Topband: Strange conditions Sunday night (Monday too)

[R]

You are experiencing exactly what we did for a month at XZ0A.  In
the first 90 minutes after sunset, there are no signals on low
angle receive antennas, and everything shows up in a low dipole.
It is interesting that you observe this phenomenon in the middle
of your night at European sunset.  It leads to a curiosity to
learn if a high efficiency NVIS transmit antenna would enter this
"vertical" path, and perhaps produce something closer to
reciprocal propagation.  It would be interesting to learn if this
path to Europe is to all of Europe or only high latitude
stations.  I do not recall any "weighting" to what region of EU I
heard first, other than who was in dark, and that of course loads
the data toward high latitudes.

For LP to NE USA, it cannot be real great circle long path, of
course, because significant portions of that path are in hard
daylight.  Never the less, the signals from XZ0A all appeared out
of the southwest to stations in Texas and east, and they could
only be heard in our low dipole.  It sounds like you are
experiencing the same propagation modes.   I am curious if the
eastern USA stations are hearing you from south of west.

Low dipole receive antennas need to become a staple for the
DXpeditions receive arsenal on topband.  I certainly will build
one as a primary needed Rx antenna-  I even put up one and used
it effectively at ZA this fall.

Non Reciprocal and Skew paths ARE real!

Robin, WA6CDR/XZ0A

-----Original Message-----
From: topband-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:topband-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Robert
Marshall-Read
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 16:46
To: 'K8LV1 at aol.com'; topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband: Strange conditions Sunday night (Monday too)


Eric,

The oval was smaller overnight and NL7Z popped up out of the
noise about
1620Z while I was calling Ken N6KB (KH6) on sked.  First KL7 from
here and
the first for three years overall.  Europe was strong at their
sunset (my
midnight) which is also unusual.

Over the past few weeks of improved conditions it appears that
there are two
mechanisms at work, at least here at the equator.

The outgoing signal from my vertical seems to hit a duct and fall
into
Europe long before the reciprocal path opens up.  When it does, I
hear
better on a horizontal low dipole than on the transmit sloper by
an S unit
or more.  This would indicate the incoming signals are "falling
straight
down" rather than coming in at low angle.  I have noticed this
since I put
up the horizontal receive antenna, but it has been more
pronounced the past
few weeks.

Even JA which is just down the road shows similar incoming
propagation, they
hear me before I can hear them.  To the NE USA the only way to
hear anyone
on LP is on the horizontal, even though at or just after my SR
the vertical
sloper is just as quiet.  Again, I think the signals just fall
down onto my
roof.

Many times I hear JA working NA and the Caribbean and passing out
good
reports with nothing heard here at all.  The same for D4, EA9,
YI9, and
other locations that the JA's hear and I can't.

By the way, 3,500 Q's, 76 DXCC worked from 9V and counting.

73

Bob 9V1GO


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