Re: Topband: Change in 160m conditions
Due to low sunspot activity the atmo/ionosphere shrinks, layer's height decreases, skip/ducting is impacted. Please se my old article http://k3bu.us/propagation.htm Also weather changes become more extreme, not because "Global whatever" Gases, atmosphere becomes more dense, layers become lower. Yuri K3BU/KH6 On Mon, Nov 13, 2017 at 06:20 PM, Dan Edward Dba East edwards wrote: > I have the same experience as Dave, in recent years... though with a much more modest antenna farm...in suburban Longview, Tx. JM2C, w5xz, dan On Thursday, November 9, 2017 7:30 AM, JC wrote: It seems to me that DX conditions have been pretty poor for the past 10 years on 160m . . . << Hi Roger I see your point on things changing. However I have a different experience. The noise is up. Every day there is a new "thing" that used FVD, switching power supply and the LED's.. oh boy the LED's that generate noise up to 50 MHz Old antennas practice does not work any mote the way it worked 10 years ago. Null canceling , deep front back, and other "simple" to achieve is not enough. The last 10 years has been very different, check the K9LA presentation on WWROF archives how long the deep of solar cycle last. Carl shows the last 5 cycles last 2 years between less than 20 SSN. The last cycle 24 last almost 5 years, see page 8 here; http://wwrof.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/WWROF-A-Look-at-Propagation-for- the-2017-2018-Contest-Season-pdf.pdf The actual cycle may be longer and better than 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. I started on 160m in 1970 , for me, and the ones with new antennas with 12 db RDF or more, the last 10 years was the best ever on 160m, and here is why I say that, 1- I worked #294 countries in the last 10 years and I heard #310, the 16 countries I missed was because my 1500w was not enough to be heard on the other side. (lack of RX antenna on the DX side) 2- NX4D, Doug worked # 305 and heat probably a dozen more on the last 13 years. 3- The Waller Flag horizontal can dig signals 20 db below the same noise from the vertical TX antenna. 4- I live in a city lot with noise from everywhere. All my 160m antennas are in my back yard 100 x 150 ft. 5- Doug also has noise on the sub-division and live on 1/5 acre lot. 6- I know, and personal helped more than 50 WF installation and all antennas is performing as my original WF 7- The extra 23 years on the deep cycle 24, 2009,2010 and 2011 provided a large number of long path SSW/SSE openings with south Asia. I experiences hundreds of days with openings. The SSE/SSW path will be open soon. 8- Low RDF antennas does help and it is a game change, a simple FLAG, EWE, K9AY, SAL , all near 8 db RDF doe hear station Q5 that you can't head on the TX antenna, however 2 flags, EWE, K9AY in phase can increase the RDF near to 12 dB and you can dig 8 to 10 db more below the noise flor. 9- 1db increase on the RDF increases 2 db or more noise figure, it's a measured number with real antennas and signals on the band, not a simulation on EZNEC or calculations. you can measure it too. 10- For the new generation using digital FT8, the improvement is the same, a HWF can improve a signal -19 db to a +1 db. it means you are missing another 20 db layer of weak signals without high performance RX antenna. It point is : You don't know what you are missing if you don't have anything to compare with. Get a high RDF RX antennas! You can't have enough. The deep of cycle 25 can last 6 or more years, think about that. We are just at the door. JC N4IS _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Change in 160m conditions
I have the same experience as Dave, in recent years... though with a much more modest antenna farm...in suburban Longview, Tx. JM2C, w5xz, dan On Thursday, November 9, 2017 7:30 AM, JC wrote: >> It seems to me that DX conditions have been pretty poor for the past 10 years on 160m . . . << Hi Roger I see your point on things changing. However I have a different experience. The noise is up. Every day there is a new "thing" that used FVD, switching power supply and the LED's.. oh boy the LED's that generate noise up to 50 MHz Old antennas practice does not work any mote the way it worked 10 years ago. Null canceling , deep front back, and other "simple" to achieve is not enough. The last 10 years has been very different, check the K9LA presentation on WWROF archives how long the deep of solar cycle last. Carl shows the last 5 cycles last 2 years between less than 20 SSN. The last cycle 24 last almost 5 years, see page 8 here; http://wwrof.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/WWROF-A-Look-at-Propagation-for- the-2017-2018-Contest-Season-pdf.pdf The actual cycle may be longer and better than 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. I started on 160m in 1970 , for me, and the ones with new antennas with 12 db RDF or more, the last 10 years was the best ever on 160m, and here is why I say that, 1- I worked #294 countries in the last 10 years and I heard #310, the 16 countries I missed was because my 1500w was not enough to be heard on the other side. (lack of RX antenna on the DX side) 2- NX4D, Doug worked # 305 and heat probably a dozen more on the last 13 years. 3- The Waller Flag horizontal can dig signals 20 db below the same noise from the vertical TX antenna. 4- I live in a city lot with noise from everywhere. All my 160m antennas are in my back yard 100 x 150 ft. 5- Doug also has noise on the sub-division and live on 1/5 acre lot. 6- I know, and personal helped more than 50 WF installation and all antennas is performing as my original WF 7- The extra 23 years on the deep cycle 24, 2009,2010 and 2011 provided a large number of long path SSW/SSE openings with south Asia. I experiences hundreds of days with openings. The SSE/SSW path will be open soon. 8- Low RDF antennas does help and it is a game change, a simple FLAG, EWE, K9AY, SAL , all near 8 db RDF doe hear station Q5 that you can't head on the TX antenna, however 2 flags, EWE, K9AY in phase can increase the RDF near to 12 dB and you can dig 8 to 10 db more below the noise flor. 9- 1db increase on the RDF increases 2 db or more noise figure, it's a measured number with real antennas and signals on the band, not a simulation on EZNEC or calculations. you can measure it too. 10- For the new generation using digital FT8, the improvement is the same, a HWF can improve a signal -19 db to a +1 db. it means you are missing another 20 db layer of weak signals without high performance RX antenna. It point is : You don't know what you are missing if you don't have anything to compare with. Get a high RDF RX antennas! You can't have enough. The deep of cycle 25 can last 6 or more years, think about that. We are just at the door. JC N4IS _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Change in 160m conditions
