[CQ-Contest] Scandanvian propagation question

Mon Jan 31 12:51:01 EST 2022

Hi all,
Steve presents a question about the propagation mode for polar night
time path for 20-15-10 and even 6m.

As I have experienced, the propagation feels like some kind of ducting
instead of typical F layer reflection.
The openings seem to just happen. At times, the K index can be just 2
and the band opens.

The openings vary from East Coast to West and everything in between.

I remember last maximum, Austin's station was audible through the
night on 15. I mean N4WW in Apopka, FL. The 15m operator was CQing on
the open but empty band.

There were random openings to VE7 and southwards.
At times California is extremely loud, while everything else is silent.
KH6 may open .. there are not many stations, but those on the air may
well be as loud as local neighbors.

As Timo OH1NOA points out, at times there can be a strongly skewed path to JA.

I am sure this is a part of our hobby we can explore and experiment.
We are likely not going to fully understand what makes these openings.
What is important, we are on the air at times and we get to witness
these wonderful phenomena Mother Nature offers us to ponder.

Hear you soon in ARRL DX.
This past weekend we had a blizzard, preventing access to my rural
contest QTH for CQ 160 CW.

73,
Jukka OH6LI

ma 31. tammik. 2022 klo 15.56 Steve London (n2icarrl at gmail.com) kirjoitti:
>
> From the western USA, on 10 meters, in the 20Z-23Z time, the path to
> Scandinavia is well understood. Single hop F layer from western USA to
> northern Quebec, then auroral Es to Scandinavia.
>
> 73,
> Steve, N2IC
>
> On Mon, Jan 31, 2022 at 6:02 AM Timo Klimoff <timo.klimoff at dnainternet.net>
> wrote:
>
> > Nowadays in Scandinavia we are able to monitor 10/15m FT8 frequencies to
> > see
> > if the path is open. So having your WSJT-X on is handy.
> > Path also varies: it is more frequently the northern thing - SM2/OH8/OH9
> > the
> > path is usually more often open and in the south OH1/OH2 openings are often
> > shorter. Usually Baltic countries are already too much in the south.
> > On stateside end path also varies: the most common is probably West Coast
> > propagation but sometimes we are able to work only EastCoast! When
> > propagation during the sunspot max. is sweet, we are able work both NA and
> > JA over the pole at 21-23Z, even on 10m!
> > Mechanism is unknown to me but clearly aurora usually "gives a boost" to
> > this path.
> >
> > 73 Timo OH1NOA OH1NA (one of OH1F gang)
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: CQ-Contest <cq-contest-
> > > bounces+timo.klimoff=dnainternet.net at contesting.com> On Behalf Of K9MA
> > > Sent: Monday, January 31, 2022 4:03 AM
> > > To: cq-contest at contesting.com
> > > Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Scandanvian propagation question
> > >
> > > I don't know the exact propagation mechanism, but this path from far
> > > northern EU to the northern US is very often open. We may experience it
> > > more often here in the north-central US, because our geomagnetic latitude
> > is
> > > close to that of southern Scandinavia, and at least 10 degrees higher
> > than
> > our
> > > geographic latitude. The openings happen in the winter, long after the
> > band
> > > has gone dead to the rest of EU. It even happens on 10 meters in high
> > sunspot
> > > years.
> > >
> > > I don't know how much further south it extends in NA. May Jukka can tell
> > us.
> > >
> > > 73,
> > > Scott K9MA
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 1/30/2022 2:43 PM, Jukka Klemola wrote:
> > > > John,
> > > > You ask for wisdom "does anyone know of the propagation mechanism to
> > > > explain this"
> > > >
> > > > Simple answer is, living here in Scandivnavia, been on the bands from
> > > > 1982, all I can tell is the Queen Aurora shakes her skirt so every now
> > > > and then there is some dust or glitter that opens up the path.
> > > >
> > > > It is 'rather typical' the path is there, but it is more typical the
> > > > areas at each end are small.
> > > > That is, the opening must be from an area to an area there are
> > > > stations and then the stations must be on.
> > > >
> > > > Then the most difficult part:
> > > > At least one of the stations must call CQ so the other has the rare
> > > > opportunity to answer the CQing station.
> > > >
> > > > The enigma in this is how often there are stations calling CQ to a
> > > > completely empty band?
> > > > Well .. sometimes the rag-chewers reveal the opening.
> > > >
> > > > Against many possible odds, we do encounter these openings every now
> > > and then.
> > > >
> > > > Typical Old Timer answer at local clubs here is that this propagation
> > > > happens only during contests. This propagation does not exist outside
> > > > countest hours.
> > > >
> > > > Reckon that is not the whole truth. There is more to it.
> > > >
> > > > We can analyze SFI, solar wind parameters, K or A figures ...
> > > > Yeap. You guessed right.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > 73,
> > > > Jukka OH6LI
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > su 30. tammik. 2022 klo 22.28 John Geiger (af5cc2 at gmail.com)
> > kirjoitti:
> > > >> Something I have noticed during the ARRL DX contest, and other winter
> > > >> contests, as well as during casual DXing, maybe a LA/SM/OH contester
> > > >> will have a better explanation for this:
> > > >>
> > > >> This past Friday I worked a SM3 on 15m FT8 at 5:15pm local time (2315
> > > >> UTC), well past the time that the path to Europe on 15 had closed.
> > > >> This isn't the first time I have had this occur.  Over the past few
> > > >> years I have witnessed this before, stations from LA/SM/OH coming
> > > >> through on 15 and 17 meters mid to late afternoon, several hours
> > > >> after the path to Europe had closed for that band.  They haven't been
> > > >> coming in the whole time since the disappearance of the rest of
> > > >> Europe, it is like a new path opens up several hours later, but only
> > > >> to these regions.  These areas in Europe will have been in darkness
> > > >> for several hours as well, dropping the MUF below 15 and
> > > >> 17 meters, but there they are.
> > > >>
> > > >> This is a winter phenomena I am discussing.  I am very familiar with
> > > >> Europe coming in later at night on 15 and 17 during the summer
> > > >> months, especially during higher sunspot numbers.
> > > >>
> > > >> So does anyone know of the propagation mechanism to explain this-why
> > > >> this one part of Europe comes in several hours after the path to the
> > > >> rest of Europe has closed-and when it is well into darkness at their
> > > >> QTH?  I am guessing it might have something to do with their location
> > > >> in the Auroral Zone and some sort of Aurora to F2 hookup, but that is
> > just a
> > > guess.
> > > >>
> > > >> 73 John AF5CC
> > > >> _______________________________________________
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> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Scott  K9MA
> > >
> > > k9ma at sdellington.us
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