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Weerd Sunday morning

W

WeerdWayne

Guest
Another one of those weerd atmospheric mornings for FM this Sunday morning...Howard called me and said our 105.9 WXRG (Gulfport-Biloxi, MS) is booming in overpowering his 105.9 KBZE in Houma-Thibodaux...told him he's probably booming into Lafayette and Lake Charles!<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by WeerdWayne on 01/29/06 03:34 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> Another one of those weerd atmospheric mornings for FM this
> Sunday morning...Howard called me and said our 105.9 WXRG
> (Gulfport-Biloxi, MS) is booming in overpowering his 105.9
> KBZE in Houma-Thibodaux...told him he's probably booming
> into Lafayette and Lake Charles!

It's been happening a lot around there recently, Wayne.

As we come into Spring, it will become even more common. The Gulf Coast is perhaps the hottest spot in America for tropospheric ducting -- what was causing what you heard -- and it can be jaw-dropping when it happens.

A hobbyist I know in NW Florida has been routinely hearing deep into Texas lately, and even the occasional Mexican here and there. Pretty cool.

Keep an eye out late week. The forecasts I have seen:

http://home.cogeco.ca/~dxinfo/tropo.html

hint that Wednesday/Thursday might be pretty good.

Enjoy.

DE
 
Yesterday, I was able to pick up WTOK-TV out of Meridian. I sometimes will pick up WGBC-30 or WMDN-24, but hardly ever get WTOK.

> > Another one of those weerd atmospheric mornings for FM
> this
> > Sunday morning...Howard called me and said our 105.9 WXRG
> > (Gulfport-Biloxi, MS) is booming in overpowering his 105.9
>
> > KBZE in Houma-Thibodaux...told him he's probably booming
> > into Lafayette and Lake Charles!
>
> It's been happening a lot around there recently, Wayne.
>
> As we come into Spring, it will become even more common.
> The Gulf Coast is perhaps the hottest spot in America for
> tropospheric ducting -- what was causing what you heard --
> and it can be jaw-dropping when it happens.
>
> A hobbyist I know in NW Florida has been routinely hearing
> deep into Texas lately, and even the occasional Mexican here
> and there. Pretty cool.
>
> Keep an eye out late week. The forecasts I have seen:
>
> http://home.cogeco.ca/~dxinfo/tropo.html
>
> hint that Wednesday/Thursday might be pretty good.
>
> Enjoy.
>
> DE
>
<P ID="signature">______________
"...and the countdown continues until the neanderthals that govern college football do something about their pathetic postseason."--Tim Brando, Sporting News Radio</P>
 
> Yesterday, I was able to pick up WTOK-TV out of Meridian. I
> sometimes will pick up WGBC-30 or WMDN-24, but hardly ever
> get WTOK.

Just keep an eye open...

When conditions really heat up, stations in Meridian, Jackson, Montgomery, and the like will just get in the way. Expect to see TV or hear FM from HUNDREDS of miles off on a really nice day.

The key is to watch for the openings forming, and to catch them while they are hot. I could give you some pointers, but that might be beyond the scope of this Board.

Suffice it to say, though, that there are methods to watch for forming openings in real time. As I type, I am listening to the constant whine of ham telemetry on 144 Mhz... when conditions start to roll, I'll start seeing distant operators across the screen. It's pretty cool, really.

Again, as we hit Spring, conditions will improve. And, along the Coast, it can set up for days at a time.

I miss the Coast when I see those openings happen.

Enjoy.

DE
 
> > Yesterday, I was able to pick up WTOK-TV out of Meridian.
> I
> > sometimes will pick up WGBC-30 or WMDN-24, but hardly ever
>
> > get WTOK.
>
> Just keep an eye open...
>
> When conditions really heat up, stations in Meridian,
> Jackson, Montgomery, and the like will just get in the way.
> Expect to see TV or hear FM from HUNDREDS of miles off on a
> really nice day.
>
> The key is to watch for the openings forming, and to catch
> them while they are hot. I could give you some pointers,
> but that might be beyond the scope of this Board.
>
> Suffice it to say, though, that there are methods to watch
> for forming openings in real time. As I type, I am
> listening to the constant whine of ham telemetry on 144
> Mhz... when conditions start to roll, I'll start seeing
> distant operators across the screen. It's pretty cool,
> really.
>
> Again, as we hit Spring, conditions will improve. And,
> along the Coast, it can set up for days at a time.
>
> I miss the Coast when I see those openings happen.
>
> Enjoy.
>
> DE
>

The coast is definitely good for this activity. I was on the coast about ten years ago and was picking an FM out of Tallahassee and a couple of FMs out of South Florida. I don't remember the time of year it was, but it was a warm, breezy night. One summer, I was in New Orleans and as I was crossing Lake Ponchartrain, FMs out of Jackson and Houston were coming in.<P ID="signature">______________
"...and the countdown continues until the neanderthals that govern college football do something about their pathetic postseason."--Tim Brando, Sporting News Radio</P>
 
> The coast is definitely good for this activity. I was on the
> coast about ten years ago and was picking an FM out of
> Tallahassee and a couple of FMs out of South Florida. I
> don't remember the time of year it was, but it was a warm,
> breezy night. One summer, I was in New Orleans and as I was
> crossing Lake Ponchartrain, FMs out of Jackson and Houston
> were coming in.

