[Lowfer] XRS 4 & 5 Sunday Night

[JD]

>>>Usually fade out by 7-8 oclock but condx stayed in there for you last 
>>>night I see.

Yes, I probably could've watched all night if I'd had a way to recharge the 
computer, plus sufficient food and comfort facilities out there with me. 
That reminds me--I forgot to mention the noise conditions last night!

Apart from temporary sunset fades for stations at certain distances, 
ionospheric conditions don't seem to be the limiting factor in the evening 
here, at least not directly.  Generally it's the noise level rising from 
distant storms.  What looked like fading on my capture of MP's signal a few 
nights ago, for instance, was actually the noise level rising and becoming 
more continuous over time.

When I began watching you yesterday afternoon, the signal was somewhere 
below AGC threshold and noise was averaging S3, but it was not continuous, 
swinging from below AGC to about S7 intermittently.  When I saw /5 fade, I 
figured the noise was rising and your signal would follow shortly.  Dex's 
signal was already 13 dB below yours when I first saw it come on, so 
naturally it would get swamped sooner.  However, I looked at the receiver 
and saw that the average noise level had not risen quite a full S-unit, and 
your signal continued just fine.  When /5 returned, the two signals 
eventually ended up within 2 or 3 dB of each other and remained that way 
most of the remaining time that I watched.  That was quite a treat to see.

We haven't had a repeat here of the quiet conditions that let me log DCF77 
and a few Euro LWBC stations last week, but it's gradually getting better!

John