VHF band propagation very strong

[Jammin_Jay]

Just wondering if anyone has heard abnormal vhf radio signals, that they would normally not get. I am in Eastern Ontario. I heard NOAA weather station from Mount Washington, NH. I could here county sherriffs frequency like it was local from near Albany, NY on 154.725. Also another NOAA weather radio from Massaschutes. Bands kept changing hourly so one station would blend in with another and then overpower the other. Very Interesting to say the least. The propagation was so strong in some cases i heard one station go right over another that was local. It seemed that everything was coming from the east of where I am.

 

[woody_461]

Yes, I've noticed the same thing in Southwest Ontario.I live in RF hell (Detroit/Windsor corridor).Some local stations are lower in signal strength, while DX is coming in stronger.I'm not getting the distance you mentioned because of my location, however.I originally thought my coax was going bad, or the radio was acting up.I have a signal strength meter, and I'm noting fading/fluctuating signal strength on Vhf-Hi.

 

[motomeso]

Band is very hot tonight, hearing plenty of unknown Police Departments including one from a Metro are on 460.0500mhz. Hearing mostly traffic stops and person checks, from Kitchener using a BC796D and a Comet dual-bander. Band is so hot I'm hearing multiple PD on the same frequencies. Also hearing the Parker and State College PA WX radio transmitters.

 

[motomeso]

Figured it out, it is Erie PA PD channel 1. Was coming in full scale over night, band opening started from WNY but then seemed to shift towards PA, OH, and MI.

 

[Forts]

There have been a lot of openings over the past few weeks... I've been hearing tons of US PD stuff in the 150 mhz range...

I've got a yagi enroute to me this week... can't wait to get it setup and see what I can pull in!

 

[Jammin_Jay]

A yagi would help. Any directional antenna would draw the signal in a little strong. You can rotate it to find out which direction it comes in the strongest. I have tried this and found that if you rotate an angle of around 180 degrees you can get different signal on the same frequency and then switch it back and get the original signal you started with. This is great when you have signals hitting 10 -15 , even 20 db +. Sometimes band conditions change, so just play around with it. Especially with the continuous NOAA weather, and Environment Canada 162 Mhz stations. I have noticed that usually weather station will dictate where the ducting is coming from . So when i hit a WX station thats not local. I enter frequencies in that area that the WX transmitter tower is and u get other stations (police, fire, recsue, EMS). Also a whole load of new control channels. Keep an eye on these. I try to log them in as i get one.

 

[DaveH]

There have been a lot of openings over the past few weeks... I've been hearing tons of US PD stuff in the 150 mhz range...

I've got a yagi enroute to me this week... can't wait to get it setup and see what I can pull in!

Good but don't give up on your omni-directional antennas. Sometimes you don't know which direction the DX will come from, and if your yagi is pointed the wrong way you could miss a lot, especially if it has high gain (narrow beamwidth). You can always zoom in with a directional antenna after it's been "spotted" with an omni.

Dave

 

[motomeso]

Band is just smoking again this morning, you pick a frequency and chances there is an American PD talking on it. If your up early enough you can take a listen at http://ve3nsv.no-ip.org:8000/canwarnlive.m3u

 

[woody_461]

Yeah, noticed the DX coming in again this morning.I usually check the WX frequencies first.Just heard an Environment Canada station on 162.400.It was mixed with an Ohio station, but station ID said it was in Goderich Ontario.
Using a discone ATM.

 

[woody_461]

This is a good time for FM broadcast band DXing too.Receiving CFPL 95.9 London, Ontario just like a local.

 

[motomeso]

At 160,000 watts I would hope you would hear them, I believe that station has the best range of any FM broadcast station in Canada, being heard right into Ohio.

 

[woody_461]

At 160,000 watts I would hope you would hear them, I believe that station has the best range of any FM broadcast station in Canada, being heard right into Ohio.

Thanks for bursting my bubble....LOL!

 

[nexus]

http://www.quercus.demon.co.uk/ducts.html

this site can help explain what it is you guys are experiencing. Just keep in mind ducting usually occurs when hot air masses encounter cold air masses. Usually late at night after a hot day and the air cools quickly, or early in the morning. You'll begin to pick up stations several hundred miles away. Most of the time the ducting is like a pipe between point a and point b. If you're outside of the path which is occurs then you'll not hear the signals. Some times these paths are only 3 or 4 miles wide but several hundred miles long. If you're inside of the path then expect strong signals.

I use to talk to hams in several different states on only about 10 watts of power because of this.

 

[woody_461]

Thanks for the info Nexus.I don't usually do VHF DXing, but conditions have been very good lately.That said, HF has sucked for the most part because of the current sunspot cycle.