Message-ID: <001201c1fd06$b5340180$464001d5@main>
From: "Alan Melia" <Alan.Melia@btinternet.com>
To: "LF-Group" <rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org>
Subject: LF: USA on 136 and Prop reports
Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 18:05:41 +0100
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Hi All, First apologies to those who have been looking for it......the
Propagation Report has been 'frozen' for the past week due to a hardware
failure at my location. I did not immediately realise by my modem was
faulty, so no access to the net until I had used the laser cutting torch to
free the titanium bands on my wallet and given the moths a test-flight. The
new hardware is now installed and I have mounted last night's plots, but it
will be a little longer before I have downloaded the NOAA Graphs and had
time to catch up with studying the current solar conditions.

It is great to see that we will soon have some activity from the US, and
maybe the plots will be more useful then. One thought on frequencies, is
that please do not try to impose even a 'gentleman's agreement' in terms of
what is the status in the UK.  We may have to assign nights, or periods for
stations further east who cannot hear anything on the HF side of 137kHz due
to the QRM from DCF39. They may need to transmit in the 137.7 area so that
they can receive in the 135.8 area. This was not an option until SXV ceased
its regular transmissions at the bottom of the band. We have a window for
them that may not stay open for ever.  I suggest we discuss possibilities
which need to deviate from the previous suggestion on this reflector, and
agree solutions to suit conditions. Bear in mind contacts will be very much
more difficult from further east, as the main path will probably tend to be
a three hop path. I believe from the signal strengths we have received from
CFH that the UK is blessed with the centre of the two hop path. Signals
received further east, even in Belgium, are very much weaker than I hear.

The night time period is becomming very short now as we approach the summer
solstice, and often the best signals are to be heard at this location at
about 0400 to 0500z. If anyone would like a zip of the CFH and DCF plots (or
even the raw data), I will try to oblige. I am in the process of trying to
get them all archived  (for posterity ??) on the CD Rom. Between Brian and
myself we must have over 500 plots now. The propagation report would not be
possible without the daily forward of DCF and CFH plots from Brian CT1DRP.

Cheers de Alan G3NYK
alan.melia@btinternet.com