When I am on 8m, I use WSPR on 10m as this does not tie up the PC and the 10m antenna is available.
Now this may be as a result of more people now using FT8 rather than WSPR, but I am getting fewer F2 10m WSPR spots than during the last solar cycle. Sunspot numbers have been quite high and I would have expected to get a few reports from further afield on 10m. Most stations are European. Maybe it is just that E layer reflections block the way up to the F layer?
Is it just me?
It is my impression that F2 propagation in the summer is quite poor at any time of the solar cycle. More D layer absorption due to more sunlight, the ionosphere being less dense, so recombination of the ions are less frequent. In short, in the summer, the range of variation of the MUF is less, and in the winter it is very large.
ReplyDeleteI would expect the F2 openings o 10m to reappear within a few weeks from now we are approaching the equinox again.
We shall see.
Vy 73 de Jan, OZ9QV.