E-skip June 9-10

Late Tuesday afternoon, I checked the FM band for E-skip and was greeted by a station from Missouri: KTBG in Warrensburg on 90.9 MHz. That's where I usually hang out during E-skip openings because it's one of the few FM frequencies with nothing on the air in my neck of the woods. KTBG was a relog.

Wednesday afternoon brought relogs of WHRM in Wausau, Wisconsin, and KLRC in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. However, at 2200 UTC, I logged a new one: KPNO in Norfolk, Nebraska, 1,252 miles to the west. KPNO was not only a new station for the log, but it also represented a new state on FM. (That's KPNO’s tower in the photpo above.)

The radio used for these receptions was an indoor Tecsun S-2200x.

July 7 E-skip

Mid-afternoon Sporadic E / E-skip noted here today. Relogged two stations on 90.9 MHz:

1930 UTC, WJKV in Jacksonville, Florida, transmitting 41,000 watts, 920 miles to the south-southwest

1950 UTC, WOWB in Brewton, Alabama, transmitting 100,000 watts, 1057 miles to the southwest 

Both were received with my ICOM IC-R8600 receiver and ICOM AH-7000 discone antenna.

May 31 E-skip

I have been checking 90.9 MHz every morning for any sign of life. As I mentioned before, 90.9 MHz is the only FM band channel that is unoccupied here, so anything heard on 90.9 is an indication that the band is open.

WBUR on 90.9 from Boston was loud and clear at 9 AM, but I did not get back to the radio until 11 AM when the band was hopping with E-skip.

I relogged two stations and logged one new one. I relogged KLRC in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, 1224 miles to the west-southwest and WOWB in Brewton, Alabama, 1058 miles to the southwest.

The new logging was WATP in Laurel, Mississippi, 1106 miles to the west-southwest.

All were heard with the ICOM IC-R8600 receiver and ICOM AH-7000 discone antenna.

Catch-Up

On Tuesday, I had robotic inguinal hernia repair surgery, so I have not been too wordy on the blog front lately. 

I did log a new station on 1650 kHz: CKZW (Radio Shalom) transmitting 1 kW from Montreal, 269 miles to the north.

I also had a few relogs. 

Radio Rebelde on 1620 kHz transmitting 5 kW from Guanabacca, Cuba, 1388 miles to the south-southwest.

WHRM on 90.9 MHz transmitting 81 kW from Wausau, Wisconsin, 871 miles to the west-northwest via E-skip.

WLFE on 909 MHz transmitting 100 kW from Cutler Bay, Florida, 1204 miles to the south-southwest via E-skip.

Various antennas were used with my ICOM IC-R8600 receiver.

Dominican Republic to UK TV DX

Mike, KA3JAW, reported that on June 19 around 1600 UTC, two UK TV-DXers in western London detected NTSC analog television channel 2 video carrier on 55.250 MHz, zero offset from callsign HIJB, Tele Antillas in the Dominican Republic. Path distance was over 4,300 miles with the half-way point over the Northern Atlantic Ocean at mid-latitude (40 N). No audio carrier was observed on 59.750 MHz.

During that time, 6 meters was open between the UK and Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic according to a ham radio operator in the UK.

What is puzzling, but also entertaining to me is what was the mode of propagation?

My initial thought was Sporadic-E with four hops with each hop being 1,075 miles. This would be a rare case that I have never experienced in 15 years of TV-DXing. If it was, the signal path attenuation from each consecutive hop would be too high. So, this rules out that mode in my mind.

The more logical mode would be F2 with two hops with each hop being 2,150 miles. In 15 years of TV-DXing, I have received one station from Peru via single hop F2 at 2,783 miles.

On June 19, there were no sunspots, noon 10.7 cm radio flux was 68 sfu and geomagnetic activity at quiet. We are at solar minimum, one of the deepest minima of the past century. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation from the Sun is at its lowest level in a decade. How could this influence F2 ionization?

The following is from Wikipedia on F2 Propagation:

Since the height of the F2 layer is some 200 miles (320 km), it follows that single-hop F2 signals will be received at thousands rather than hundreds of miles. A single-hop F2 signal will usually be around 2,000 miles (3,200 km) minimum. [Yes in our case]

A maximum F2 single-hop can reach up to approximately 3,000 miles (4,800 km). [Not in our case]

Multi-hop F2 propagation has enabled Band 1 VHF reception to over 11,000 miles (17,700 km). [Not in our case]

Since F2 reception is directly related to radiation from the Sun on both a daily basis and in relation to the sunspot cycle, it follows that for optimum reception the centre of the signal path will be roughly at midday. [Not in our case, the Sun was between The Bahamas and Cuba.]

Clue: The DXers were not able to receive the audio carrier on 59.750 MHz. F2 has a high cut-off frequency near 60 MHz. [Yes, in our case]

Since these two propagation modes do not fit the parameters, more research is needed.

