HF BANDS Open

[kc2asb]

. Brother Stair's preaching is being chosen with a bit more care than in recent times, although noticeably dated material. Likely to see new interpretations of Stair's words in coming days from OM.

As long as they don't resort to an A.I. version of Brother Stair!

 

[EAFrizzle]

R. G. needs to be a head in a jar on Futurama.

 

[D31245]

Picked up a station in Samoa 🇼🇸 (-14dB) and several in Australia 🇦🇺 (-17 & -24dB) this morning - 40 meters on FT8. Using a Mag-loop antenna indoors from my QTH in Massachusetts.

My signal (10 watts max) has not been getting out as far as a few weeks ago (still hitting EU, Russia, Japan though) but receiving has been pretty decent.

 

[Boombox]

I heard Rarotonga for the second time in a month or so, on 20M band SSB, during the midnight hour here in the Pacific time zone (around 0700 or so UTC. Of course, from there to here is more or less a straight shot over water (I'm in WA), but it's still cool to hear. Oz and NZ are variable, as is the EU.

Heard one South African just a few nights ago on 40M LSB -- just barely.

Three to four weeks ago I wasn't hearing anything like those catches. There seem to be several days of great prop, then a week or so of mediocre -- but it does seem to be picking up again as Fall in the Northern latitudes arrives.

 

[KMG54]

3MHZ is screaming tonight here in SC, Solid s9 and sound like they are in my back yard!

 

[KMG54]

Screenshot is too big. Have to figure out how to shrink it, but close to bedtime. 3.862 is wide open country wide.

 

[EAFrizzle]

I'm picking up a lot of traffic on 3.842, rag-chewing stuff. WRNO 7505 = 34344, WRMI 9395 = 34233 (rarely this good at my QTH), Radio Havana 6000 =23222, English programming. All in the 0200z hour

11 meters was open to the UK for about an hour around noon Central. The .385 lunacy picked back up as well. A large sunspot should be pointing directly at us tomorrow, possibly with some good conditions on 10-11 meters. I might try to get out on .555 around daybreak to see if anything is moving.

Traces of RNZ 17675 drifting in, should be better on 11 and 7 MHz later. Going to scan MW to see what's up tonight; VHF isn't doing anything special right now.

73s and good DXing!

 

[kc2asb]

Radio Havana Cuba must still be having transmitter issues. That is a fairly lackluster signal report for them. I used to get them here in NJ 30db+ over S9.

 

[EAFrizzle]

They're usually better than that for me, but they were in the dirt last night.

Last night 0400z highlights

6070 Radio 292 23433
7505 WRNO 34444
9440 NHK 45444
9500 R. Romania 44434
9770 VO Turkiye 44334
11700 R. France 23222
11790 R. France 22222
11825 WChristBC. 33323
12095 BBC 34333
15300 R. France 34344
17530 WChristBC 23222
17675 RNZ 45454

 

[Saint]

Tried all the Broadcast Bands and picking up next to nothing, it's terrible propagation down my way 23:30 UTC. I will wait a couple of hours and see if conditions are better.
Saint

 

[EAFrizzle]

0800z RNZI 7425 = 33433 and 9700 = 43323, both on vertical only; unreadable on LoG.

24 hrs ago, I woke up to three hours of 9700 coming in like a local broadcast. Much quieter than average for 31 meters.

 

[ditto1958]

This morning a little after 1400 UTC I did a scan and the 19m band was hopping.
-15515 kHz FEBC Philippines
-15575 kHz KBS World Radio South Korea
-15590 kHz China Radio International China

There may have been a couple more but I ran out of time.

 

[Saint]

Checking out the AM Broadcast Bands.
Saint

 

[Saint]

Listening in Fort Erie Ont. Canada
Any one like to decode CW, Try the 40 meter band tonight, very, very busy.
Saint

 

[ditto1958]

All the bands were quiet here last night. Did a few auto scans and got only a handful of stations. Propagation sure is an interesting phenomenon.

 

[D31245]

I'm usually on early early morning into mid-day working the grey-line and weak signals on FT8 (today, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m). This morning, picked up signals from China, Japan, Okinawa, and Asiatic Russia. My signal made it into the Azores, and Greenland. I usually reach further (10 watts) but conditions have been a bit challenging lately.



Addendum: just picked up a station in West Java (Indonesia) - 9,976 miles.

 

[EAFrizzle]

0400z 12095 BBC Madagascar relay 34333
This broadcast has been pretty dependable the past several weeks. It's my new nightly news programming.

RNZ weak on 17675, fair on 11725, and good quality on 7425 from 0800z until FC at 1300z. 7425 has been reliable lately, even through the 1100z azimuth change. Some days, I can get about an hour of 7440 before propagation shifts. Most nights I've been leaving the radio on 7425 to wake me up.

I usually enjoy the music shows over the weekend, but sometimes it can get strange. There was a show on 17675 that played a vinyl record of a play/performance art/IDK something. It had occasional English narration, dialog in Maori, and constant sobbing and wailing throughout. I know what the English words were, but I have no idea what any of it actually meant.

 

[EAFrizzle]

Quick bandscan 0130z ~½ hour past local sunset.

Time signals
2500 WWV 23222
5000 WWV 22222
10000 WWV 34444
15000 WWV 45444
7850 CHU 44343

Interesting catches
Türkiye: 7260 = 23233 w/ham interference
7360 = 22121
9970 = 34423
6185 XEPPM educacionál 34423
7305 Vatican 45534
11620 Romania 24322
11780 RNdeAmazonía 34333
13640 CRI English 33343

 

[EAFrizzle]

0330z 17675 RNZ Pacific 45544. Promising conditions for RNZ throughout the night.

 

[EAFrizzle]

1020z 0520 local, interesting catches

6105 CNR 23222
7325 CRI 33233
7375 NHK 55544
7425 RNZ Pacific 44434
9555 R Taiwan Int. 32242 jamming present
9700 RNZ Pacific 45544
9715 R Taiwan Int. 34434
11710 Vo Korea 44344

ETA: 1100z 7425 RNZP 34344 after antenna change.