So - on the topic of HF radio...
 

....last night reception here in California was odd. A rising K-index
apparently resulted in lots of noise and very squirrely propagation,
like the ionosphere was randomly red hot and ice cold. For the most
part, the lower bands were totally NG - 60/75/90 all were nearly dead
through 0700z. 41 and 49 were not much better, with only the
strongest big boys punching through, and even then not very strongly.
Despite the SFI up to 105, Most stations were a couple S-units below
their usual levels, with a few minor exceptions on 25m and 31m.

The exception was R. Educacion in Mexico City, 6185 khz. Usually a
difficult station here, with low modulation and battered by the big
relays on either side of it, last night it outshone them all, with a
20 over S-9 signal, crystal clear fidelity and magnificent
steadiness. I have a hard time believing it was propagation alone
that did this - but unless they suddenly found a 100-kW transmitter
lying around, I'm not sure how they managed this signal.

Things are getting interesting :-)

So - on the topic of HF radio...
 

On Mar 22, 12:15*pm, bpnjensen wrote:
...last night reception here in California was odd. *A rising K-index
apparently resulted in lots of noise and very squirrely propagation,
like the ionosphere was randomly red hot and ice cold. *For the most
part, the lower bands were totally NG - 60/75/90 all were nearly dead
through 0700z. *41 and 49 were not much better, with only the
strongest big boys punching through, and even then not very strongly.
Despite the SFI up to 105, Most stations were a couple S-units below
their usual levels, with a few minor exceptions on 25m and 31m.

The exception was R. Educacion in Mexico City, 6185 khz. *Usually a
difficult station here, with low modulation and battered by the big
relays on either side of it, last night it outshone them all, with a
20 over S-9 signal, crystal clear fidelity and magnificent
steadiness. *I have a hard time believing it was propagation alone
that did this - but unless they suddenly found a 100-kW transmitter
lying around, I'm not sure how they managed this signal.

Things are getting interesting :-)

Same here,on the E.Coast ! Propagation varies wildly from great to
almost complete zilch, with the exception of the regular ever-present
Bible Study stations . . . R.Educacion was always a modest low power
broadcast station ( 10kW) , maybe they have raised the power a bit
lately . I doubt very much it is a 100kW station . But again , you
never know-- we are living in a very Troublesome Times , to say the
least .

So - on the topic of HF radio...
 

On Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:15:52 -0700 (PDT), bpnjensen
wrote:

...last night reception here in California was odd. A rising K-index
apparently resulted in lots of noise and very squirrely propagation,
like the ionosphere was randomly red hot and ice cold. For the most
part, the lower bands were totally NG - 60/75/90 all were nearly dead
through 0700z. 41 and 49 were not much better, with only the
strongest big boys punching through, and even then not very strongly.
Despite the SFI up to 105, Most stations were a couple S-units below
their usual levels, with a few minor exceptions on 25m and 31m.

The exception was R. Educacion in Mexico City, 6185 khz. Usually a
difficult station here, with low modulation and battered by the big
relays on either side of it, last night it outshone them all, with a
20 over S-9 signal, crystal clear fidelity and magnificent
steadiness. I have a hard time believing it was propagation alone
that did this - but unless they suddenly found a 100-kW transmitter
lying around, I'm not sure how they managed this signal.

Things are getting interesting :-)

15 meters was hot in the mid-afternoon yesterday (1800UTC). I
contacted a 40 watt SSB Algerian station with 100 watts. 59 report
both ways. And I got a 59+10dB report out of Croatia also with 100
watts SSB.

Jim(MI)

So - on the topic of HF radio...
 

On Mar 22, 11:21*am, wrote:
On Mar 22, 12:15*pm, bpnjensen wrote:





...last night reception here in California was odd. *A rising K-index
apparently resulted in lots of noise and very squirrely propagation,
like the ionosphere was randomly red hot and ice cold. *For the most
part, the lower bands were totally NG - 60/75/90 all were nearly dead
through 0700z. *41 and 49 were not much better, with only the
strongest big boys punching through, and even then not very strongly.
Despite the SFI up to 105, Most stations were a couple S-units below
their usual levels, with a few minor exceptions on 25m and 31m.

The exception was R. Educacion in Mexico City, 6185 khz. *Usually a
difficult station here, with low modulation and battered by the big
relays on either side of it, last night it outshone them all, with a
20 over S-9 signal, crystal clear fidelity and magnificent
steadiness. *I have a hard time believing it was propagation alone
that did this - but unless they suddenly found a 100-kW transmitter
lying around, I'm not sure how they managed this signal.

Things are getting interesting :-)

Same here,on the E.Coast ! *Propagation varies wildly from great to
almost complete zilch, with the exception of the regular ever-present
Bible Study stations . . . R.Educacion was always a modest low power
broadcast station ( 10kW) , maybe they have raised the power a bit
lately . I doubt very much it is a 100kW station . But again , you
never know-- we are living in a very Troublesome Times , to say the
least .- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Last night at 0630z, they were playing beautiful Mexican folk music by
a male singer, and then right after the station ID, the female
announcer, in her best late night public radio voice, discussed the
opera, 'The Marriage of Figaro' and other Mozart items. Then right
back to folk music - interesting juxtaposition of topics :-) From the
night before to last night, the station signal literally leapt up 6 S-
units and was armchair for the first time *ever* at this QTH.

So - on the topic of HF radio...
 

On 3/22/2011 9:15 AM, bpnjensen wrote:
...last night reception here in California was odd. A rising K-index
apparently resulted in lots of noise and very squirrely propagation,
like the ionosphere was randomly red hot and ice cold. For the most
part, the lower bands were totally NG - 60/75/90 all were nearly dead
through 0700z. 41 and 49 were not much better, with only the
strongest big boys punching through, and even then not very strongly.
Despite the SFI up to 105, Most stations were a couple S-units below
their usual levels, with a few minor exceptions on 25m and 31m.

The exception was R. Educacion in Mexico City, 6185 khz. Usually a
difficult station here, with low modulation and battered by the big
relays on either side of it, last night it outshone them all, with a
20 over S-9 signal, crystal clear fidelity and magnificent
steadiness. I have a hard time believing it was propagation alone
that did this - but unless they suddenly found a 100-kW transmitter
lying around, I'm not sure how they managed this signal.

Things are getting interesting :-)

Wait a couple more days.

So - on the topic of HF radio...
 

On Mar 22, 4:34*pm, dave wrote:
On 3/22/2011 9:15 AM, bpnjensen wrote:









...last night reception here in California was odd. *A rising K-index
apparently resulted in lots of noise and very squirrely propagation,
like the ionosphere was randomly red hot and ice cold. *For the most
part, the lower bands were totally NG - 60/75/90 all were nearly dead
through 0700z. *41 and 49 were not much better, with only the
strongest big boys punching through, and even then not very strongly.
Despite the SFI up to 105, Most stations were a couple S-units below
their usual levels, with a few minor exceptions on 25m and 31m.

The exception was R. Educacion in Mexico City, 6185 khz. *Usually a
difficult station here, with low modulation and battered by the big
relays on either side of it, last night it outshone them all, with a
20 over S-9 signal, crystal clear fidelity and magnificent
steadiness. *I have a hard time believing it was propagation alone
that did this - but unless they suddenly found a 100-kW transmitter
lying around, I'm not sure how they managed this signal.

Things are getting interesting :-)

Wait a couple more days.

I agree - things could get pretty hot by this weekend.