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DrStrange
Technically feasible
Premium Member
join:2001-07-23
Bristol, CT

DrStrange to fartness

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to fartness

Re: Better DX with USA OTA gone?

NY to Ireland could be either Es or F2, but a signal propagated via the F2 layer would tend to fade in and out less than Es.

If the data I found is what you heard of, it was Es:
On June 26, 2003, Paul Logan (Lisnaskea, Northern Ireland) was the first DXer to receive transatlantic Sporadic E at frequencies above 88 MHz. Stations received included 88.5 MHz WHCF Bangor, Maine (2,732 miles / 4,397 kilometres), and 97.5 MHz WFRY Watertown, New York (3,040 miles / 4,890 kilometres). David Hamilton from Cumnock in Ayrshire, Scotland received CBTB from Baie Verte, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada on 97.1 MHz on this day also.[10]

»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV ··· nd_FM_DX

Might happen this year, if the current solar cycle ever gets going. So far, that's been a flop.
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

fartness (banned)

Member

Yes, that was it! I knew it was late 90's or early 00's. It was on the news where I lived (not far from the station in NY).

So when I picked Miami up (~1400 road miles away), it was probably an E-skip rather than F2 since it was loud and clear with no fading? The signal was almost too good, like it was a local station.

I remember when I picked up Nebraska TV, we had a rare mini-tornado (never seen one in NY before) and the sky looked golden pink (never seen it that color). I figured I'd give the TV a try and it ended up being worth it. That was coming in nice and clear but fading in and out at times.

DrStrange
Technically feasible
Premium Member
join:2001-07-23
Bristol, CT

1 recommendation

DrStrange

Premium Member

If you had a crystal-clear signal with no fading [especially given the locations involved], it was probably tropospheric ducting. Es fades in and out. F2 fades in and out, but less dramatically.

Nebraska from NYC was probably Es.

»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr ··· pagation

n1zuk
making really tiny tech things
Premium Member
join:2001-10-24
Malta

n1zuk

Premium Member

Tropo is more typically seen propagating north-south. Having done a lot of 6M DX to northern Great Britain, E-skip can get you there in 2-3 hops (depending on locations) and stay stable at 50MHz for a considerable time (several hours). An uptick in the MUF could make TV signals stable.

6M DX'ers have used TV reception as a propagation beacon for decades.

DrStrange
Technically feasible
Premium Member
join:2001-07-23
Bristol, CT

4 edits

DrStrange

Premium Member

Thanks for the Es info. Haven't done a lot with 6M. One of these days...

EDIT: I did a bit of research and it seems that TV signals propagated via single-hop Es don't tend to change phase and might not fade for some time. That was my reasoning for guessing tropo, so you've persuaded me to change my guess to 'either tropo ducting or Es'.

Tropo ducting tends to follow coastlines.

Was thinking FL-TX across the Gulf. Considering the tropo conditions in that area and the shape of the coastline, E-W ducting could, and probably would, happen.

We get E-W tropo propagation [not ducting; ducting is NE-SW, following the coastline] on 11M through 70cm and up in New England [generally in late summer and fall], though it's usually only a few hundred miles. Tropo ducting generally doesn't affect frequencies below the FM broadcast band.