Working Hawaii from eastern North America

[AC2OY]

Question for the seasoned DX guys here. Is it possible for me to work Hawaii and these distant countries using 100 watts and a vertical antenna or do I need a amplifier that costs more than my car and a 50' tower with a very expensive antenna?

 

[W8VI]

Making a contact with Hawaii from New Jersey using a 100 watts and a vertical will be more dependent on propagation than anything else and should be fairly easy when the bands are open. I'd start looking on 10, 12, 15, 17 or 20 meters in the morning to late afternoon. I hear guys on the East Coast with verticals, mobile and portable stations - even some QRP (5 watts) working Europe and the Pacific Islands when atmospheric conditions are good.

I have also worked a lot of DX while mobile using 100 watts and a screw driver vertical antenna and when the bands are open I've worked Japan, Australia, Europe, Antarctica and the Middle East. Again I'm more at the mercy of good propagation than the base station with a yagi antenna and an amplifier.

A good gain antenna and an amplifier do not have to be expensive investments. An effective multi-band Hex-Beam antenna on a pop-up mast can be had for around $500-600 new or even less used. My first amplifier was a 600 watt Ameritron AL-811 that I purchased used for $550 and worked very well for those times when conditions were not so good and I was in a pile-up working a new DX country.

My point is that you don't need to make a large investment to have a competitive HF station. For the price of a couple of BCD536HP's you might be surprised at what you can find out there at places like QRZ, local ham clubs and estate sales.

73, Gary W8VI

 

[AK9R]

I've moved the string about working Hawaii to a different thread.

I have logged and confirmed nine contacts with Hawaii from central Indiana in the past 10 months. Five of them are on RTTY and four on SSB. Bands are 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 12m, and 10m. Most of the contacts were in December. All contacts were made with 100 watts and a 27-foot vertical antenna.

I have four points to make:

1. Optimize your antenna. Everybody's HF antenna situation is different. What works for me might not work for you and vice versa. But, do everything you can to make sure you are using the best antenna you can.
2. When working DX, the time of year and time of day make all the difference in the world. You have to be aware of how propagation changes during the day and during the year so you can take best advantage of it. HF propagation is constantly changing. The DXer who doesn't understand propagation will find DXing very frustrating.
3. Using a different mode can make a huge difference in your success rate. Last year during the W1AW/portable operations, I found myself really struggling to make SSB contacts with some of the states. I switched to RTTY and had much greater success. RTTY is almost as efficient as CW and may get through when SSB won't.
4. Take advantage of contests and QSO parties to look for DX. You don't have to actively participate in the contest or send in a log (though submitting your log as a "check log" will be helpful to the contest organizers and the stations you worked). But, if you hear a DX station on the air in a contest and you can figure out the contest exchange, use that opportunity to make a contact.

 

[Thunderknight]

I worked Hawaii on 40m SSB with 80 watts from New York. I think I had a 1/4 vertical at the time.
I'd have to check the logs to be sure, but I think it was post my local sunrise in the morning.

 

[popnokick]

In real estate it's "location, location, location". In ham radio, the maxim becomes "propagation, propagation, propagation".
Even if you make the multi-hundred to multi-thousand dollar investments in antenna, tower, and power it's no guarantee you will be able to work a given location. We'll probably also see some replies in this thread from hams who have used QRP of 5-10 watts to work Pacific stations from the central and eastern US. Propagation is the main story, but influenced by band and mode as has been pointed out. You need to be on the "right" band and mode at the "right" time.... and the right time changes from hour to hour or even minute to minute. That's what makes the radio hobby interesting.

 

[K3EP]

Hey Michael. Everyone above is giving you good advice - especially the comments on propagation - but no, you don't need an expensive setup or more than 100w. This past Field Day we worked Hawaii at 0730 Sunday morning on 20m using a dipole set up in a field pointed East-West at 30 feet using 100w. I've worked Hawaii on an older vertical on 40m late at night with 100w. It's all about patience, timing, and of course ... propagation. Good luck!

 

[SCPD]

Going along with what K3EP said, we worked 2 Hawaii stations on 15 during Field Day, about 8am, using a 3 element beam about 40 feet off the air.

 

[AC2OY]

Wow guys that's outstanding!!! When I returned that Sunday morning our two surviving stations heard Hawaii but couldn't work them. You guys give me hope that someday I will be able to do so.

 

[popnokick]

AC2OY - in the midst of the violent 50-60 mph gusts and driving rain that plagued our Field Day setup, our 6M station worked Portugal with a 4 element yagi up about 25 feet.

 

[AC2OY]

Very cool stuff pop!!! Earlier before work tonight I worked Canary Islands Monsarrant, and the Azores. Heard US Virgin Islands and Iceland but couldn't get them. What made me happy was I worked a guy on a new band tonight so I assume as the propagation falls my way and a band is open I can work people.

 

[kj3n]

Question for the seasoned DX guys here. Is it possible for me to work Hawaii and these distant countries using 100 watts and a vertical antenna or do I need a amplifier that costs more than my car and a 50' tower with a very expensive antenna?

