Sunday, March 22, 2015

Thoughts While Band Seems Dead

     It has been awhile since I have posted anything.  I guess it is a lack of discipline or perhaps a simple lack of  time or choosing between spending a little time on the radio rather than writing.  This morning the bands seem very poor, though I know its just a matter of prop being "different"...the bands are very seldom truly all dead except during a severe solar disturbance.  The Russian DX contest has just ended and many DX-ers have shut down and are not randomly looking for things.  Its early in the morning and the higher bands are just not open yet.
     Checking the WWV frequencies here at the Central Texas QTH, I find the following in a quick sweep beginning at 1158 GMT:
2500 khz   WWV S-9+20 DB with WWVH Well audible behind it on USB about the same level at S-9+ 10 DB,
10000 khz WWVH S-9+10 DB with WWV just audible
The signals on 15, 20 and 25 mhz were totally inaudible.
     No DX signals heard on 160 or 80, only domestic rag chewing.  On 40 meters several signals heard on cw that made no sense meaning probably QSO's in a language other than English.  I did log three JA stations calling CQ.  On 30 meters there was one W4 calling CQ with a weak signal but that was to be expected from the way the WWV and WWVH signals were coming in, the band is just very long. The New York Radio VOLMET station on 10051 was about S-9 as was its Canadian counterpart when it came on.  Probably a good time to make coffee and have a spot of breakfast and come  back in a few minutes to find things better.
     It might also be time to consider writing my blog entries as I go in a little less formal manner on the laptop at the radio desk rather than putting down the info later.  It will probably mean more entries even if they are not quite as literary!