Ducting and skip into VA today 6/15/08

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freqhopping

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Jan 5, 2004
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Lo Co VA/ FM19
In Loudoun I'm receiving a bunch of freqs from the Richmond area to include VSP and others in the VHF hi range and various City of Richmond UHF freqs.

Also getting Missouri Highway Patrol clearly on 42.06 PL 203.5.
To the north I got Franklin Co PA FD Dispatch on 46.16 PL 186.2

Picking up a bunch of HAMs on 52.8 PL 107.2. One guy from NW Arkansas, another from W. Palm Beach, FL.
KE5ICQ EM32 Louisiana
W8XR Ohio
 
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gcgrotz

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Savannah, GA
It is e-layer skip. Happens every June, the 6 meter regulars look forward to it every year, even when sunspots are down. Good for a few hundred to sometimes 1500 miles or more, especially north-south. It is usually best in the mornings. The VHF-HI from Richmond into NoVA is just tropo, which is weather related.

I once worked a buddy on 2meter FM from Richmond to Columbia, MD with 10watts and a yagi on a second floor porch, simplex - no repeater. Fun stuff!

Enjoy it while you got it!
 

Jonesym20

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Jan 28, 2007
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Charlottesville/Albemarle County VA
I understand the concept of tropospheric ducting/skipping. But basically you are saying that I should be able to pick up the same stuff on my stock 996t antenna than a dude who has a larger/ taller antenna in the same area/region?
 

gcgrotz

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Yes, sometimes you can. Many of the same limitations apply such as being indoors and the attenuation of the building materials, and the gain/loss of your receiving antenna - keeping in mind the typically inefficient lowband handheld antennas. Less so on VHF-high and UHF. If the signals are strong enough though, you will hear them. (DUH...)
 

rvawatch

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Jun 3, 2007
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i know now prbly isnt the best time for me to try searching low band, but whenever I do I just get so much garbage. How do you filter it all out, or do you just get alot of exercise out of your thumb? isnt there a scanner that has a timeout feature, where it stays on a channel for so many seconds and then moves on? that would be helpful here.
 

tglendye

Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
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Jun 15, 2002
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Virginia
What scanner are you using? On the PSR500, you can lock the frequencies out in the search range and the L/O's stay in its memory (you can edit the memory on the software). After going through the band a few times, usually the garbage is taken care of.
 
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