Well, I don't have a vertical, but I do contests at 100w, using nothing more than wire antennas. Some entries from past contests:

80M PH 2010-03-07 1108 KH6LC
15m PH 11/20/11 1647 KH7X
15m PH 07/14/12 2313 WH7Z
15m PH 07/15/12 0308 NH7NJ
10m PH 2012-11-17 2141 KH7Y
10m PH 12/14/13 2204 KH6LC
15m PH 03/02/13 2104 NH7NJ
15m PH 03/02/13 2213 NH6Y
15m PH 03/01/14 0100 KH6LC
20m PH 2015-03-07 0439 KH7M
20m PH 2015-03-08 0539 KH7XX

29-Sep-2012 03:49:37 14084.5 RTTY KH6MB
29-Sep-2012 20:32:40 28088.8 RTTY KH6ZM
29-Sep-2012 22:09:57 21107.3 RTTY KH6GMP
30-Sep-2012 00:42:12 21084.4 RTTY KH6ZM
15-Mar-2014 04:15:17 14086.3 RTTY KH6ZM
16-Mar-2014 22:16:40 28088.8 RTTY KH6ZM
28-Sep-2014 11:05:35 7055.8 RTTY KH7XX
28-Sep-2014 21:38:53 28097.6 RTTY KH7XX

Working HI from the East Coast has more to do with propagation than anything else. I once worked HI on Field Day (20m) using a full-sized 40m loop with my IC-703 (10w).

 

[AC2OY]

Wow some nice catches man!! I heard Japan tonight but just couldn't snag him! I will keep trying though.

 

[KD8NIV]

Have worked Hawaii awhile back, on 30 watts and using a Imax 2k on 10m from west virginia...
Have worked up and down the west coast on this too...

 

[N0IU]

Any easy way to check propagation to Hawaii is to listen to WWV. They broadcast on 2.5, 5, 10, and 15 MHz from Ft. Collins and Hawaii. (WWV also broadcasts on 20 MHz, but not from Hawaii) Just before the male voice announces the time, you may also hear a female voice announce the time. The female voice is from WWVH in Hawaii. If you can hear the female voice on 15 MHz, then chances are pretty good that you stand a chance of working Hawaii on 20 meters... assuming there is someone from Hawaii on the air!

The other thing you can do is go to a spotting site like DX Summit and filter for KH6. It will show who has posted spots for Hawaii giving the frequency and time.

Good luck!

 

[AC2OY]

Thank you Scott I have AC logger from N3FJP. It's a really nifty piece of software! I hooked up another computer monitor so I can devote one just on the spotter,when they start popping in I try to work them. If I get one DX a night I'm happy. I have heard Hawaii but they were faint and embedded in noise. I'm going to go buy headphones and if a guy is on really try to pull him in. That would be really a sweet QSO! Tonight I heard Saudi Arabia and Dubai like they were next door,but getting through the pile up as I'm sure you are aware is another story.

 

[vagrant]

I've worked the world on phone with 100 watts and an IMAX 2k. Using an OCF I've done just as well, and even Antartica on 20 meters with that antenna. I'm now using 5 watts more often working portable, on phone and digital modes. Down the road I might consider a yagi and perhaps 500 watts, but I'm doing fine without it.

Propagation is key. They day before Field Day last year I remember working Hawaii and Delaware with 5 watts and an Opek 400 antenna via phone. The contacts were on 20 meters as the sun was setting here in California.

I don't break pile ups with 5 watts, but I can get in with 100 and an omni antenna. I know I could with 500 and a yagi. That's the great part of this hobby, there's many avenues one can take. I've had operators tell me that life's too short for QRP, which is sort of sad. They probably don't have long to live.

 

[AC2OY]

I hear you vagrant! If I'm patient I eventually will get the contact I want. I have to sit and devote some to the guys in Saudia Arabia and Dubai those are some pretty big pile ups!!! I'm confident I'll eventually get them. Hey I waited last night and got Odin from Iceland so that's another country. I have to download another log program because a lot of these guys apparently aren't using LOTW and QRZ so I suppose club log will be next.

 

[vagrant]

I prefer Ham Radio Deluxe for logging. The free version still works fine for me on Windows 7 & 8 machines. The logs I enter there I can automatically upload or right click a few things and push it to LoTW, eQSL, and HRD log. Most of my DX contacts use eQSL more than LoTW. Pushing paper may be the only option with some stations.

Back to your topic. Before I would consider an amplifier I would have a decent antenna system. While working stations with my 5 watts and some compromised antenna is interesting out in the field, operating with 5 watts using a three element yagi is a delight. Blasting maybe 19 watts ERP into the air helps on the transmit, but a directional antenna with gain is nice on receive too.

Remember, a 100 watt radio can be turned down to five if you want to try out low power options. Spending at least half of what you paid for your radio on your antenna system, if not as much, is where you will see an improved return on your investment. Still, everyone's situation is different so what works for one might not work for another.

 

[AC2OY]

Thank you Vagrant for your thoughts. I will explore my options. Tonight on 14.2550 K2xx was on from the big island. I tried very hard but I don't think he heard me but I heard pritty good sometimes he rose above the noise. It that what a hop or skip is. It was like his signal was cycling.

 

[prcguy]

I'm close to the US east coast (north of Montreal) and right now I can hear some 1 stations calling Hawaii on 40m because they are hearing WWVH on 2.5MHz.
prcguy