Topband: 3C6A (propagation)

[N1BUG]

Perhaps not all of us. This brings up a mystery I have been 
wondering about for years.

I seem to be experiencing something that most of NA doesn't. 
Admittedly the sample size is small, since activity from the central 
part of Africa is mostly limited to DXpeditions or the occasional 
operation by one of the resident hams. However, going back over the 
last 8 years (since my return to topband), I am finding a broad band 
across central Africa from east to west where the peak seems more 
apt to be half way between my sunset and their sunrise. Many times I 
have experienced this broad peak, then had the signal fade into 
noise and be completely unreadable at their sunrise. Often, I can 
judge by the pile and NA QSO rate that as I am losing the signal it 
is coming up in the southeast and central US, and builds toward a 
peak at African sunrise for those areas.

I have seen the occasional exception with a strong sunrise peak but 
it does not seem to be the norm.

What makes this even more strange is the fact I get very strong 
sunrise peaks from Europe, northern Africa, and southern Africa. 
Propagation to central Africa seems to be playing by a different set 
of rules to my location. I wonder why?

73,
Paul N1BUG



On 02/24/2012 08:31 AM, Bert Barry wrote:
> What we in NA need is the period from 0500 to 0545 UTC for the "dawn
> enhancement" effect.
> Hope they don't get tired from listening to static for 2 or 3 hours, and
> go to bed and miss the beautiful sunrise.
>
> Bert   VE3QAA