Is one season better than the other for DX'ing on AM or FM? Do signals travel better with snow/rain and cold air (winter) vs. hot and clear air (summer)? Is there more static during summer vs. winter on AM (except for the normal crackle of lighning during regional thunderstorms)? How about the big cumulus clouds affecting the signals with bounce? I know for FM the big clouds allow for skip... I picked up an Oregon FM station at 101.1 over KRTH 101.1 in the daytime when I lived in San Diego. I also had similiar experiences picking up mid west FM stations while living in Southern California and Las Vegas. What do you think?
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Seasonal DX'ing
- Thread starter kenb
- Start date
The fall and winter is always best for AM because of more night than day. Contrary to what some think, I don't think clouds or the weather affect AM reception.
The only thing other than day vs night that affects AM reception is land vs saltwater. Saltwater can make a daytime groundwave signal go much greater distances than it can on land, 1000 miles or a little more in some cases.
Generally, the best season for FM is spring and summer. Tropo, which is weather related, is the best here near the Gulf in spring and in other parts of the country, it's the summer. Tropo still can happen any time of year but it's less common in the fall and winter.
Of course, e skip is the most unique form of DXing on FM and the season for that is May through July and a little into August. There is also supposed to be a small mini season in mid-late December too. This past summer was not good for e skip at all.
The only thing other than day vs night that affects AM reception is land vs saltwater. Saltwater can make a daytime groundwave signal go much greater distances than it can on land, 1000 miles or a little more in some cases.
Generally, the best season for FM is spring and summer. Tropo, which is weather related, is the best here near the Gulf in spring and in other parts of the country, it's the summer. Tropo still can happen any time of year but it's less common in the fall and winter.
Of course, e skip is the most unique form of DXing on FM and the season for that is May through July and a little into August. There is also supposed to be a small mini season in mid-late December too. This past summer was not good for e skip at all.
I have somtimes heard unusual conditions during severe thunderstorms, including very strong reflections of AMs within 250 miles or so. Either it's reflection from receding ion trails, or possibly some interaction between the troposphere and ionosphere. People point out that there is no convection between the two, but electrostatic fields could be in play between the two.
Thunderstorms and heavy rains during the summer seem to affect AM radio reception for me. I notice the best AM skywave is when there is a high pressure system overhead so that the skies are clear. I dont think clouds really affect things but lightning definitely does.
On FM you can get e-skip during May, June and July. For me early to mid June had the best openings this year, but it can vary. You can get real time e-skip maps here, you'll notice its dead quiet until next spring:
http://www.vhfdx.info/spots/map.php?Lan=E&Frec=144&ML=M&Map=NA
Theres also tropo which will enhance fringe stations and bring you ones you thought were too far to get regularly. This is weather dependent, the spring, summer, and early fall are the best times but unusual weather patterns make it possible any time of the year. Since there is a tropo to weather relation, it can be predicted just like the weather, and it is at this site:
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html
On FM you can get e-skip during May, June and July. For me early to mid June had the best openings this year, but it can vary. You can get real time e-skip maps here, you'll notice its dead quiet until next spring:
http://www.vhfdx.info/spots/map.php?Lan=E&Frec=144&ML=M&Map=NA
Theres also tropo which will enhance fringe stations and bring you ones you thought were too far to get regularly. This is weather dependent, the spring, summer, and early fall are the best times but unusual weather patterns make it possible any time of the year. Since there is a tropo to weather relation, it can be predicted just like the weather, and it is at this site:
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html
I've heard of the mid-December mini E-skip events, but never encountered one here in WI until the winter of 2007. I was really surprised when FMs started coming in from Florida.
I've also noticed that FM signals seem to be enhanced (for up to around 200 miles) during spring & summer, after a line of severe thunderstorms have passed through.
As already mentioned, AM DX is best in the winter months...Those with the most dark hours.
I've also noticed that, in the winter months, there is a mini DX opportunity during the nid-day. These are nowhere near as good as nighttime AM DX, but I have snagged stations more than 400 miles away during these times.
I've also noticed that FM signals seem to be enhanced (for up to around 200 miles) during spring & summer, after a line of severe thunderstorms have passed through.
As already mentioned, AM DX is best in the winter months...Those with the most dark hours.
I've also noticed that, in the winter months, there is a mini DX opportunity during the nid-day. These are nowhere near as good as nighttime AM DX, but I have snagged stations more than 400 miles away during these times.
I haven't noticed much difference between nights that are cloudy and those that are clear.
