RadioBanter - View Single Post

[email protected] · July 9th 10, 04:43 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.moderated

wrote:
Now, a few minutes before the end of FD, I tuned around 80, 40, 20,
15, and 10 -- NOTHING. One CW station on the low end of 40 and
possibly a couple of South Americans on 20 SSB.

Are the bands that dead?

I would suggest the last three hours of Field Day -- 1800-2100z Sunday afternoon -- are probably the worst possible time to find HF activity...

Stations can only operate during those last three hours if they didn't begin setup until 1800z Saturday. Since many stations choose to begin setup
earlier, many FD operations have to cease operation at 1800 Sunday -- and as a result, there are fewer stations on the air after 1800 to work -- and
as a result, fewer operations choose to not setup until 1800 Saturday -- because there are fewer additional QSOs to be made during those three hours
-- so there are fewer operations to work -- so there's less reason to stay on -- etc., etc., etc...

So there's little FD operation 1800-2100. And, most active hams have operated with a FD group somewhere -- so they aren't in their home stations to
get on the air -- and they're *bushed* & not likely to be getting on the air when they get home.

Now, most DX stations have FD at some other weekend. So you'd think it would be a good time to work some DX without much competition. Except that
1800-2100z, especially just about at the summer solstice, is just about the worst time of day for intercontinental propagation.

================================

I've heard better propagation for FD, but I've also heard a LOT worse.

--

Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View, TN EM66