I'm well aware propagation can be good even in mid summer, just as
it is on 160m (where I have 297 DXCC worked so I've been around a
while).

QRN is the "season creator" here. Last year trans-Atlantic WSPR-2
decodes ceased in late March due to rising static. I'm seeing the
same huge increase this March. I don't know what the band actually
sounds like in Europe or what happens later in the spring/summer.
But looking at lightning maps over the past few weeks I can make a
good guess we have significantly higher static levels than you do.

Of course on the plus side we don't have DCF39. :) I rarely see it
mentioned but isn't HGHA22 a nightmare too? It's often stronger than
DCF39 over here. I have my fast, wide waterfall set so I can see
both of them. They do make nice relative propagation indicators.

I did see some evidence that DFCW can cut through the mess later
into the season as I had full call sign copy on DF6NM and DF2JP in
April 2017.

73,
Paul N1BUG



On 03/19/2018 12:39 PM, Alan Melia wrote:
> Lots of people talk about a ''season'' but in propagation terms there isn't 
> one. you can get as good a propaga
> tion in summer as in winter. There is possibly less noise to listen to in 
> winter and the darkness period is longer. I have copied Joe VO1NA all year 
> round on QRSS (3 and 10 second dots) Poor nights can be predicted by 
> watching the Dst index but a high index ,above -20nT dos not guarentee a 
> good night but it is more likely. Good indictions for 136kHz can be had by 
> monitoring DCF39 on 138.83kHz (just the idle tone)
> 
> See http://www.472khz.org/pages/technical-topics/propagation.php
> Though it refers to 475kHs most of the observations were derived from 138.83 
> and CFH on 137.00kHz over about 11 years.