20 Meters (Bad Reception)

[Saint]

Getting real bad reception on all HF bands, this is the 20 meter band and only one HAM Operator I can pickup, very week Signal. Also all other bands are real crap at 15:02 UTC-Local time -11:02. Been like this for several days, gets a little better at night but still real bad reception.
Steve

 

[autovon]

What is your antenna?

ETA: There's been a lot of solar activity this week, both good and bad so it could be that.

 

[jwt873]

I just took a spin around 20 meters. (16:20 UTC) . Using a 3 element full size Yagi.

No hams heard here either. Nuthin' at all. So it's not you.

It happens now and then.

 

[Saint]

Model ALA1530LNPro IMPERIUM Wellbrook

What is your antenna?

ETA: There's been a lot of solar activity this week, both good and bad so it could be that.

Just received a Elad FDM-S2 radio and I have a Wellbrook Model ALA1530LNPro IMPERIUM Loop antenna it's on my 4th floor balcony and I can't be-leave the bad reception I am getting, across the bands. I am starting to think that there is a problem with my setup in the Elad Radio but I have checked everything and still no reception. Even at night I can barely pick up utility frequencies, I do pick up FM radio and also AM radio in the 160-m band and some of the other bands but it's like something is wrong. Can't figure it out. I tried my discone antenna also. I had HF dongles and other hf radios that worked a lot better and I did not have the Model ALA1530LNPro IMPERIUM Wellbrook antenna then. If there is anyone out there that has a Elad FDM S2 sdr radio and can help it would be appreciated, it's been like this since I got the radio and antenna two days ago. I.m Lost ??
This is a screen shot of 932.000 kHz AM these radio stations are mostly coming out of Buffalo NY just a couple of miles away and it's like something in the radio is attenuating the signals or something, it's like this on all the bands.
Steve

 

[Saint]

6586.000 khz

This is another screen shot of 6586.000 kHz, absolutely nothing on the band.
Steve

 

[ab5r]

It's CMEs (Coronal Mass Ejection) from the Sun.
See: HF Propagation and Solar-Terrestrial Data Website

 

[Saint]

Mass ejection (wow)

It's CMEs (Coronal Mass Ejection) from the Sun.
See: HF Propagation and Solar-Terrestrial Data Website

I have been reading the post on this ejection on RR but did not think it would interfere this much with the bands, I thought it was the Elad radio setup or something, I have Elad in the U.S. going to use Teamview to access my computer and check my setup and everything else next week to make sure there are no problems on my side, thanks for the information.
Steve

 

[ka3jjz]

HF propagation is VERY dependent on solar activity; if there is a flare (as just happened), there will be times when a blackout occurs. It can last for a few hours or a day, dependent on how strong the flare and associated CME is.

Take a look at this to get a basic understanding of the principles...

Propagation Primer - Flash Movie by AE4RV

Also watch your gain. Remember the Wellbrook has its own amp - adding even more gain in your software is likely to cause you some grief. Mike

 

[Saint]

HF BANDS

HF propagation is VERY dependent on solar activity; if there is a flare (as just happened), there will be times when a blackout occurs. It can last for a few hours or a day, dependent on how strong the flare and associated CME is.

Take a look at this to get a basic understanding of the principles...

Propagation Primer - Flash Movie by AE4RV

Also watch your gain. Remember the Wellbrook has its own amp - adding even more gain in your software is likely to cause you some grief. Mike

Thanks for the link I can only find (Volume gain multiplier and it's set at 1, can't find anything else to drop the gain down lower.
Steve

 

[ka3jjz]

That's dependent on whatever software you are using - a question in our SDR forum is in order if you can't find it. There's a LNA gain or similar for your SDR, and one on the Wellbrook. You're going to need to experiment with both to find the settings that work in your local environs.

Mike

 

[jwt873]

There's a strong R3 radio blackout in effect right now: Homepage | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

A description of the radio blackout scale can be found here: NOAA Space Weather Scales | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

19:00 hrs UTC right now and 20 meters is still dead here.

 

[N4GIX]

I can confirm that 20m has been dead for the past three days at least. On the other hand, 40m was booming in yesterday all day long.

I spent all of yesterday set up in the Indiana Dunes State Park for my local clubs INPOA (Indiana Parks on the Air) event with my Elecraft KX3/PX3 and both a Buddipole and a full-sized G5RV @ ~60'. All bands but 40m were pretty much dead.

 

[Boombox]

It was the auroral conditions. And the poor prop we've been having the past year or so obviously didn't help, either. Most nights I've bothered to switch on the DX-398 (through 25 ft indoor antenna) over the past 8-10 months I hear very little on the SWBC bands, and the ham bands aren't that much more active. Not like 2012-2014 or so. Doesn't take much of an aurora to wipe things out when overall propagation is marginal.