[TowerTalk] Skewed Path to BQ9P

[Joe Reisert]

Dick,

This is reverently called the SKEW path. Been around a long time. I
remember using it on 20 meters in the late 1950's from Long Island. At the
same time, K2DGT (now W6PU) put up a 3 element full size Telrex monster on
40-Meters in Islip, LI and  most mornings he sat there running JA stations
on 40-Meters with the beam at 220 degrees. Many were skeptical because they
couldn't hear the JAs but they were TRUE BLUE QSOs!

Yes, I hear that path many times a year on 40 meters and sometimes even on
80/75 meters!

73,

Joe, W1JR


At 07:04 AM 11/13/98 -0500, Dick Green wrote:
>
>While we're on the subject of compass directions, here's a question that
>might be bit more relevant to the subject of directional antennas:
>
>This morning I was listening to BQ9P from Pratas Island on my 40M 4-square
>(he was working JAs, unfortunately.) The bearing from here to Pratas is
>about 350 degrees, but I was surprised to find that BQ9P was noticably
>stronger on the Southwest element (190-280 degrees) than on the Northwest
>element (280-10 degrees). Neither signal moved the S-meter, but the signal
>from the SW was definitely louder. This phenomenon lasted throughout the
>brief opening from about 1000z to 1130z. Just as I was about to hit 'SEND'
>on this message, a W8 posted a spot on the PacketCluster calling out BQ9P at
>220 degress. Nice to know I wasn't just imagining this and that nothing is
>wrong with my 4-square!
>
>I've certainly experience the famed "long path" opening, but this was quite
>different. I've  heard about "skewed paths", but really haven't experienced
>one as dramatic as this (then again, I've had decent directional antennas
>for only a year -- after 15 years with mostly verticals and wires.) Is this
>sort of thing common on over-the-pole paths? Is it more of a 40M phenomenon
>or does it happen on the other bands, too? I had expected that a skewed path
>would  be no more than 90 degrees off, but this one was about 130 degrees
>from where it was supposed to be. One of my propagation programs predicts a
>long-path opening simultaneous with the short-path opening, but at very very
>low signal levels (i.e., less than noise level.) Is that what causes the
>skewed path?
>
>
>73, Dick, WC1M
>
>
>
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