>> It seems to me that DX conditions have been pretty poor for the past 10 years on 160m . . . << Hi Roger I see your point on things changing. However I have a different experience. The noise is up. Every day there is a new "thing" that used FVD, switching power supply and the LED's.. oh boy the LED's that generate noise up to 50 MHz Old antennas practice does not work any mote the way it worked 10 years ago. Null canceling , deep front back, and other "simple" to achieve is not enough. The last 10 years has been very different, check the K9LA presentation on WWROF archives how long the deep of solar cycle last. Carl shows the last 5 cycles last 2 years between less than 20 SSN. The last cycle 24 last almost 5 years, see page 8 here; http://wwrof.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/WWROF-A-Look-at-Propagation-for- the-2017-2018-Contest-Season-pdf.pdf The actual cycle may be longer and better than 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. I started on 160m in 1970 , for me, and the ones with new antennas with 12 db RDF or more, the last 10 years was the best ever on 160m, and here is why I say that, 1- I worked #294 countries in the last 10 years and I heard #310, the 16 countries I missed was because my 1500w was not enough to be heard on the other side. (lack of RX antenna on the DX side) 2- NX4D, Doug worked # 305 and heat probably a dozen more on the last 13 years. 3- The Waller Flag horizontal can dig signals 20 db below the same noise from the vertical TX antenna. 4- I live in a city lot with noise from everywhere. All my 160m antennas are in my back yard 100 x 150 ft. 5- Doug also has noise on the sub-division and live on 1/5 acre lot. 6- I know, and personal helped more than 50 WF installation and all antennas is performing as my original WF 7- The extra 23 years on the deep cycle 24, 2009,2010 and 2011 provided a large number of long path SSW/SSE openings with south Asia. I experiences hundreds of days with openings. The SSE/SSW path will be open soon. 8- Low RDF antennas does help and it is a game change, a simple FLAG, EWE, K9AY, SAL , all near 8 db RDF doe hear station Q5 that you can't head on the TX antenna, however 2 flags, EWE, K9AY in phase can increase the RDF near to 12 dB and you can dig 8 to 10 db more below the noise flor. 9- 1db increase on the RDF increases 2 db or more noise figure, it's a measured number with real antennas and signals on the band, not a simulation on EZNEC or calculations. you can measure it too. 10- For the new generation using digital FT8, the improvement is the same, a HWF can improve a signal -19 db to a +1 db. it means you are missing another 20 db layer of weak signals without high performance RX antenna. It point is : You don't know what you are missing if you don't have anything to compare with. Get a high RDF RX antennas! You can't have enough. The deep of cycle 25 can last 6 or more years, think about that. We are just at the door. JC N4IS _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Change in 160m conditions
I, too, have noticed a lessening in frequency and intensity of sunrise peaks the past decade. They were so common a decade or so ago that many of us could pretty much count on them. In addition the openings which are frequently called "long path" (they are not true long path by my account, but are actually skewed path, typically SSW for NA stations in the early morning hours working Asia) are also happening with far less frequency. Here in the Midwest, it seems they have disappeared almost entirely. Obviously, things have changed. Here at the time of minimal solar activity I was hopeful of good prop on TB (like 2007/2008/2009). Generally speaking from my viewpoint here in the Midwest, that has not been the case. 73. . . Dave, W0FLS -Original Message- From: Roger Kennedy Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2017 2:01 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Change in 160m conditions It seems to me that DX conditions have been pretty poor for the past 10 years on 160m . . . But apart from generally being poor (even when the band is open), there is something strange I have noticed. For me, over the decades, best propagation on 160m has always been around our Sunrise . . . stations in North America will peak up 10dB or more at that time. (it's also always been the best time for VK/ZL, rather than our sunset) HOWEVER . . . in recent years there seems to be NO Sunrise peak ! If anything, signals start dropping off. You can see this very clearly when there's a contest on . . . and I've also noticed it on my own signal by looking at RBN reports. Strange, huh?! Roger G3YRO _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: Change in 160m conditions
It seems to me that DX conditions have been pretty poor for the past 10 years on 160m . . . But apart from generally being poor (even when the band is open), there is something strange I have noticed. For me, over the decades, best propagation on 160m has always been around our Sunrise . . . stations in North America will peak up 10dB or more at that time. (it's also always been the best time for VK/ZL, rather than our sunset) HOWEVER . . . in recent years there seems to be NO Sunrise peak ! If anything, signals start dropping off. You can see this very clearly when there's a contest on . . . and I've also noticed it on my own signal by looking at RBN reports. Strange, huh?! Roger G3YRO _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband