going through the archives I found this posting from W8JI last year:
· Subject: Topband: 160 propagation
· From: "Tom Rauch" <w8ji@contesting.com>
To: <topband@contesting.com>
· Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2000 10:49:48 -0400
I hope people don't give up trying because conditions are poor for a few
nights. There were many times during mid-summer when a DX station was just
booming in and no one was on to enjoy the opening. That includes working
people in northern Europe, as well as southern hemisphere stuff.
LA3XI braved the sun during the summer, and came in quite well on a due east
path day after day during July! Quite a few people worked him. The few
times I managed to move a JA to 160 during summer, QSO's were made. Even
northern hemisphere paths are possible all year. Some of the poorest days
have been days with low solar activity, and some of the best have been when
"the numbers" are off the charts! Besides, it's always more fun when you
have to dig a bit. If it wasn't for that, we'd probably all be on twenty
meters.
"One of the things I've found is many times the band peaks well-off sunrise,
and goes downhill as sunrise approaches." If we aren't there trying, we can
be sure the band will be dead.
73, Tom W8JI
+++++++++++++
The highlighted part I found interesting since it bears out my findings from
tropical latitudes and it has also been followed up by 9V1PC and also
commented on by 4X4NJ.
Thinking aloud - Could it be that once the sun starts getting further north
and the zenith gets so many degress closer to ones latitude then the early
morning "D" layer build up outstrips the sunrise enhancement to the "E" layer
and operators should be searching at other times for possible openings and
not relying on something that may not be possible during the summer months
>From tropical latitudes I used to find things were better 2-3 hour before
dawn when it appeared that the centre of the path was around local midnight
on the path, (MAM --Midnight At Midpath - any other acronyms welcome ! ) but
as always the evidence is only circumstantial relying on me being awake and
near a rig, if and when, the path opened.
best 73s
Bob Parkes
G3REP
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