Big Tropo opening 10/12/15 nighttime

[millrad]

A major band opening on VHF / UHF here in Connecticut last night. I heard NYPD all across the 477 MHz band, and Boston EMS dispatching on Med 10 - 462.975. Also, there was a very strong Maritime offshore weather broadcast on 161.775 MHz that I have never heard before. I have no idea where this was coming from and didn't catch an ID, just a female synth voice giving nautical and offshore conditions until it faded out around 2300 local.

 

[KC1UA]

Indeed, that was a good one! Multi-directional from my location on Cape Cod; I had everything from southern NJ to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in St. Stephen New Brunswick. The amount of signals present when using two SDR's was almost overwhelming!

 

[hfxChris]

Yup I was really enjoying it here in NS as well, it kept me up til 2am.. Good thing I didn't have to work today.
That weather broadcast on 161.775 would have most likely been coming from Yarmouth NS.

 

[popnokick]

I was on a repeater with another ham during this time and he told me he was hearing me on the input. He's 45 miles north of me and I was using a 4 watt HT upstairs in my house. I thought, "No way" and started questioning him about how he was checking the repeater input, since he's a new ham. But he was doing all the right things (using the "REV" button to check the input freq). At that point I should have started looking for more tropo skip on 2M, but didn't really think it was an opening.... darn!