Michael - dxAce does sometimes come across as terse and mocking,
whether intended or not. His online persona *appears* to be slightly
impatient. After awhile, you can learn to get used to it, accept it,
and extract from it whatever good information there is - and there is
often quite a bit. Once you get beyond the affectation, it all settles
into place.

Rest assured that, for most of us, your post made sense.

Brasilia has been a powerhouse on 11780 now for awhile. After some
years' absence, when I first restarted the radio hobby back in 2001, I
was surprised by the potency of its signal compared to the
mini-Brazilians I had heard in the past. Too bad RAE Bueno Aires on
11710 cannot do as well - it's signal, formerly a good one, is tough
these days.

Not only that, but I have noticed that especially when the solar storm
levels become high and polar propagation is subdued, the tropical and
trans-equatorial routes seem to be enhanced. Then, Brazil comes
through even better, and the itty bitty stations from CA and SA (and
Africa too) become more listenable. YMMV depending on latitude and
location.

Bruce Jensen