Since the 1960s I've enjoyed hearing and working DX via sporadic-E openings in the summer months. For me, it all started with DXTV reception on Band 1, much to the annoyance of my parents when I retuned the TV trying to find weak Italian and Spanish TV stations.But have sporadic-E openings changed and become far more intense in recent years? Looking at the reports of summer 6m DX now and you will see DX as far as S.America, The Congo, Japan and Texas to name but a few. Now is this because there are more stations, DX clusters and the like or is the E layer now doing things it wasn't doing (at least not as often) 40 years or more ago? Indeed, are these super so-called multi-hop Es openings really sporadic-E as we understand it? Or is the E layer now more intensely ionised more often?
Incidentally, with WSPR I seem to find 10m open to Europe almost all the time, day and night.
Hi Roger, I don't know. But what you are saying I do recognize. When I was at home with my parents I saw in the summertime Spanish and other European TV broadcast stations on the TV.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I received you with WSPR, a few days ago. 73, Paul PC4T
Hi Roger,
ReplyDeletedepends much on your location how to evaluate that. If we talk about Es that should reach MUF around 100 MHz (FM BC band) at least here in Finland the couple last seasons have been awful. The Es clouds do not simply "float" high enough latitudes to bring skips in. It has not been totally quiet, but I would say quite contrary; on any higher than 6 meters it´s getting worse and worse year after year.
73s Jukka OH1MAR