Skipping Question

[kansasradioguy]

Hi all,
New to the boards. My name is Tommy Castor and I am the midday talent on KHMY 93.1 in Pratt/Hutchinson, KS. We got a phone call to the studio today from someone who picked us up in Northern North Carolina. After a quick Google search, we found listings of people who picked us up in Ontario, CA, Macon GA, and Washington DC (with a static filled audio sample from DC). We had no idea this sort of thing happened like it did at the radio station and we were just curious. Does this happen a lot? If so, does that mean the potential to hear our radio station all over the country is there?

Thanks!
Tommy

 

[KR4BD]

Happens all the time. I have heard FM stations here in KY from the Eastern 2/3 of the country when the skip is rolling. The lower TV channels (2 through 6) share similar frequencies to FM stations and they often skip as well. During the summer, in particular, I regularly see Channel 2s from Houston, Denver, Dickinson ND, etc. This is known as Sporatic-E skip as the signal bounces off the "E" layer of the ionosphere back to earth. When signals under about 500 miles are received, it is usually not skip, but rather troposheric ducting which is caused by an atmospheric inversion where a signal can bend around the horizon for several hundred miles (but, usually less than 500 miles).

 

[mancow]

It was out of control yesterday morning. I heard a radio station from Wichita and I was up by K.C.

 

[n2kej]

I've heard stations on FM broadcast from Florida and Michigan from New Jersey.
You just have to be in the right place at the right time.


Steve

 

[Joseph11]

Me too. I managed to get a station from Canada on 91.5 MHz once (something like CFOB) from Canada and WFLZ from Florida on 93.3 MHz, once. Skip is fun.

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi Tommy Talent and all,

Just to set the record straight;
"This is known as Sporatic-E skip as the signal bounces off the "E" layer of the ionosphere back to earth."

Nope, there is no E layer per se, ionized clouds are formed by solar UV radiation as opposed to charged particles emitted by solar flares and sunspots which affect other layers. These clouds drift much the same as ordinary clouds in the troposphere which is why reflections off them are sporadic. During a particularly intense and prolonged event you can track them by noting where signals come from. This is a particularly good summer for sporadic E skip.

When your Chief Engineer comes around speak to him and he can tell you more about it and don't forget to ask about QSL reporting, he'll know what you mean (I hope). Meanwhile while you're sitting behind the mic you're getting a creepy feeling, you never know who is listening. Then the telephone rings... MARS?

Don't be so surprised, it's in Pennsylvania. (;->)

 

[KR4BD]

Just for the record... This sort of skip is quite common in the summer. On the drive home tonight, I was receiving WCXU 97.7 MHZ in Caribou, Maine on my car radio. That's over 1000 miles from Lexington, KY. I heard a weather forecast for Aroostook County and Western New Brunswick. The signal lasted for a few minutes before something else swamped (captured) the frequency.

 

[KR4BD]

KB2VXA says:

Nope, there is no E layer per se, ionized clouds are formed by solar UV radiation as opposed to charged particles emitted by solar flares and sunspots which affect other layers.

KB...

Please check this:

http://www.ham.dmz.ro/radioamateur/propagation/sporadic-e-skip.php

This is an interesting and credible article, written by a CREDIBLE authority on the subject.