More Es and Not

Es

Early Wednesday morning at 6 AM EDT,  Mike, KA3JAW, in Easton, Pennsylvania, was hearing Alabama and Missouri stations on the citizen band. Then an unknown city in Wisconsin (minimum 663 miles) and Chicago (650 miles) at 6:30 AM.

Three hours later during the mid-9 AM hour, 6 meters opened up to Sheboygen, Wisconsin (674 miles).

At 10:07 AM, Es were plowing through the lower FM broadcast band on 88.3 with the first station identified as Cornerstone University, WCSG with RDS [5BCA] in Grand Rapids, Michigan (562 miles to the northwest).

Twenty minutes later, the second station rolled-in: The Faith Center, WFEN, "The Lighthouse" with RDS [6251] from Rockford, Illinois (727 miles to the west-northwest).

Not Es

Meanwhile, at WA1LOU, there were two additions to the log.

June 3 at 1826 UTC, WWF48 on 162.525 MHz, the NOAA weather on Mt. Greylock, Adams, Massachusetts, 70 miles to the north. Normally, 162.525 is dead quiet here. When propagation is good, I usually hear WNG575 on Pack Monadnock, Petersborough, New Hampshire, which is 30 miles more distant than Mt. Greylock, so go figure!

June 8 at 1205 UTC, WEER on 88.7 in Montauk, Long Island, New York, transmitting 1700 watts, 65 miles to the southeast. Normally, 88.7 is occupied by WNHU, the University of New Haven station, 23 miles to the south, but WEER was stronger than WNHU for awhile on Saturday morning. 

Equipment at WA1LOU: ICOM IC-R8600 receiver and ICOM AH-7000 discone antenna.

E-Skip Season

Driving home from a family picnic last Saturday evening (May 25), I noticed that the FM radio band was in E-skip mode. Since I was driving, I couldn't do any serious DXing and by the time I arrived home, it was too late – the Es were gone.

A few days later, Mike, KA3JAW, in Easton, Pennsylvania, sent me the following report.

On Monday, May 27 from 2234 to 2310 UTC, a single analog video carrier showed up on the Airspy HF+ using SDR Console software on analog TV channel 5 (z) 77.250.710 MHz ranging in signal strength from -115 to -110 dBm via sporadic-E.

I suspect this is Cuban, Tele Rebelde network, callsign CMEA in Santa Clara with 60.3 kW at it true azimuth of 190 degrees. My antenna was aimed due south of 180 degrees. Distance would be 1294 air miles.

Since this signal is very weak, it is not strong enough to view the video and/or sound on a TV set for a true verification.

The accompanying image are signal measurements snips from Airspy-SDR Console.

In  a second email, Mike added...

On Saturday evening, there was Es from my QTH to GA, FL, AL around 2330 UTC until it decoupled from FL state and scaled back into TN at 0057 UTC on Sunday.

Stay tuned!

E-Skip Time

Yesterday, Mike Schaffer, KA3JAW, alerted me that E-skip season is upon us.

Mike wrote, "Es season in western EU started on Sunday, May 14th. Es season in US started yesterday, along the west coast inland towards Texas. Today Es started in Virginia and reached as far north as Wisconsin."

So today, I began monitoring the VHF Propagation Map and all day long so far (it's 1700 UTC now), there have been big openings in the southeastern USA. The map does not differentiate between types of VHF propagation, but whenever a big red footprint appears on the map, it is worth investigating if you are under that footprint.

Winter E-Skip?

When I am in my Subaru and not chasing AM DX at sunrise, the car radio is usually tuned to WLNG on 92.1 Mc, which is transmitting about 55 miles away in Sag Harbor on Long Island. Although I am on the fringe of WLNG’s coverage area, I enjoy listening to the station because it is old school AM radio and features a DJ, Rusty Potz, who I grew up listening to when I was a teenager. (Hear WLNG for yourself on their website).

And since I am on the fringe, I am very familiar with the ups and downs of WLNG’s signal as I drive around my neck of the woods. And this morning, those ups and downs were not normal; in places where WLNG’s is normally solid, I heard other stations competing with LNG’s signal.

At 1350 UTC, I clearly heard the station identification of WLHR. I had no idea where WLHR was located and when I looked it up, I was surprised to discover that it was located in Lavonia, Georgia, 744 miles to my southwest!

Shortly after the station identification, conditions returned to normal. 

144 MHz Opening

This just showed up (at 1520Z) on the VHF Propagation Map: a 1400-mile opening on 144 MHz from Central Florida to the Southern Maine.

E-Skip?

This popped up on the VHF Propagation Map at about 2030Z: a 1100-mile opening on 144 MHz from Central Florida to the Lower Hudson Valley of New York State.

Surfin’: Got E-s?

This week, Surfin’ literally takes a look at Sporadic E propagation on YouTube.

Surfin’: More TV DX

This week , Surfin’ is still sitting in front of the boob tube waiting for Cuba, Canada or Iowa to come rolling in on Channel 2.

How’s TV DX?

This week, Surfin’ recalls the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summertime TV DX.