bpnjensen wrote:

I hear Firedrake a lot daytimes here in California, terrifically
annoying when it covers signals on a dozen different freqs. I was
just noticing, even with the A and K indices at rock bottom tonight,
the bands are unpleasantly quiet. Sad.

Bruce

Something big is just around the corner. We had a bunch of sunspots a
few days ago.

http://solarcycle24.com/

On Dec 30, 5:27*am, dave wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:
I hear Firedrake a lot daytimes here in California, terrifically
annoying when it covers signals on a dozen different freqs. *I was
just noticing, even with the A and K indices at rock bottom tonight,
the bands are unpleasantly quiet. *Sad.

Bruce

Something big is just around the corner. *We had a bunch of sunspots a
few days ago.

http://solarcycle24.com/

Indeed, as of this morning, I am already hearing an uptick in stations
coming through. Thanks for the link!

Ric Trexell wrote:

Thanks to all that replied to my question. It seems like it is another
result of the switch to digital and fiber optics or sattelites. Too bad, it
was fun to hear those far off places. I got my first shortwave when my dad
was looking at a boat and the owner had an old wooden tube radio ....



I tried the wooden tube radios some years ago, but found that the
filaments kept setting their little cellulose based enclosures on fire.
Glass just plain works better.





mike

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/ /\ \/ /\'Think tanks cleaned cheap' /\ \/ /
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Densa International©
For the OTHER two percent.



Due to the insane amount of spam and garbage,
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I also filter everything from a .cn server.


For solutions which may work for you, please check:
http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

On Dec 29 2009, 9:29*am, "Ric Trexell" wrote:
I only have a portable shortwave radio (Grundig Yacht Boy 400) that I have
had for about 15 years. (It replaced a Grundig 2000 which was a real nice
radio in its day.) *When I first got it there was stuff on there not only in
the bands but in between. *There were about 10 places to hear the BBC and
VOA. *Now I can tune the radio all night and maybe pick up a few Christian
broadcasts and one or two Spanish stations. *I usually just end up listening
to the AM and FM stations. *Even Hams are sort of rare. *If this keeps up,
in a year or two there won't be anything on SW. *Or is there something wrong
with my radio? *Ric in Wisconsin.

The last few days have seen a real upsurge in decent band conditions
from 6 MHz and up, with most of the bands opening up well during some
part of the day - but the 60m and 75m have remained pretty much closed
here on the West Coast of NAm. I miss my tropicals!

Bruce Jensen

bpnjensen wrote:

The last few days have seen a real upsurge in decent band conditions
from 6 MHz and up, with most of the bands opening up well during some
part of the day - but the 60m and 75m have remained pretty much closed
here on the West Coast of NAm. I miss my tropicals!

Bruce Jensen

Apparently sun spots hold up the sky here on Earth. The ionosphere is
too low.

On Jan 3, 9:53*am, dave wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:
The last few days have seen a real upsurge in decent band conditions
from 6 MHz and up, with most of the bands opening up well during some
part of the day - but the 60m and 75m have remained pretty much closed
here on the West Coast of NAm. *I miss my tropicals!

Bruce Jensen

Apparently sun spots hold up the sky here on Earth. *The ionosphere is
too low.

No doubt - I am getting great polar-path reception, even multipath
from both directions, but those non-polar cross-equatorial photons
just aren't cutting the mustard. The indices are nice and low (K + A
= zero-ish), but the sunpots aren't up there yet I guess.

BJ