Hi Paul. It is really neat to monitor LF and VLF conditions esp at times of solar max.

I don't know how long it will last but I have found conditions on LWBC, LOWFERS, and VLF (MSK military signals) propagation to be very good esp given it is still November. Below is a report I posted to different group alerting NA stations to have a listen last night. I have not listened on 630m or 2200m so I cannot comment on activity but propagation wise I found conditions hot. Also I enclosed a LOWFER decode from last night near 185 kHz.....TAG is near you up in Maine. That's a nice DX to me in Indiana given he run QRP EIRP.

Surprising LWBC & VLF propagation this evening in Indiana. Local time is 10:30 PM local EST and 171 kHz Morocco is easy listening. Currently playing traditional music. 153 kHz Algeria is being a big tease, same as last year. Very strong carrier but no modulation (what a shame). 198 kHz (BBC4) has light audio, 162 kHz France (TDF) is VERY, VERY strong, over 55 dB S/N (louder here than WWVB). DC77 is also very loud, DCF-39 & HGA-32 loud and clear, DHO38 and NWC from VK6 land both 30 dB S/N. All MSK VLF stations from Europe quite loud. If you are in North America you will want to have a listen tonight.

Gedas, W8BYA EN70JT
Light travels faster than sound.....
This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

On 11/23/2024 12:59 PM, Paul N1BUG FN55mf wrote:

Thanks for confirming solar activity does play a role. I'll get a better
feel for things with station improvements and more recent experience. I
may need a couple of years to get fully back equipment-wise anyway. :)

73,
Paul

On 11/23/2024 12:45 PM, Brian Pease wrote:

Yes indeed, band conditions are way down from the sunspot minimum where
I would be routinely heard by dozens of Europeans many winter nights.
Now that we are near the sunspot peak, I assume that this will reduce
interest for the next few years.

On 11/23/2024 12:27 PM, Paul N1BUG FN55mf wrote:

Hey folks,

Some of you may have noticed I monitored WSPR and FST4W on 630m night
before last. The SNR reports from my station might seem a little
discouraging, but they will improve. Two factors contributed:

1. The receiver needs a preamp and is deaf by some unknown number of dB.
there is NO increase in noise with the antenna vs. nothing or a 50 ohm
termination. That is not good! I am building a preamp for it.

2. The big K9AY loop was pointed northeast. That is some unknown but
non-trivial number of dB gone for those to my west and southwest. I will
soon be building hardware to make the antenna switchable so I can
properly listen to the south and west. This is what those toroids I
asked about will be used for.

Things will get better. I am just starting to rebuild using different
receiving hardware from my past activities. Having learned some hard
lessons last time, I am taking a different and more modular approach to
building this time around.

One disheartening thing for me, having not been around the band in three
and a half years, is that activity seems way down from what it was then.
Am I wrong? Maybe I'm just not hearing what is out there. I don't know
to what extent solar activity has affected the band. It certainly takes
a big bite out of 160m but that may be a very different thing.

Similarly, my recent 2200m reports have beem less than optimum, at least
for stations to my west and south. I do have a preamp there (internally
bandpass filtered so it won't work on 630m) but the loop was northeast.
I am CERTAIN activity on that band is way down.

73,
Paul N1BUG FN55mf

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