FM (87-108MHz) Skip

[Thezoo251]

How often can anyone hear skip on these frequencies? Has anyone here heard it before?

 

[scover5555]

Back in 1985-86 I lived in Northern Indiana and couldn't receive anything local but could hear Montana and Wyoming clear. At that same time, we could barely talk several blocks on CB base to base.

 

[nd5y]

Google "FM DX".

 

[krokus]

Back around 2005, I picked up an FM station from New Mexico, while in the Detroit metro area.

When I searched the radio station's website, they had no streaming listed. Since I wanted to make certain that I was not picking up a local transmitter coupled to someone streaming, I called the studio line. The dj on shift confirmed that the songs I had heard were played in that time frame, and the station had no streaming. I asked him to let the station engineer know about the DX.

Sent via Tapatalk

 

[Weaksignal]

QSO/SWL real time maps

Click on FM DX... sometimes there are postings.

 

[jwt873]

I've found that hot humid summer days seem to be the best. You get a lot of tropospheric ducting.

I bought an Icom ID-51 handheld last summer. It has 88 to 108 Mhz coverage so I connected it to my 2 meter antenna up at 40 feet and took a listen. I was surprised to hear many stations over 200 miles away. I thought, "Boy, what a hot receiver".

The next day all the DX was gone

Here's a page that predicts tropo propagation.. Just select your region --> Tropospheric Ducting Forecast for VHF & UHF Radio & TV

 

[Septa3371CSX1]

Yes humid summer nights tend to be best for FM Broadcast band tropo (along with other skip in VHF High and UHF). It also depends on location and other atmospheric and weather conditions occurring such as a stalled frontal boundary, a low cloud deck, and elevation. Proximity to a coast line is also a factor as signals travel further over open water.

Back in 2009 I was dating a girl in Barnegat, NJ (not far from the shore). I remember a few nights I would be trying to listen to WOGL on 98.1 (her area is right on the fringe of the signal) and instead I would pick up Kat Country on the same channel coming out of Worcester, MA (not sure if that's the city but it's definitely MA). The signal would often beat out the closer signal and I would hold onto it until I got out of town and into the more wooded areas on the outskirts of town once I started getting closer to the WOGL signal.

 

[Weaksignal]

I've found that hot humid summer days seem to be the best. You get a lot of tropospheric ducting.

I bought an Icom ID-51 handheld last summer. It has 88 to 108 Mhz coverage so I connected it to my 2 meter antenna up at 40 feet and took a listen. I was surprised to hear many stations over 200 miles away. I thought, "Boy, what a hot receiver".

The next day all the DX was gone

Here's a page that predicts tropo propagation.. Just select your region --> Tropospheric Ducting Forecast for VHF & UHF Radio & TV

A very useful and informative link... Thanks.

 

[k9rzz]

If you include E-skip, meteor scatter, and airplane scatter, then there is always the potential for "skip". It's not just tropo. Just keep your ears open.

 

[Voyager]

Compounding the issue is the fact that there are so many areas that have nearly all the channels used anymore, so it's more difficult to DX stations.

But it used to be very interesting to do just that. (and in most areas I'm sure it still is)

 

[ka3jjz]

There is, in fact, an organization that is devoted to TV FM DXing - the Worldwide TV FM DXing Association or WTFDA for short. Very well known in the hobby circles, has a convention every year (much like the Winterfest in Pennsylvania).

If you're serious about this part of the hobby, this is one group you want to be with...

Worldwide TV-FM DX Association

Membership is USD10 a year, I think, and I think they're still doing the free 3 month trial -but you must specifically ask for it

Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

Once this so-called Omega Block sets up, it's quite possible that folks in the affected regions, and those on the edges of the fronts, might see some enhancement. I'd be watching your local weather and study the charts carefully to see how things might develop

Mike

 

[k9rzz]

Compounding the issue is the fact that there are so many areas that have nearly all the channels used anymore, so it's more difficult to DX stations.

But it used to be very interesting to do just that. (and in most areas I'm sure it still is)

Having a directional antenna of some sort and good selectivity in your receiver (150 khz or less) makes it easier when conditions are marginal. Irregardless, when the conditions are GOOD, that DX can slap you right in the face no matter what you're listening with.

Then there's some of us that tend to go off the deep end when the bug bites Man, I MISS that antenna!!:

 

[Voyager]

Nice pic! FM and 2M SSB?

 

[k9rzz]

Those are the same type of antennas, stacked and phased for FM broadcast. KILLER! (Winegard 6065p, discontinued. Such a shame because they are an excellent antenna)

I ran a number of different antennas for 2m SSB, but not at the same time as this stack. That would have been too much for the mast.

 

[kb3ouk]

Even a car radio can give good results sometimes. Had that happen just this morning on my way to work, picked up WKXW in Trenton, NJ over top of WBHB in Waynesboro, PA on 101.5, in the Greencastle, PA area. WBHB runs 50 kw directional to the west, towards Greencastle, and is only about 11 miles from where I was, and WKXW still blew them away for about 20 minutes. One day last week I heard WSTW from Wilmington, DE on 93.7, over top of the local LPFM in Greencastle, WRGG. Best one I ever had was picking up KMBZ from Kansas City, KS on 98.1 at a distance of roughly 880 miles a few years ago.

Shelby

 

[jwt873]

Yesterday the FM band was full of stations to the south of me that I normally don't hear. I was using the FM tuner in my Icom ID-51 connected to my dual band vertical on top of a 40 foot tower.

I manged to hear:

99.1 KCAD Dickinson ND (330 miles)
101.1 CKXA Brandon MB (106 miles)
102.1 KCAJ, Roseau MN (126 miles)
102.3 KRCQ, Detroit Lakes MN (250 miles)
102.5 KDVL, Devils Lake ND (158 miles)

I could have gone on past 102.5 , but didn't have time Later in the day using my TS-2000, I caught NT0V's 10 Watt CW beacon on 432.311 out of Devil's Lake ND (158 miles).

 

[k9rzz]

Came home this afternoon and the band just sounded 'weird'. Odd jumble of stations,so I started recording. Picked up Melbourne, Florida 89.5 here in southern Wisconsin:

89.5 WFIT Melbourne FL NPR 06/29/16 1500 CDT 1109 miles EL98 4.7 kw 155 deg NPR de k9rzz WI en52tu

Also noted that two guys in Michigan picked up the Bahamas on 96.1. AWESOME DX!

 

[ka3jjz]

F2 or Es? That's some real nice DX there...Mike

 

[k9rzz]

Good day for E skip on FM today. Some guys logging 20 to 30 stations. I had limited time but I did hear my first station from Mexico! 93.1 XHAAA in Reynosa, just south of the border. 1287 miles, the longest E skip I've heard by about 75 miles and that's with an indoor antenna folks. Whoop!

https://soundcloud.com/k9rzz/xhaaa-931-mexico

"Rio Grande, Eches - ech - triple A"