Topband: EU signals

[Lee K7TJR]

Hi Steve: 
>>I am curious as to whether the signals from EU of the past several days have been arriving at high angles or at skewed paths.  This has been one of the few occasions when I've been able to hear EU stations.  ES1 and OM3 have been very copyable here recently.  My situation is that everything below a 25 degree angle to my northeast shortpath to EU is blocked my a giant mountain.  So I am either hearing EU sigs arriving at a higher angle than usual, or they are skewed somewhat north or east.  Are any of you able to discern with you antenna setups which condition may have been the case recently?

      I think there are several things going on as to why you are hearing EU now. First of all,
 the stations you mention, ES1 and OM are some of the areas of EU that are in the more 
Northerly directions from here. ES1 is on 17 Degree path and OM is on a 26 degree path
 from here.
     The auroral polar absorption for the last week or more has been lower for longer periods
 of time than I have ever seen it before.
 When it drops way down we can receive the more northerly signals through it. I monitor it many
 times every day on http://www.k7tjr.com/radio_prop1.htm . The ES1 you mention was a true
S9 here on my TX vertical. And he was very strong on my 0 Deg., 22.5 Deg., and 30 Deg.
 antennas. Spot on I think.
     Almost all of the signals I have received from EU in the last week or so have been strongest
 on their true bearing. As such I have observed no evidence of any skewing. Several of my RX
 antennas are shortened vertical arrays which quickly lose their directivity on high angle signals.
I have seen little, if any sign of high angle signals recently as well.
     I think the quiet sun is responsible for low absorption and good propagation to the North of
your mountain.
  Lee   K7TJR  Oregon