On 4 Nov 99, at 10:43, [email protected] wrote:
Monitoring at night [in ZB2] showed an increase throughout the hours of darkness
peaking at 02.30 to 04.00. Signal levels began to drop at around 2 hours
before dawn.
The signal level difference was around 8-10 dB in general but a peak one
morning at 03.45UTC was estimated at +12db on daytime levels and + 4dB on the
level seen between 22.00 and 00.00hrs the previous night.
The only other anomaly of note was a single deep fade 8dB peak to trough,
which took a full 15 minutes from start to finish and occurred between 23.30
and 23.45 one evening. Unfortunately I did not have the time or technology to
keep monitoring or recording the signal to see if this recurred on a regular
basis.
Beware of applying HF theories to this fading pattern. That's thge
mistake I made when noticing an unexpected fade, rather than peak,
during the eclipse.
Because ground wave is present as well (not something we get at
HF at any distance) any sky wave will result in =either= an
enhancement or a decrease in signal. Both indicate the presence of
sky-wave and are therefore potentially good news. I think this is the
reason why there is often a discrepancy between what differently
sited stations are hearing - often someone has reported that he
received improved signals whilst someone else says they are worse.
I now call CQ when DCF39 is 10dB weaker than its ground wave, as
well as when it is 10dB stronger!
As regards day and night differences, I receive the Greek RTTY at
S9+ all night but very weak or inaudible during the day. I also
noticed that when I worked IK5ZPV using QRSs just before lunch,
he was inaudible, whilst at 1900UTC his normal CW was S5. Note
that, although people have worked OH1TN during the UK daytime,
there is very little sun to enhance the damaging D layer as far north
as Finland in the winter.
As has been commented before, it will be useful to start some night
time DX tests (anyone who used 160m in the sixties will remember
the sort of thing I mean). The important thing is to coordinate
activity. I would be willing to come on the air very early in the
morning (or very late at night) if there were a good chance of some
DX being around. I guess that since the QSOs will all be within
Europe for the moment, we need a slot between 0200 and 0300 UTC
(I am already regretting suggesting it !!!). The later in the year, the
later the time we can have it. Perhaps a test on the second Sunday
morning in each month in November, December, January and
February, lasting from 0000 to 0600UTC (so you can either stay up
late or get up early). Any takers?
Mike, G3XDV (IO91VT)
http://www.dennison.demon.co.uk/activity.htm
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