Yup... that's how it works. Warm, moist, and still nights are often the best. Look for fog, too. It implies an inversion, which is what is driving all this stuff.

Perhaps my most fond recollection of this type of stuff is (gosh) 20 years ago+ now. I came home from school in Gautier*, and turned on the TV, which was attached to a pretty nice outdoor antenna.

"why would I be getting Spanish on channel 11," I thought?

It turned out to be Merida, Yucatan, nearly snow-free. That same day I got a channel 9, and channel 5 from Campeche, under WKRG.

Only on the Coast, man. I miss it down there. Once my Mom's house is rebuilt -- it took 15'+ in Katrina -- I'll go back and visit.

DE

*Interesting that no one has ever used Gautier as a City of License. But, I digress...
 
Not good for us with local listeners though...'specially in a book. Really hottest around Equinox time...

IT'S SUNSPOTS AND WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



> > The coast is definitely good for this activity. I was on
> the
> > coast about ten years ago and was picking an FM out of
> > Tallahassee and a couple of FMs out of South Florida. I
> > don't remember the time of year it was, but it was a warm,
>
> > breezy night. One summer, I was in New Orleans and as I
> was
> > crossing Lake Ponchartrain, FMs out of Jackson and Houston
>
> > were coming in.
>
> Yup... that's how it works. Warm, moist, and still nights
> are often the best. Look for fog, too. It implies an
> inversion, which is what is driving all this stuff.
>
> Perhaps my most fond recollection of this type of stuff is
> (gosh) 20 years ago+ now. I came home from school in
> Gautier*, and turned on the TV, which was attached to a
> pretty nice outdoor antenna.
>
> "why would I be getting Spanish on channel 11," I thought?
>
> It turned out to be Merida, Yucatan, nearly snow-free. That
> same day I got a channel 9, and channel 5 from Campeche,
> under WKRG.
>
> Only on the Coast, man. I miss it down there. Once my
> Mom's house is rebuilt -- it took 15'+ in Katrina -- I'll go
> back and visit.
>
> DE
>
> *Interesting that no one has ever used Gautier as a City of
> License. But, I digress...
>
 
I've seen times when the FM and TV dx was coming in so hot that you could pick up multiple stations on the same freqency just by moving the radio's antenna. But Its almost impossible these days to get a fix on where they're coming from since so many stations refuse to give out their actual call letters and location except at the top of the hour, and by then the station has already faded out. It always, Hot this or Mix that, Q-107 etc. That could be almost anybody. Very annoying. From Jackson I've picked up New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Birmingham, Chattanooga and Pensacola. Its ususally stations toward Texas that come in, the Eastern stations are rare for some reason. One night I was picking up something on nearly every UHF channel. I watched an old movie on a station from San Antonio. The VHF was completely Jammed and unwatchable. I once picked up an all disco station from Albuqureque, NM back in the 70's on the lower end of the Fm band around 88-91MHz. Caught me by surprise as a kid, I didn't know it was possible to get FM that far when I was a kid. Any Idea what station that was?
 
> I once picked up an all
> disco station from Albuqureque, NM back in the 70's on the
> lower end of the Fm band around 88-91MHz. Caught me by
> surprise as a kid, I didn't know it was possible to get FM
> that far when I was a kid. Any Idea what station that was?

'Not sure what the station was, but I am not surprised at the reception. It was Summer, right?

Albuquerque would not be the same phenomenon as the other means we were just discussing; New Mexico almost surely was a function of reflection from the E-layer of the ionosphere. That's something that pops up, from time to time, MAINLY in the Summer. And, signals can be strong.

This past Summer was a bit slow, but there were several nice openings. On the way to Taco Bell one afternoon, the band was awash with stations from WY, SD, etc. Casper was in like a local. Cool.

But, your point is well-taken. One fun part of listening to these distant station was hearing foreign radio. Now, all the stations sound the same. The Casper station sounded just like every other Clear Channel country. Yawn.

