Do UHF signals just flucate in "quality"?

[RedPenguin]

I have been using bcTool to log the hits on my two Uniden's and I noticed something that I can't seem to pick up in the audio as easily.

It seems like one day, the same frequency (453.350), same radio (BCT15), same antenna (RH77CA) (no change in setup) but just a different day, I can go from one day a constant signal of 3 almost, then the next all 4, then one day all 5, then 4, 5, 3, 4, etc.

Is this all just due to atmosphere and geographic of the Earth? This probably was happening to me all the time, but I just never realized the signal quality changing so much each day.

I did notice though, one frequency, 453.475, one day comes in crapy as can be, but it's on a repeater that's 27 miles away and I am in a valley, but it's used as a transit repeater for the county that buses in my area are supposed to be able to "use".

Yet, the very next day, 453.475 can come in as cleary as if I was right near the repeater, then 2 days after, no more signal. I know this can't be just my receivers because their own radios do this.

 

[bassjunkie]

Is the weather any different?

 

[zz0468]

It's impossible for us to say what's happening for sure in your case, but yes... there are plenty of propagation anomalies that could account for that sort of behavior, and it's nothing unusual.

 

[RedPenguin]

Yes

Is the weather any different?

Well, one day it was chilli, the next rain, then fairly hot weather about 60F+, then rain again.

I never seem to get under 3, but it seemed like for 2+ weeks, it was always 3, then suddenly 4 and 5's, then back to 3.

 

[Stavro35]

During the change of weather patterns it's not unusual to hear communications on certain frequencies that might be under 100 miles away or over 100 miles away. In coastal Georgia I would hear Jacksonville Florida's communications on a fairly regular basis when a warm front was clashing with a cold front. .


Search the vhf and UHF ranges when there is a weaher pattern approaching or upon you.. You'll be delighted at the results sometimes