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Virgin Island Tropo

O

OFFICENERD

Just back from a vacation on St John-USVI-- Last Wednesday for about 90 minutes late in the afternoon, Key West Flordia Stations were loud and clear

Rec'd were
WWUS 104.1 Pig Pines Fl
WPIK 102.5 Summerland Key
WAIL 99.5 Key West
WCNK 98.7 Key West ( very strong)
WKYZ 101.7 Key Colony Beach FL
 
E-skip seems to be very common down that way. A few years ago, I was on a cruise ship near the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, and I remember receiving Illinois FM radio including WAJK 99.3 from La Salle, IL... a distance of about 1,380 miles!!!

At my home in Ohio, E-skip is pretty much ruined by the nearby blanketing/overloading interference from FM towers I can see out my window. I've purchased an AntennaCraft FM6. Once I get it hooked up, I'll post my results.

Wikipedia says that E-skip is a regular daytime occurrence within 10 degrees of the equator.
 
Yes this was E-skip and not Tropo----however, great catches there!

About getting E-skip constantly down there......I was there in June/July 2004 with decent radios and 5" B&W TV (with EXT ANT jack). One of the first things I did on the trip was to buy a small outdoor antenna at the Christiansted Radio Shack. Was hoping that E-skip signals would come from everywhere....but unfortunately for me, the only DX was Tropo, which wasn't half bad!

Was able to bag *two* channel 5's....one relaying WTJX 12, and the other I forget, but it was relaying a PR or USVI station (may have been WORA Mayaguez at full power). Ch 13 in PR was there.

Using FM, I caught two distant 95.5's---one in Montserrat & one in Anguilla.

I donated the antenna to someone before leaving. Wish I kept in contact with him! :)

I am 125 miles by air from Key West. I have caught USVI on e-skip from here, but not for a long time. My catches were WJKC 95.1 & WVIQ 99.5. However I also caught two of the former "blasters" in the British VI (100 kW) which are no longer around: 94.3 the Heat & 91.7 Z-Gold ("Z" pronounced "zee", so they musta been targeting a US audience).

cd
 
CD, there is (or used to be) WFIG-LP on Channel 5, relaying WSVI 8 (ABC). Perhaps you had that.

At that time, WVXF was CBS. Now it's on cable. WVXF is now This TV IIRC.

-crainbebo
 
crainbebo said:
CD, there is (or used to be) WFIG-LP on Channel 5, relaying WSVI 8 (ABC). Perhaps you had that.

At that time, WVXF was CBS. Now it's on cable. WVXF is now This TV IIRC.

-crainbebo
Click to expand...

You are correct. That had to be what it was. This memory of mine......

I wonder whatever happened to the former ZBTV 5 in the BVI. Their disappearance didn't make much news.

I need to go back there. Got $1K? :)

cd
 
Yes this was E-skip and not Tropo----
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be so sure it was E Skip and not Tropo. After looking at the real time maps so much during the season, I have yet to see the high frequency MUF Es clouds in that region.

Doesn't mean it hasn't happened but it seems a lot more rare than other places where it happens.

E Skip between the Virgin Islands and the Keys is too far north for equatorial Es.

Tropo of 1,000 miles or a little more is hardly unheard of and more likely, IMO.


OFFICENERD, was the reception of those stations fairly steady or was it rapid fading in and out with other unidentified stations attempting to take over as well?

That would be a big clue as to whether it was tropo or E Skip.
 
You know, now that you mention it Gar, I once got Troposcatter from the FL Keys in 2006, and it lasted about 20 minutes---95.1 Mayaguez PR + a couple of stations from the Dom Rep.

So you could be right here. I seem to recall that at the same time I did check the TV for highband VHF, but nothing showed up.

cd
 
OFFICENERD said:
Reception was very steady and very stong for about 90 minutes and then faded within a few minutes to nothing
Click to expand...

Oh wow....it's too late now, but there would have been a good test to check E-skip vs Tropo (which now seems to lean to the latter).

Key West has two very weak VHF DTV stations on ch 3 & ch 8. I wonder if either (or both) could have at least had a signal bar, if Officenerd had a digital TV to check! If 3 had a bar, and 8 didn't, I'd lean to E-skip.

cd
 
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