BTW: There is no proven relationship between this stuff and Sunspots. Sunspots impact the F-layer, and much less the E. But, that's a bit too much of an esoteric aside.

I have been playing with this stuff since I was a kid, and it still facinates me. Ever since that afternoon I was trying to pick up WGNO in New Orleans, and got Naples, FL, I have been a fan of VHF/UHF propogation. It's why I am a ham, I suppose. And, how many thousands of dollars have I spent as a result?

Oh, and you're right; those western openings seem to be more common around here -- not sure why. But, one the Coast proper, openings deep into Florida are quite common, too.

This is fun stuff.

DE
 
> > I once picked up an all
> > disco station from Albuqureque, NM back in the 70's on the
>
> > lower end of the Fm band around 88-91MHz. Caught me by
> > surprise as a kid, I didn't know it was possible to get FM
>
> > that far when I was a kid. Any Idea what station that
> was?
>
> 'Not sure what the station was, but I am not surprised at
> the reception. It was Summer, right?
>
> Albuquerque would not be the same phenomenon as the other
> means we were just discussing; New Mexico almost surely was
> a function of reflection from the E-layer of the ionosphere.
> That's something that pops up, from time to time, MAINLY in
> the Summer. And, signals can be strong.
>
> This past Summer was a bit slow, but there were several nice
> openings. On the way to Taco Bell one afternoon, the band
> was awash with stations from WY, SD, etc. Casper was in
> like a local. Cool.
>
> But, your point is well-taken. One fun part of listening to
> these distant station was hearing foreign radio. Now, all
> the stations sound the same. The Casper station sounded
> just like every other Clear Channel country. Yawn.
>
> BTW: There is no proven relationship between this stuff and
> Sunspots. Sunspots impact the F-layer, and much less the E.
> But, that's a bit too much of an esoteric aside.
>
> I have been playing with this stuff since I was a kid, and
> it still facinates me. Ever since that afternoon I was
> trying to pick up WGNO in New Orleans, and got Naples, FL, I
> have been a fan of VHF/UHF propogation. It's why I am a
> ham, I suppose. And, how many thousands of dollars have I
> spent as a result?
>
> Oh, and you're right; those western openings seem to be more
> common around here -- not sure why. But, one the Coast
> proper, openings deep into Florida are quite common, too.
>
> This is fun stuff.
>
> DE

The farthest FM I ever got in Jackson was WEBE 107.9 out of Connecticut back in the early 90s.<P ID="signature">______________
"...and the countdown continues until the neanderthals that govern college football do something about their pathetic postseason."--Tim Brando, Sporting News Radio</P>
 
> > > I once picked up an all
> > > disco station from Albuqureque, NM back in the 70's on
> the
> >
> > > lower end of the Fm band around 88-91MHz. Caught me by
> > > surprise as a kid, I didn't know it was possible to get
> FM
> >
> > > that far when I was a kid. Any Idea what station that
> > was?
> >
> > 'Not sure what the station was, but I am not surprised at
> > the reception. It was Summer, right?
> >
> > Albuquerque would not be the same phenomenon as the other
> > means we were just discussing; New Mexico almost surely
> was
> > a function of reflection from the E-layer of the
> ionosphere.
> > That's something that pops up, from time to time, MAINLY
> in
> > the Summer. And, signals can be strong.
> >
> > This past Summer was a bit slow, but there were several
> nice
> > openings. On the way to Taco Bell one afternoon, the band
>
> > was awash with stations from WY, SD, etc. Casper was in
> > like a local. Cool.
> >
> > But, your point is well-taken. One fun part of listening
> to
> > these distant station was hearing foreign radio. Now, all
>
> > the stations sound the same. The Casper station sounded
> > just like every other Clear Channel country. Yawn.
> >
> > BTW: There is no proven relationship between this stuff
> and
> > Sunspots. Sunspots impact the F-layer, and much less the
> E.
> > But, that's a bit too much of an esoteric aside.
> >
> > I have been playing with this stuff since I was a kid, and
>
> > it still facinates me. Ever since that afternoon I was
> > trying to pick up WGNO in New Orleans, and got Naples, FL,
> I
> > have been a fan of VHF/UHF propogation. It's why I am a
> > ham, I suppose. And, how many thousands of dollars have I
>
> > spent as a result?
> >
> > Oh, and you're right; those western openings seem to be
> more
> > common around here -- not sure why. But, one the Coast
> > proper, openings deep into Florida are quite common, too.
> >
> > This is fun stuff.
> >
> > DE
>
> The farthest FM I ever got in Jackson was WEBE 107.9 out of
> Connecticut back in the early 90s.
>
I once picked up KSKY in Rapid City, SD in Jackson.
 
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