Re: LF: Best results so far from Germany to Tasmania

["Alan Melia" <alan.melia@btinternet.com>]

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 -----

From: Laurence KL1 X

To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org

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

 

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From: jrusgrove@comcast.net
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
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