Here are the stations I picked up: 162.450 somewhere in S. Texas.162.475- Waco, 162.425- Throckmorton, 162.400- Austin/San Antonio, and 162.500- Cisco. KWBU, KXAN, KHCE, KXXV, LPB, KIAH, and KTXS
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E-Skip alert!
- Thread starter eskipper411
- Start date
added KZJL and KBTX.eskipper411 said:
Decatur, TXBRNout said:
Primer on the difference between e-skip & tropo
Then it's tropospheric ducting and not e-skip. Here's a very basic description of each (engineers out there may chime in with expanded detail!):
E-skip would be if you managed to pull in stations from Ohio or Wyoming. Tropo is an atmospheric condition which allows signals to be 'ducted' beyond their normal range. For example, a station that may only have a normal range of 70 miles now can be heard strongly 150 miles away. Something like that. Very common in humid weather or when there's an inversion layer in the lower atmosphere - both of which will tend to capture the signal before it heads off into the upper atmosphere - sending the signal downward beyond the normal horizon.
E-skip means that the e layer of the ionosphere has become energized and is reflecting signals that would otherwise go into space - back to earth. Because the e layer is so high up (80 miles?), the effect is that you have stations bouncing in from 800 - 1800 miles away. It's also a very unstable condition and often during such events you hear stations fading in and out and being swapped with other distant signals. Tropospheric ducting, on the other hand, can be stable for several hours.
Lastly, it would be very unusual to get NOAA Weather Radio signals via e-skip as most such events mainly affect the VHF-TV and lower portion of the FM band. Occasionally they do open up to 108 MHz, but 162 would be too high of a wavelength in all but the most incredible cases. Most e-skip has traditionally been detected first on VHF channel 2 (which is around 59 MHz). Now with everything in digital, it is not as good a guide as it once was.
Rule of thumb: if the signal is coming from less than 500 miles away, it's tropospheric ducting (which is by far more common than e-skip).
Then it's tropospheric ducting and not e-skip. Here's a very basic description of each (engineers out there may chime in with expanded detail!):
E-skip would be if you managed to pull in stations from Ohio or Wyoming. Tropo is an atmospheric condition which allows signals to be 'ducted' beyond their normal range. For example, a station that may only have a normal range of 70 miles now can be heard strongly 150 miles away. Something like that. Very common in humid weather or when there's an inversion layer in the lower atmosphere - both of which will tend to capture the signal before it heads off into the upper atmosphere - sending the signal downward beyond the normal horizon.
E-skip means that the e layer of the ionosphere has become energized and is reflecting signals that would otherwise go into space - back to earth. Because the e layer is so high up (80 miles?), the effect is that you have stations bouncing in from 800 - 1800 miles away. It's also a very unstable condition and often during such events you hear stations fading in and out and being swapped with other distant signals. Tropospheric ducting, on the other hand, can be stable for several hours.
Lastly, it would be very unusual to get NOAA Weather Radio signals via e-skip as most such events mainly affect the VHF-TV and lower portion of the FM band. Occasionally they do open up to 108 MHz, but 162 would be too high of a wavelength in all but the most incredible cases. Most e-skip has traditionally been detected first on VHF channel 2 (which is around 59 MHz). Now with everything in digital, it is not as good a guide as it once was.
Rule of thumb: if the signal is coming from less than 500 miles away, it's tropospheric ducting (which is by far more common than e-skip).
I did'nt know because I am new to DXing.
Good catches! Did you compute the mileage? What I do is determine the geodetic (sea level) distance between the latitude & longitude of the x-mitter site and my house. If you'd like more detailed info, shoot a pvt message my way and I'll help you out any way I can.
Good hunting!!!!
r
Good hunting!!!!
r
BRNout is, for the most part, right. But there are a few amplifications I might make.
NOAA radio, in the 162 MHz band, would almost always be tropo when heard over long distances. But, there are indeed times that they are heard via sporadic-E (Es). In extreme openings, e-skip signals can get that high. As a ham, I work 144 MHz, not far below, and I have already seen a couple of openings this Summer. In one opening, there was a path on 162 MHz between NJ and AR. Still, it is rare.
Tropo can happen over long distances. I have gotten tropo out to 1000 miles. But, again, it's rare. Over time, you'll develop a feel for the two, and can tell the difference easily.
But, if you're getting high VHF (like NOAA) at just a few hundred miles, it will be tropo.
