so i was just doing my usual morning check on pskreporter and noticed a huge cluster of 6m spots across the midwest and into the southeast, logged like 14 states in about 45 minutes which is more than i usually get in a whole week on that band. not sure if its an Es opening or what but the spots were showing some pretty long haul paths too, saw a few Caribbean stations showing up around 0900 local which got my attention fast.

also heard a rumor that Icom is doing some kind of announcement next month, somebody on the reflector was talking about a possible successor to the 7300 but i have no idea if thats just wishful thinking or if theres actual substance to it. would not surprise me, that radio has been out for a while now and the market seems ready for something new. anyway if youre on 6m keep an eye on the DX clusters this week, conditions seem really favorable right now

yeah i caught the tail end of that opening yesterday afternoon, was kicking myself for not being at the rig earlier. worked a KP4 on SSB which i wasnt even expecting, just happened to be scanning around and there he was 59 both ways. 6 meters man, when it opens it really opens.

on the icom thing i saw that same post and honestly i take those rumors with a grain of salt until they show up on the actual icom japan site. people have been saying a 7300 replacement is coming for like two years now. that said i wouldnt mind seeing something with a bigger screen and maybe better filtering options built in, the 7300 is great but its showing its age a little compared to some of the newer SDR based stuff

just got my technician last month and i dont really understand what an Es opening is yet, can someone explain? like is that just when the band is more active than usual or is it a specific weather thing? im trying to learn all this propagation stuff and it feels like theres a lot to take in at once lol