Haven't heard much skip...

[CapnJon]

Since I moved back here I haven't heard much skip between 10 and 11 meters...Used to hear people all the time and below 11 meters too on AM. I figured it's from all the Iron Ore deposit's??

 

[ka3jjz]

It has very little to do with ground deposits - we're in a very low point in the solar cycle, and it won't improve much until at least 2007, by most accounts. Except for some brief flares or sporadic E propagation - which is common in the late spring and summer - the area between 25 and 30 mhz will be pretty much limited to short skip. Of course, a good antenna is almost a prerequisite. I understand some have been hearing 10m skip from time to time...

If you'd like to learn more about this subject - called propagation - there are a few links in both our SWL and utility wikis that would be a start. The AC6V supersite is a great resource for such links. Don't be put off about all the ham-related sites - after all, we all share in the bounty - or the lack thereof - when it comes to propagation.

73s Mike