Hi,
This link,
shows the ionosphere in real time up to five minutes ago. Most of the Earth has no HF usable ionosphere. Now is 3:33 p.m., PT. Those parts of the Earth with an ionosphere worthy of HF skip are in the South in daylight.
Blame it on Global Warming.
Probably because of this:
Mark L. Fergerson
"Norm X" wrote [snip]
I have been monitoring that JPL website and things do not look good for my people. I live 20 minutes above the 49th parallel on the far side of the Salish Sea. I went out into the drizzle to check out the HF reception. There were time signals at 15.0 MHz and 10.0 MHz but those stations are in US where there are electrons above, in the ionosphere. I have autoscan for all HF bands. I did detect a commercial signal from the other side of the Salish Sea. But I know my frequencies. There are no HF broadcasters. So that signal was intermodulation from MF AM. What is prescribed for that, is a bandpass filter, 2.0 MHz to 30.MHz, which I have in BNC form factor, for my coax feedline. I tried to send a .jpg of the signal response curve but this news group is ASCII only. After the intermodulation false alarm I did autoscan across all HF bands. In contrast with rich channel reception I had in winter in past years, this time I only got Russia. I assume low angle reflection from the Aurora Borealis.
BTW I get my Internet using a 16 element Yagi directed to a point 1000' away. In the rain, 2.4 GHz signal is attenuated. Surprising, I receive UHF HDTV from the other side of the Salish with a UHF log periodic. It is over the horizon so I assume troposheric ducting.
With the thousand$ I save, I can buy more hardware with no impact on the food budget.
"Norm X" . wrote [snip]
The fact that there are no free electrons directly overhead is bad news in the Great White North. Mariners depend on skip for even short range HF over the horizon. I have a friend with a 41' boat. He likes to hang out in the Inner Passage and .Haida Gwaii. I tried to receive his HF SSB over a distance of 70-90 miles, no luck. Trying to do short wave listening in the wind and rain, is no fun. That is the reason for my HF antenna project. Now I know I will not be able to receive his signal anytime soon.
"Norm X" . wrote [snip]
One of our hams died and I have been bequeathed a 2 meter SSB only, base radio. I Googled "2 meter SSB in BC" and found net controllers at 144.240 MHz. "SSB promotes tropo DX within the PNW and surrounding region". I mentioned UHF tropospheric ducking that works for me across the Salish Sea. My friend at sea needs to be informed.
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