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Author Topic: Long Distance MW propagation in SE USA during daylight  (Read 3857 times)

Offline legis225

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Long Distance MW propagation in SE USA during daylight
« on: January 17, 2019, 0043 UTC »
Since the end of December I have noticed local AM signals being overtaken by DX during the day.  Here in Jacksonville FL I can clearly hear WSB and WBT Radio Encyclopedia And many others well into the afternoon.  It calms down when the sun is highest in the sky but picks up again around 3 pm.  The would guess in the northern latitudes this effect is more pronounced.  Jacksonville is about 31 degrees north.

Anyone else notice this?

Offline Pigmeat

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Re: Long Distance MW propagation in SE USA during daylight
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2019, 0908 UTC »
Winter is good for MW DX in the S.E. during the daytime as thunderstorms are at a minimum. Mid-March through a solid chunk of November is thunderstorm season. The static levels go way up as does the damage to your hearing as you try to dig the weak ones out.

Offline ChrisSmolinski

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Re: Long Distance MW propagation in SE USA during daylight
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2019, 1343 UTC »
As Pigmeat noted, there's fewer thunderstorms, and the lower solar angle means a weaker D layer (which absorbs signals, especially MW) is weakest during the winter.

Plus we're at solar minimum.  Enjoy it while you can.
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Offline Josh

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Re: Long Distance MW propagation in SE USA during daylight
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2019, 2035 UTC »
Notice same here, many locals are way down earlier in the afternoon compared to dx, 880 out of nyc comes in much closer to 5pm instead of 9pm this time of year.
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Offline pinto vortando

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Re: Long Distance MW propagation in SE USA during daylight
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2019, 0011 UTC »

 the lower solar angle means a weaker D layer (which absorbs signals, especially MW) is weakest during the winter.


this ^^^     along with fewer T-storms and low point on the sunspot cycle

Notice skip still coming in here from the east coast as much as an hour or more after sunrise
and the locals start getting pounded in the afternoon around 1600.
Das Radiobunker somewhere in Michigan

Offline legis225

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Re: Long Distance MW propagation in SE USA during daylight
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2019, 1637 UTC »
In north Florida I get the DX rolling in starting at 2:30 to 3 pm local time.  WBT 1110 comes in strong with lesser station underneath.

Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: Long Distance MW propagation in SE USA during daylight
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2019, 1628 UTC »
Sounds like daylight DX. It happens most Winters. Six or seven years ago I heard a station 800 miles away (CBK 540) at 1 p.m., coming in at around S3 on a portable radio.

The last couple years have been spotty, though. Where I live, usually the MW band DX fades out around 7-8 a.m. Sometimes after that there is nothing but static on DX channels.

On good DX seasons it will fade around 10-11 a.m. or so -- usually that's when the strong regionals disappear.
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Offline Pigmeat

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Re: Long Distance MW propagation in SE USA during daylight
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2019, 1454 UTC »
I noticed the background noise on MW was about S-2 yesterday afternoon. Storm and tornado season is on to the south and west.