I can change to 70.203 mc from 28 mc in a few seconds. Incidentally, Russian stations are heard very strongly here between 38 and 40 mc, especially the UA3s (or rather RA3s)." From Northumberland, England, another note from one of our English friends, Gordon Spencer, G4LX sez:
"Thought you might like to know that on November 5th, at 1650 GMT I heard K6GDI on six meter phone with nine plus signals calling "CQ six". If he had only tuned ten meters then we may have made a QSO.

So far this week I have had crossband QSOs with 33 different W stations in W1,2,3,4,8,9,0 and VO1. I have heard but not worked W5, W6, VE1 and VE3. I'd be active on crossband most weekends and often on weekdays." From Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin "Willy" Moulton (W9DSP) sends a bit also: "Just a note to let you know that November 2, 1957, Wisconsin broke the barrier to Europe on 50 mc. I worked G3COJ, G3IUD and G4LX, all crossband ten to six. Then wound up working EI2W in Dublin, Ireland, directly both ways on six meters. One G told me the band had been open for three hours over there previously to working me, so that would put the opening here as early as 6:30 to 7:00 AM., CST. I did not get up that early but wouldn't be surprised that maybe the eastern part of the seventh district would have a distinct possibility. I suppose this European stuff is old for you fellows out there on the east coast, but to me in western Wisconsin, it was about the biggest thrill since receiving that first ticket in 1939 which said W9DSP on it. All of the above stations said I was their first Wisconsin on 50 mc, so I am wondering if I really am the first W9 in Wisconsin to work Europe on 50 mc. I know that K0AKJ in Minnesota worked EI2W following my QSO, so the Dublin lad picked up another new state for himself! I understand that OH2NW was heard and possibly worked earlier than my QSO, but I'm not sure. Anyway it was a day to remember.

Incidentally I run 500 watts to VT127As, 4 elements wide spaced, fifty five feet high." A report from Dallas, Texas, Leroy May (W5AJG) "We got a small squirt of F2 on 50 mc yesterday 06/11/57. Had quite a bit of commercial type stuff from 58 to 50 mc. Worked LA9THA in Norway." A report from Tarpon Springs, Florida, Dick (K4DMB) says " Six meters opened to VE7 land on Nov 4th 1145 to 1220. Screamed my head off but no QSO. Heard VE7AQQ and VE7CN. They worked W4RMU and W4CQP here in Florida." Argentina, In a very round-a-bout manner we received the following information in a letter from Alfredo (LU3EX). "At last I worked on six meters CT3AE in the Madeira Islands, on September 19th. Months before I worked him crossband, 6 and 10. The next day I worked him again with fine signals. Last month we made many tests with ZS, but negative. Yesterday 7th October was a big evening, as I worked with S9 plus signals, Dakarm FF8AP, Louis, for my first African station on the continent. He uses 300 watts and a folded dipole. So I only need Europe for WAC. Now have 21 countries on six for 1956 and 57. We have every evening open to DX between 1800 and 0000 or later. So you can see what a DX band 50 mc is."

Anchorage, Alaska, Jack Reich (KL7AUV) remits: "This is a report that a six meter opening between Alaska and Japan occurred today. The opening lasted almost exactly 45 minutes, and signals were weak to quite strong with fairly heavy QSB. I believe this is possibly the first KL-JA activity to be carried out on 50 mc. At 2319 GMT my CQ was answered by JA6JY, who reported my signals at R5 S5-8. His signals were R5 S6-9 with moderate QSB. At 2324 GMT I was called by JA4HM, and given an R5 S3-7 report. His signals ran R3-4 S3-7 with QSB. A few minutes later KL7CDS, Ken Wilsey, came on and worked the JA6. He was given a report of R3 S6 by the JA4, but was unable to make direct contact with him. No others showed up on the frequency, and at 0007 GMT, JA7JY was heard in a last and even better call asking me for QTH information, but dropped clearly out just at the end of his transmission. We have not hit a KL7-States opening yet, but now believe our 2115 to 2145 GMT prediction will be late. We plan to look for the states about 45 minutes earlier than our predictions based on KL-W contacts last year. Equipment here is LW-50 transmitter running 10 watts output to a five element Skysweeper beam. Receiver is an NC100X fed by a home built converter."

UKSMG Six News issue 38, July 1993