Tropo Ducting

[DJ88]

Has anyone noticed ducting today? I'm getting it here in Brick on my 996T w/outside antenna. I'm getting Suffolk County EMS on JEMS EMS 3 (155.2800) and also just got Squad 12, Bellvue Fire Department tone out for an electrical fire on Ocean County EMS 1 (155.2050 PL 186.2). I've also been getting hits on JEMS EMS 2 (155.3400). Is this unusual for this time of year? I don't remember it ever occuring now.

 

[mtindor]

Might be due to temperature inversion rather than actual tropo ducting. After all, we are uncharacteristically warm these past few days, after having been significantly colder.

I'm not in NJ but rather Ohio. I've noticed mildly enhanced propagation the past day or two.

Mike

 

[DJ88]

Might be due to temperature inversion rather than actual tropo ducting. After all, we are uncharacteristically warm these past few days, after having been significantly colder.

I'm not in NJ but rather Ohio. I've noticed mildly enhanced propagation the past day or two.

Mike

You could very well be right, Mike. I know very little about this and just assumed it was tropo. I didn't know temperature inversion also caused it. Thanks.

 

[Techy]

Same here DJ, I was listening to FDNY and NYC EMS very strong last night here. Im way out on the eastern end of Long Island. Put the 15X on this morning and still heard them good until about 9AM and then poof they were gone. But what you heard on the 155.2800 was Suffolk County, NY's Med Comm dispatch.

 

[DJ88]

But what you heard on the 155.2800 was Suffolk County, NY's Med Comm dispatch.

I get them very often here during the summer months when ducting is prevailant.

 

[kb2vxa]

"Might be due to temperature inversion rather than actual tropo ducting."

Temperature inversion is the cause of tropo ducting. It causes a boundary layer in the atmosphere above the Earth-air boundary and signals bounce between them in a duct.

I too noticed it on a few non PL channels like the mostly unused OCPS 460-470MHz channel bank, as usual I was hearing NYPD. Although uncommon this time of year it DOES happen, your scanner wasn't playing tricks on you.

 

[DJ88]

Thanks Warren. I'm glad you're okay after Sandy.

 

[K3HY]

I like putting a few of the weather channels in as beacons that only open up when conditions are good.
Probably wouldn't work too well in more populated areas though.

 

[kb2vxa]

"Thanks Warren."
You're welcome, always glad to help.

"I'm glad you're okay after Sandy."
So am I. (;->) News reports and aerial photos don't tell the whole story, actually only those along the exposed Atlantic shoreline at sea level were wiped out and those RR members there will be among the missing until they're resettled. The rest suffered varying damage from none to flooding to lost antennas to trees crushing houses, we're the lucky ones.