Radio skip

[willbur]

Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
Anyone else fascinated by the phenomenon of radio skip?

At night at home, or while driving home from work around 10pm, I can pick up 650 WSM from Nashville here in Columbus. Usually during my drive to school around 7 am it's still coming in clear enough I can listen to it then too.

I have a Google map going where I have plotted the locations of transmitters of DX stations I've listened to and gotten the callsigns for. If I can figure out how to share it I will edit the link into this post.

I also have shot skip on my CB radio a lot. I have a Cobra 29 Chrome with a power mic and Tram 3500 pushed with a 200 watt linear and I've talked out as far as South Sudan before.


Doesn't the FCC limit CB to 5 watts?

 

[Win]

Originally Posted by AlaskaMike
Ahh, WLW--love that tower! ...


Yeah, it's worth the drive out just to see the Blaw Knox. There used to be a VOA relay station up the road ( Bethany ?) but all the antennas are gone, although the last time I was there, the antenna switches were still in existence.

Interesting that OP mentioned WSM - another Blaw Knox survivor.

There's a book about Crosley and WLW somewhere - when he was running the 0.5 MW transmitter, Hitler called it the liars from Cincinnati.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

I love the Blaw-Knox antennas. Last year I went to Cincinnati for the Jungle Jim's Weekend of Fire event and I stopped by the WLW transmitter site and got a picture of me standing beneath the antenna.

And yes the FCC limits CB to five watts. To be fair, I did remove my linear amp recently because when I'd key up my FM radio would cut out and my gauge cluster's LCD display would go nuts lol.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Also replying to Lubener, I can usually pick up WSM during my drive to school around 7:30 in the morning while the sun hasn't completely risen yet, but by 8 am it's gone.

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted by willbur

Anyone else fascinated by the phenomenon of radio skip?

At night at home, or while driving home from work around 10pm, I can pick up 650 WSM from Nashville here in Columbus. Usually during my drive to school around 7 am it's still coming in clear enough I can listen to it then too.

I have a Google map going where I have plotted the locations of transmitters of DX stations I've listened to and gotten the callsigns for. If I can figure out how to share it I will edit the link into this post.

I also have shot skip on my CB radio a lot. I have a Cobra 29 Chrome with a power mic and Tram 3500 pushed with a 200 watt linear and I've talked out as far as South Sudan before.


Doesn't the FCC limit CB to 5 watts?
[/quote
Yes but some don't follow the rules. Mostly the channel six'ers.

 

[Papa Bear]

Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
I have a Cobra 29 Chrome with a power mic and Tram 3500 pushed with a 200 watt linear and I've talked out as far as South Sudan before.



I'll call you "Sparky" ...

 

[aquariuscsm]

I used to love to listen to shortwave broadcasts coming in from all over the world. How different is shortwave from am?

 

[MolaKule]

And how about that 50kW AM 740 station in Ontario (Zoomer Radio, CFZM)?

They play some good 50-80's R and R most nights.

 

[Y_K]

Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
I used to love to listen to shortwave broadcasts coming in from all over the world. How different is shortwave from am?


it is AM, just higher frequencies = shorter wavelengths

SW was one of few venues of contact for peoples behind the Curtain for a long, long time. Has its own legends, largely unknown in USA, like this legend of a man:

https://youtu.be/J2nl3G6fXK8

 

[supton]

Propagation changes with frequency; the sunspots interact with the atmosphere and frequencies can bounce off the ionosphere and be reflected back down to the earth. Where it can bounce off the ground and repeat! Then there are other modes of propagation on yet higher frequencies... I tend to view propagation as voodoo and have not looked deeply into it, but there is quite a bit there. Shortwave radio is simply known for being able to go long distances, when the conditions are right; AM band can do so but noise sources are louder and the propagation is yet different than the higher frequencies, thus making it less likely.