I agree that November, December and January are the best for AM reception, especially in the daytime because the sun angle is lower. I also believe that snow cover on the ground increases groundwave coverage. Another reason why winter tends to be better for AM reception.
I agree that November, December and January are the best for AM reception, especially in the daytime because the sun angle is lower. I also believe that snow cover on the ground increases groundwave coverage. Another reason why winter tends to be better for AM reception.
gar fla said:
The Great Lakes are much better than much of Michigan. The M-3 Maps are only grossly accurate in Michigan. The better conductivity is small, the bad conductivity is greater. If you were ever in western Michigan and getting WGN and WBBM and WTMJ and others, and almost no signals in the inland direction, you wouldn't say that. It is roughly the same for land and water on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
There's no difference according to this.
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WLS&service=AM&status=L&hours=U
Compare that to saltwater.
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KNBR&service=AM&status=L&hours=U
No difference on the actual ground conducticity map either.
http://part15.us/node/70
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WLS&service=AM&status=L&hours=U
Compare that to saltwater.
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KNBR&service=AM&status=L&hours=U
No difference on the actual ground conducticity map either.
http://part15.us/node/70
Icangelp said:
There's no doubt that snow cover here in the midwest improves groundwave daytime signals for me. I hear stations that I would never hear during the day in the warm weather months.
gar fla said:
1) M-3 is not an actual ground conductivity map. Look at some recent AM applications on the FCC website and you will see plenty of areas where the M-3 says 8 and measured is 0.1 to 2. However, the Great Lakes have less variance. Same lake, M-3 says 8, Canada says 10. Measured land (clay loam) conductivity is good between Northbrook and Green Bay and Mokena and St. Louis, from what I'm told, as well as on the M-3 Map.
2) There is a considerable variation with temperature and groundwave, which might be influenced by snow if it's on sand, gravel, cement, or rock. I've done several bandscans at locations at several locations in Michigan, summer and winter, with an actual field strength meter, and there are many cases of 3-4X winter to summer variation over a 10-40 mile path.
3) Radio Locator maps are based on M-3, not measured conductivity or field strength.
Spring and summer are great for tropo, with nearly constant reception of full power stations up to 100 miles and tropo ducts about every week. Fall also tends to bring the most spectacular tropo (such as the MA-TN duct in September), or the Hurricane Earl tropo. If the same air mass stays in the area for a while, tropo may last all day.
E-skip is great from May-July. This June I had 8 straight days with at least 1 e skip log, and about 20 days of e skip that month. It was so good that I added a blank frequency as one of my presets just to check for the presence of e-skip when driving.
Meteor scatter is obviously best during meteor showers.
Fall and winter is best for AM DXing. Friday nights in the fall are great times to log daytimers that break the law to air high school football. In winter you can sometimes get skywave to last all day. Don't rule out a tropo opening if there's unseasonably warm weather in the winter. I too have been surprised by e-skip in the middle of December.
E-skip is great from May-July. This June I had 8 straight days with at least 1 e skip log, and about 20 days of e skip that month. It was so good that I added a blank frequency as one of my presets just to check for the presence of e-skip when driving.
Meteor scatter is obviously best during meteor showers.
Fall and winter is best for AM DXing. Friday nights in the fall are great times to log daytimers that break the law to air high school football. In winter you can sometimes get skywave to last all day. Don't rule out a tropo opening if there's unseasonably warm weather in the winter. I too have been surprised by e-skip in the middle of December.
I have to admit I haven't beeen around snow in a long time and when there was snow cover up north when I used to live there, my AM DXing was nostly nighttime so I never noticed whether or not the snow made a difference.
So I guess while water or snow doesn't have the conductivity of saltwater, it will often have higher conductivity than the ground depending on your location.
Speaking of plain water, I once had a change of planes in Cleveland and I had an hour wait in the terminal there so I was listening to my Walkman to pass the time. I remember hearing WJR from Detroit with a pretty good signal and airport terminals are places with poor reception. The first thing I thought was that it had to be because of Lake Erie.
But the Radio Locator maps don't show any greater propagation. Then again, most of the land around the lakes have higher conductivity than places like the northeast.
So I guess while water or snow doesn't have the conductivity of saltwater, it will often have higher conductivity than the ground depending on your location.
Speaking of plain water, I once had a change of planes in Cleveland and I had an hour wait in the terminal there so I was listening to my Walkman to pass the time. I remember hearing WJR from Detroit with a pretty good signal and airport terminals are places with poor reception. The first thing I thought was that it had to be because of Lake Erie.
But the Radio Locator maps don't show any greater propagation. Then again, most of the land around the lakes have higher conductivity than places like the northeast.
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