Topband: Summer in the Northern Hemisphere

[Gary Smith]

Thank you all for the interesting perspectives of why this is. I 
never thought about one hemisphere having more QRN than the other 
though I always think of rain forests in S. America and them having 
massive storms in their summer. 

160 really is our challenge, I remember being stunned how loud S. 
Georgia was coming in on 30M, easily 599 on my K3 S meter. 160M, 
hardly moved the meter but I could hear them easily.

Thanks for the different links, I had one lightning link saved in 
Chrome but it was eventually a dead link and I never looked farther. 
Now I have two links saved. I'll keep them next to the WA7BNM Contest 
calendar.

Thank you again for all the thoughts and links.

73,

Gary
KA1J


> Something that has always puzzled me is summer operation on 160 in 
> the northern hemisphere. 
> 
> Here in Connecticut 160 in the summer is so full of crashes that 
> picking out any DX is next to impossible. But, during the winter the 
> crashes are sometimes totally absent and the band is almost dead 
> silent except for ham operation. However, summer here is winter in 
> the southern hemisphere. I'll just use Argentina as the southern 
> example. 
> 
> Quoting from Wikipedia on Argentina:
> "Argentina has four seasons: winter (June-August), spring 
> (September-November), summer (December-February) and autumn 
> (March-May), all featuring different weather conditions. The hottest 
> and coldest temperature extremes recorded in South America have 
> occurred in Argentina."
> 
> So what is amazing to me is how difficult it is for me to hear 
> southern hemisphere DX in Connecticut, in July, yet they are hearing 
> our winter 160 contest signals, wonderfully in the middle of what is 
> their summer. The two recent VP8 DXpedetions were in their local 
> summer yet they were knocking NA & EU off one after another on top 
> band.
> 
> My HI-Z Rx is so very helpful on 160 (& other bands as well) but it 
> sure doesn't let me hear SA DX in July. I'd like to have a clear 
> picture of how it is that Southern Hemisphere 160M DX can hear so 
> well in their summer when I'm deaf as a doorknob in mine.
> 
> 73,
> 
> Gary
> KA1J
> 
> _________________
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