Topband: PJ2T on 160 Meters: Europe Before Sunset

[Herb Schoenbohm]

Jeff, K8ND write in part.


Remember, this is from 12-degrees North of the Equator, in the bright
>> >  >  Caribbean sunshine
>> >  >  and with ~85 degF temperatures! I wasn't able to get any stations to hear
>> >  >  me this early,
>> >  >  but we could hear them!
>> >  >
>> >  >  During the contest, twilight at PJ2T came 30 minutes after the contest
>> >  >  began, and full
>> >  >  darkness came almost 1.5 hours into the contest period. We did not work
>> >  >  our first mainland
>> >  >  European station (EA7SG) until 0024Z, a
>>      
Jeff,

I have similar experiences here before sunset......hear a lot and work 
nothing.  Remember now with a 45 degree Beverage aimed on Europe and 
with considerable daylight to the south, west, north of you and 
especially the tropical cauldron from the Amazon of QRN is reduced.  
Even the continuous activity along the ITCZ is down by 10-20 dbs 
depending on your RX antenna.  The condition of QRN arrival angles 
should be significantly reduce QRN from areas of sunlight.  Why there is 
not more SS Grayline enhancement in the early evenings, like there seems 
to be in the morning, is still a big mystery for me.

Another reason could be that the big guns in Europe that you hear before 
sunset are looking with highly directional antennas in some other 
direction assuming that NA and Caribbean DX will come through much later 
when their Geo Clock says it is after sunset over NA. But the inverse 
exists when you are trying to work Europe into their daylight then the 
tables turn. They are looking West and you are looking East or North 
East..  Even NA West Coast stations have a chance then as the QRN from 
the continent beyond reduces.  At least that is the way I think it 
works....sometimes.


73

Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