Possible that cold helps signals?

[Slyster]

I usually can't get MPLS P25... as I am 20 miles or so away and seem to be in a dead area... but I am getting it really great tonight! And the only thing that's different is that it is -5 degrees right now.

Could air temperature (and therefore very low humidity have ANYTHING to do with signal strength and reception on this 86x.00 Mhz P25 system?

 

[k9rzz]

I usually can't get MPLS P25... as I am 20 miles or so away and seem to be in a dead area... but I am getting it really great tonight! And the only thing that's different is that it is -5 degrees right now.

Could air temperature (and therefore very low humidity have ANYTHING to do with signal strength and reception on this 86x.00 Mhz P25 system?

Could be. Tuff to describe "propagation" over only 20 miles, but certainly something is helping your signals ... what ever it is, enjoy!

Check out the APRS prop map for your area:

http://www.mountainlake.k12.mn.us/ham/aprs/path.cgi?map=mn

 

[rja1]

I've noticed that reception of NYPD is a few s-units better during the winter. All the little green attenuators have fallen from the trees.


73 de bob,
n2oam

 

[subclavius]

If the conditions were right, which means having more than just cold air alone, you could be benefiting from tropospheric ducting. This might help explain it:

http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html

I live at the southern-most edge of Lake Erie and during the summer I can hear base stations from the Lake Onterio area over 300 miles away fairly often. I guess that's an advantage of living by a lake, it has some built-in features which improve ducting. Land locked areas seem to depend more on the movement of weather fronts to create the right conditions, and this could probably happen in Minneapolis when a cold front first advances into an area.

 

[Tfitzmaurice89]

Subclavius... you in cleveland? Where at?

 

[hoser147]

subclavius, I would tend to agree with that Im on Ohio's other Great Lake........Hoser

 

[k9rzz]

I, personally, wouldn't use the term 'duct' in this case, for 20 miles? ... I'd call it "enhancement". Sigs are better than normal, but it's not a real 'opening'. You can see that quite often on VHF ... better than normal sigs out 100 miles or so, but farther than that sigs drop off like usual.

FWIW.

 

[mikeydcg2003]

i would agree with it. I am picking up signals that i usually can't pickup till i am closer.

 

[subclavius]

Yes, I'm in downtown Cleveland. Plenty of good listening with all 3 arenas and the lake. While I figured I'd scan the commercial traffic and pleasure craft on Lake Erie every once in a while, I had no idea that the Coast Guard was so active or that I'd be getting things from Lake Onterio, in what could possibly be double lake tropospheric ducting.

hoser, what other great lake is there in Ohio?

 

[kb2vxa]

Radio signals travel millions of miles through space. It's very cold in space, low humidity too.

 

[kb9sxk]

All kinds of weather can affect radio. humidity too.

 

[intrepid97]

"Radio signals travel millions of miles through space."

Warren,I think you're slipping,you meant to say...Billions of miles,Right?

 

[fluffy24]

How do I download frequencies from Radio Reference.com website to my scanner? What equipment do I need to do this, if anything? Thank you.

 

[captclint]

How do I download frequencies from Radio Reference.com website to my scanner?

Welcome to RR. Depends on the scanner, but you will need software, and probably a USB serial adapter cable. I see you have asked the same question and received an answer about software. Please do not double post the same question. Also,. you have "hijacked" this discussion about cold weather with a topic that belongs under the software forum. Even if you don't know where to post, don't hop on a topic that is unrelated.
Please continue this question here: http://forums.radioreference.com/ea...uniden-digital-scanner-396xt.html#post1260676

 

[N8IAA]

Yes, I'm in downtown Cleveland. Plenty of good listening with all 3 arenas and the lake. While I figured I'd scan the commercial traffic and pleasure craft on Lake Erie every once in a while, I had no idea that the Coast Guard was so active or that I'd be getting things from Lake Onterio, in what could possibly be double lake tropospheric ducting.

Used to live just south of Lakewood in West Park. Had my antennas on the roof. Talked into Detroit, Erie, Buffalo withourt a problem on 25w on 2m. 2m SSB used to be outstanding. 10w into western NY. That antenna was in the attic. Always when a weather front moved through, great tropo. One of the things I miss about N OH is the great scanning I enjoyed! Milcoms, Coast Guard, and all my buddies that were in LE.
Larry