DE
NOAA radio, in the 162 MHz band, would almost always be tropo when heard over long distances. But, there are indeed times that they are heard via sporadic-E (Es). In extreme openings, e-skip signals can get that high. As a ham, I work 144 MHz, not far below, and I have already seen a couple of openings this Summer. In one opening, there was a path on 162 MHz between NJ and AR. Still, it is rare.
Tropo can happen over long distances. I have gotten tropo out to 1000 miles. But, again, it's rare. Over time, you'll develop a feel for the two, and can tell the difference easily.
But, if you're getting high VHF (like NOAA) at just a few hundred miles, it will be tropo.
DE
Added 3 new stations this morning: KVUE, KNVA, and KLRU.
LibertyNT said:
That means the SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) technology would not give you a warning for your local area - that would concern me,
especially if a tornado, hail or thunderstorms with lightning were heading in your direction. Here is some info. on how that works for those unfamiliar with SAME: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrsame.htm
Ah, yes... July 6th, 2004. The VHF Editor for QST, the Amateur Radio magazine, calls it the biggest VHF opening ever seen in North America. I was lucky enough to catch it, having just gotten a 2m (144 MHz) SSB station on-air a few weeks before.
The E-cloud was over the Appalachians, and was open at 144 MHz or above for 4 hours. Amazing.
Without getting too esoteric into ham stuff, the band was so wide open, I even moved off SSB and called CQ on the FM call channel -- and got a pile-up! I worked a couple of guys in Boston traffic, just using standard 2m FM-only rigs and 1/4 wave mag mount antennas.
I didn't check FM broadcast, but I'm sure it was solid signals.
DE
The E-cloud was over the Appalachians, and was open at 144 MHz or above for 4 hours. Amazing.
Without getting too esoteric into ham stuff, the band was so wide open, I even moved off SSB and called CQ on the FM call channel -- and got a pile-up! I worked a couple of guys in Boston traffic, just using standard 2m FM-only rigs and 1/4 wave mag mount antennas.
I didn't check FM broadcast, but I'm sure it was solid signals.
DE
Had some e-skip this afternoon in Ohio. I was alerted by some interference on WHIO-FM at 95.7.
Positive ID's
93.5 KLXK Breckinridge, TX.\, with country as "Lakes 93-5".
94.9 KLTY, Arlington TX, over Rewind 94-9 (whatever their calls are this week)
Prettys sure of
94.1, KLNO, Spanish over and under Cincy's Frequency 94.1
91.7 someone carrying "Point of View" (KVTT?)
90.9 another religious, carrying "Walk in the Word", (KCBI?)
96.3 Country mixing with Columbus' WLVQ, presumably KSCS.
Positive ID's
93.5 KLXK Breckinridge, TX.\, with country as "Lakes 93-5".
94.9 KLTY, Arlington TX, over Rewind 94-9 (whatever their calls are this week)
Prettys sure of
94.1, KLNO, Spanish over and under Cincy's Frequency 94.1
91.7 someone carrying "Point of View" (KVTT?)
90.9 another religious, carrying "Walk in the Word", (KCBI?)
96.3 Country mixing with Columbus' WLVQ, presumably KSCS.
I missed that, but got some so-so tropo today, including the following stations
101.9: KINK Portland, OR (158 miles)
102.1: KSWW Montesano, WA (73 miles, groundwave)
105.7: KJET Raymond, WA (101 miles) or KJET-FM1, a booster station out of Aberdeen, WA (85 miles, more likely)
102.1: Shania Twain's "MAN! I Feel Like a Woman". Not sure if it's KSWW again or someone else.
I heard some AC music on 105.7 this morning. Not sure if it's the same statioin (KJET) or not. Was a good 5/10 with little static, then faded out to CBU.
-crainbebo
101.9: KINK Portland, OR (158 miles)
102.1: KSWW Montesano, WA (73 miles, groundwave)
105.7: KJET Raymond, WA (101 miles) or KJET-FM1, a booster station out of Aberdeen, WA (85 miles, more likely)
102.1: Shania Twain's "MAN! I Feel Like a Woman". Not sure if it's KSWW again or someone else.
I heard some AC music on 105.7 this morning. Not sure if it's the same statioin (KJET) or not. Was a good 5/10 with little static, then faded out to CBU.
-crainbebo
Adding KRBC-DT 29 to the list of tropos.
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