Yes, I have played around in the 160 contests during the mid-afternoon, too.
From SW New Mexico, I can typically work the better equipped east coast
stations at sunset....but I'm not talking about my sunset, but their sunset
around 21Z. At the same time, the closer-in stations in W8 and W9 can't hear me.
Strange.
73,
Steve, N2IC
On 10/08/2012 10:12 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
While we're talking about propagation, I'd like to understand what form I'm
experiencing during the beginning hours of 160M contests. They start at 2 pm out
here on the left coast, which is at least 2 1/2 hours before sunset, depending
on which contest. Within the first year after moving here, I've had a dipole at
120 ft and a Tee vertical with a lot of radials. I find that I can repeatably
work the better stations at distances of 800 miles or so on the vertical, but
don't get even a QRZ? from the dipole (I'm 70 miles S of San Francisco, so that
includes Seattle, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and parts of WY, MT, NM, and CO.
Now, 120 ft is only a quarter wave on 160, so that's still a "low dipole," and
the radiation at low angles isn't as much as from the vertical, but the
difference seems greater than just angle. So I'm wondering what form of
propagation this is at this time of day? Could it be ordinary ground wave?
Also by 3 pm I can always hear the stronger stations from W9 and VE3, but can
almost never work them. I understand the differences in the noise levels between
my daytime and their darkness, and there's also the fact that they're all
listening with NE RX antennas. But again the question is, what form of
propagation is this? W9 and VE3 are 2,000 miles from me, and the path is in
daylight!
73, Jim K9YC
_______________________________________________
Remember the PreStew coming on October 20th. http://www.kkn.net/stew for more
info.
_______________________________________________
Remember the PreStew coming on October 20th. http://www.kkn.net/stew for more
info.
|