so ive been licensed for about 6 years now and mostly do HF stuff, some 2m SSB when conditions are decent, but ive always been kind of obsessed with the idea of bouncing a signal off the moon and actually getting a contact. like just the concept of it is wild to me. anyway i finally decided to stop just reading about it and actually look into what it would take to get on 2m EME seriously.

the problem is every time i start researching i get completely overwhelmed. some guys say you need a massive yagi array, others are saying a single long boom yagi and JT65 is fine to start. my lot is not huge, maybe 80x120 feet, and theres HOA stuff so a 4 yagi array probably isnt happening. i have a IC-9700 already so the radio side is mostly sorted i think, but i have no idea about the preamp situation, whether i need a dedicated PA, what coax really matters at 144 mhz for a run of maybe 60 feet. just kind of want to know what a realistic single yagi setup looks like and whether contacts are actually makeable or if im just going to sit there calling CQ into the void.

yeah single yagi EME is totally doable these days, JT65b changed everything for smaller stations. back in the analog CW moonbounce era you basically needed a dish or a big array just to close the link, but now guys are making contacts with a single long boom yagi, maybe 20+ elements, and a decent station. the key numbers on 2m EME are path loss is something like 252 dB which sounds insane but JT65 can dig down pretty deep so it works.

your 9700 is a solid starting point. the thing i'd really focus on is the preamp — you want a low noise preamp right at the feedpoint, like as close to the antenna as physically possible, not down in the shack. 0.3 to 0.5 dB NF is the target range, SSB Electronic and Kuhne both make good stuff. coax quality matters more than people think at 144, LMR-400 for 60 feet is fine honestly, just dont cheap out with RG-8X or whatever. power is nice to have but even 100w will get you some contacts if the other station is running a big array. just get on the WSJT-X software and start listening during a contest weekend to get a feel for it before you transmit anything.

i went through exactly this about two years ago. ended up building a 9 element yagi first just to listen and honestly that taught me more than any reading did. you can hear the big stations no problem and it kind of calibrates your expectations. the frustrating thing is the moon isnt always in a useful position and you have to deal with the antenna tracking if you want to stay on it for more than a few minutes depending on your elevation and azimuth range. i built a simple Az/El rotor setup from scratch which was its own whole rabbit hole but whatever.

also dont underestimate how much the ground gain situation affects things. when the moon is low on the horizon you get some help from reflections, but it varies a lot by QTH. im in a valley and it genuinely hurts my low angle shots. anyway my point is just start with a single long yagi, get the preamp sorted, use JT65 and you will make contacts. not a ton at first but they'll come. its a patience thing more than a money thing imo