Yup. I have recently heard several of AFRTS's signals including the one in
Key West. Today I listened to R. Vilnius in Lithuania and Brazil within
minutes of each other with fairly decent signals, but there are lots of
places I'd love to hear but probably will not because of geography. Then
again, on the same frequency there may be two different stations in two
different places - one night one may come in but not the other, and the next
time, it will be the opposite. If solar activity is energetic enough, you
may hear nothing at all at times anywhere on any band. I guess it pays to be
appreciative and patient. I've mentioned before that the Orient comes in
prominently here on the West Coast, but it does me little good if they don't
broadcast in English s.

"N8KDV" wrote in message
...


Sidchase3 wrote:

I've been using a Sony 7600G since 1998. Although I've used the SSB
setting to
listen to ham radio operators, I listened to an AFRTS station (Key West)
for
the first time the other night. According to Passport this SSB station
is
transmitting at only 8Kw. It came in passably well.

Why is it that WBCQ with its 50Kw transmitter is so often lost in
static? I
know that SSB greatly reduces the power needed to propagate effectively,
but I
don't understand why a domestic station has such abysmal propagation. In
the
winter BCQ often disappears for weeks or even months in the late
evening. I
also know that the station is cobbled together, but what is it exactly
that
they are doing wrong? Is it the quality of parts, the location of the
station
in Maine, etc.? Could someone with expertise venture a technical
opinion? I
understand that some people dislike WBCQ for its programming content,
but I'm
really only interested in the technical aspects.

Thanks, Bill

Why does WBCQ disappear for you after a certain time of night? It's called
propagation. I don't know where you are located, but what is happening is
that the
band goes 'long', and when that happens you are in the 'skip zone' and the
signal
is essentially going right over your head!

That's the short answer.

Steve
Holland, MI
Drake R7, R8 and R8B
"I swear by, not at, Drake receivers" ©

http://www.iserv.net/~n8kdv/dxpage.htm