How are current condition for HF/MW & LW monitoring now and in the next few years. I've been away from it for awhile and no idea what's going on in those bands.
HF/MW/LW Conditions now and in the next few years?
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At my QTH (Central NJ) it isn't that great and hasn't been that great on HF generally. For HF I start with WWV stations to get an idea of propagation.
Longwave at night still brings in stations from Canada and US. Lots less US aero beacons over the years.
Medium wave still going strong. At night the band is open, hear WSM, WBZ, KMOX and Canadian stations for example. Sometimes even Radio Reloj from Havana.
Longwave at night still brings in stations from Canada and US. Lots less US aero beacons over the years.
Medium wave still going strong. At night the band is open, hear WSM, WBZ, KMOX and Canadian stations for example. Sometimes even Radio Reloj from Havana.
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
It's generally agreed that we are in the beginning of Solar Cycle 25, as the few sunspots that have happened have shown this. However there is very wide disagreement as to how strong the cycle will be - everything from weaker than Cycle 24 to the strongest in a century. No one knows for sure.
There are a few websites out there that use some of the major players (Aoki, EiBi, etc.) but they generally don't update them as often as they should. Yahoo groups is kaput; most of the reflectors have either closed, moved to groups.io or on Facebook. There are 2 groups to which you should pay attention. The World of Radio reflector has recently had numerous new schedules, and the SWSkeds group produces a spreadsheet and file that combines numerous sources and is frequently updated. Depending on what you are using, the file can be used as a tuning aid. Here are the URLs for both;
groups.io
Now that's HFBC - Utilities is a whole different ballgame.
Mike
There are a few websites out there that use some of the major players (Aoki, EiBi, etc.) but they generally don't update them as often as they should. Yahoo groups is kaput; most of the reflectors have either closed, moved to groups.io or on Facebook. There are 2 groups to which you should pay attention. The World of Radio reflector has recently had numerous new schedules, and the SWSkeds group produces a spreadsheet and file that combines numerous sources and is frequently updated. Depending on what you are using, the file can be used as a tuning aid. Here are the URLs for both;
WOR groups.io Group
News and discussion about communications around the world, especially shortwave, but all media eligible. Monitoring reports, schedules, journalism. All posts will be eligible for quoting in DX Listening Digest, and on the World of Radio program.
groups.io
Now that's HFBC - Utilities is a whole different ballgame.
Mike
Per several articles in the April 2021 QST, Solar Cycle 25 has begun. This means that we are beginning to climb out of the minimum and toward the next maximum as the number of sunspots and solar flux index increase. The peak will probably occur around 2025. What this means for radio communications is that generally conditions on the higher HF frequencies (20, 15, 10 meters) will improve due to increased ionization of the F-layers while conditions on LW and MW probably not as good as present due to the same ionization causing the D-layer to absorb more LW/MW signal. Predictions as to how strong the peak will be are presently all over the map... stay tuned.
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ridgescan
Member
I haven't been in LW for a while but in SW I still listen regularly every evening and still get reliable signals from here in the USA clear out to the African continent. No change. MW still the same for me as I still can't get anything further east than Wyoming.
My reception has generally improved over the last year and a half. I'm located in Northwest Nevada. I still can't receive stations in the Mideast. I lost Radio Cairo and Iran a few years ago.
How were things about two years ago in comparison?
I had lousy, noisey reception and weaker signals in general.
SW is poor to fair at best -- since 2016-2017 it's been mostly poor. MW is mediocre since the same year range -- there is DX most nights but nothing like 2011-2015 when I could receive Cuba on MW on an unaided TRF MW portable.
Hopefully as the solar cycle progresses MW and SW will return to their former levels. There won't be as many SW stations to hear, but it my be the last cycle to hear them before the last of them pull their signals.
Hopefully as the solar cycle progresses MW and SW will return to their former levels. There won't be as many SW stations to hear, but it my be the last cycle to hear them before the last of them pull their signals.
ridgescan
Member
I don't know why it's like that for you-if I remember you're north of me here on the west coast? I get VOA transmitting from the southern tip of Africa both in the afternoon on 15580kHz here and in the evening on 6080 and 5925kHz. And yesterday I caught a signal from Nauen in Germany and also Radio Saudi up in the 15-16mHz band (can't recall the exact frequencies) and this was in my daytime, around 21-22UTC. Getting lots of good signals down here in SFO but I do have the big wire up there and the Wellbrook both high up around 45', where I think you said before you only use the whip on the radio?
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
Yes, for the most part, a better antenna will often bring better results. That and an understanding on how HF propagation works would also be a benefit...Mike
The farther north you are, the more susceptible to auroral conditions and the like. If you look at some of the propagation maps online, it shows that the southern latitudes here in the US have had better propagation the past couple years. California, Texas and the SE US have had higher MUF's than those of us here in the northern tier.
Yeah, I only use the whip, but when prop was better in 2015-2016 I got a lot off that whip. But I also have been using a 25 ft indoor wire about 20 feet up, and it's the same as it is on my whip antenna radio -- not as good as it was early last decade.
I have a 100 footer that I was going to put up last year but other things got in the way. Maybe this summer, as I have a bit more time now to deal with such things.
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