I dont under stand Polar conditions and Ive been "living them" for over 35 years :-))
I was taking a look at the 137KHz Alaska to ZL ZL6QH tests back some ten years ago from my previous QTH near Anchorage Airport
http://kl7uk.com/ZL6QH.jpg It appears the path was very good then but still with some QSB - but I was using 120 normal not slow - I could see his signal to dot 20 slow at times. I dunno - I think given enough evenings of dedicated TXing and receiving the path should be open "quite often" - thats a nice unscientific term - I think with my ERP and main lobe bearings it should be possible on MF and a tadge more difficult at the 3W level on 137.
The Oklahoma to New Zealand 137kHz path was open for what appeared to be 9 month of the year from XDW to ZL4OL - an odd path that waz too. I also took a look at my Cental America to Europe 137 sessions and again they appeared less affected by the Geo stuff - mind you it was a good sea path give or take the Turriabla Volcano :-)
cant wait till you decode the Polar stuff -
Laurence in the snow still...
From:
[email protected]To:
[email protected]Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:12:02 +0100
Subject: Re: LF: Best results so far from Germany to Tasmania
Hi Laurence, thanks for the encouragement
:-)) I have never really understood the Polar conditions.....but it looks
like there is a lot in the book I just ordered so I may soon be boring you with
new theories :-))
I wonder from your exposure to low frequencies at
both Poles whether you have any feeling for the effect of path direction wrt the
geomag field?. I have been trying to come to terms with the lack of
contacts between ZL &VK and the N. Pacific rim. You and Scot seemed to
hear and be heard in JA ok. I know it is a "bit further" to ZL but it is a
water path. We seem to work UK to Russia over land but there is nothing
much to aim at south of the Equator. I had an interesting detailed exchange with
Murray ZL1BPU and it may be lack of "big stations"at the moment. But even in the
days of Quartz Hill I dont remember much in the way of successes.
The PY to east-coast paths are the only ones
N<>S that seem to work regularly at the moment....maybe when we get more
data from that and also coincident E<>W data we might learn
something.
Best Wishes
Alan G3NYK
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 11:38
PM
Subject: RE: LF: Best results so far from
Germany to Tasmania
And I will validate the near instanteous drop in
conditions if we hit any sort of disturbance here in Alaska - and
the "average" time it takes to recover means I can typically take a break
of couple of weeks looking for DX and take up knitting again. Fair
conditions in Eu for longer haul are typically "poor" here.
Got
to say this has been the worst winter for long haul over the Pole Ive seen in
10 years of looking.
Unlike other locations HF over the pole
conditions are a pretty strong indicator of whats what at LF and MF in Winter
- if I typically dont see any signal over the North Pole from Eu on
3.5/7 or even 14 and above forget it at LF.
More
Southerly paths are less affected and to date if one of the stronger JA's
fires up on 136 we will see it here. Now, if I wander closer to the Geo
Poles things are actually get very different - peering out of the Auroral
oval (say from 83N 74W, or 80S 100W) with just one crossing into more
temperate geomag latitudes means the delight of AuE at VHF and some odd
MF openings -
I recall in the middle of a particularly strong Mag storm
listening to Capital radio London on 1548kHz from Antarctica with little
to no warble and S9 strength - very odd - but that was the same year as we
were watching BBC TV 405 lines direct from down there - so it was an odd
year oF Solar max -
I miss your reports Alan
!
Laurence KL 1 X
From:
[email protected]To:
[email protected]Date: Wed,
10 Apr 2013 17:15:56 -0400
Subject: Re: LF: Best results so far from
Germany to Tasmania
>There is one further factor and that is
signal leakage. If the geomag conditions are very quiet for extended periods
like during the >Solar min. signals seem to decrease, I have a
feeling that some of the longer lived ionisayion in the E-region may depend on
>the Ring Current charge. After a long quiet period the night-time E-layer
does not "reflect" quite so well. Conditions then improve >after a
small event, Kp=4, which would under normal conditions be insignificant, and
produces only small changes to the Dst.
Alan
Interesting explanation - always appreciate your
thoughts on the subject! Have certainly witnessed the 'quiet condition
signal drop off' for years on the T/A path.
Jay W1VD WD2XNS
WE2XGR/2
