[OKDXA] CQWW propagation question

[Roger Simpson]

=============
Reply 13 Dec 2015  from K5RKS
=============
John:  It seems to me that propagation has been generally worse in the 
last six months than at any time in the last 50 years. I started out as 
a ham as a kid in 1958 and it never been this bad. Of course my 
observations are just anecdotal.  The question is, "Is this bad 
propagation well behaved or not?" By "well behaved" I mean is the poor 
propagation consistent with what the classic models, such as VOACAP, 
would predict given the A-index, K-index, Sunspot Number, solar flux, 
etc.

It seems to me that if I setup a prediction using VOACAP for a given 
DXpedition a few weeks before that DXpedition then the real world 
situation on each band turns out to be more or less consistent with what 
VOACAP predicted. So I guess propagation is well behaved based upon 
theory.

There must be a program that a guy can run concurrent with every thing 
else that shows propagation on a world map real time as a function of 
the current date/time/ and your location. I guess to make such a thing 
feasible you would need multiple screens on your PC because as it is I'm 
already using two screens for digital communications, logging, DX 
spotting net, etc so I don't have any physical "screen space" for any 
more stuff unless I keep some stuff minimized and glance at it only once 
and a while. The idea for this program would be that where there is good 
propagation there would be say a red tint on the map, where there was 
marginal propagation there would be say a orange tint, where there was 
no propagation there would be a grey tint on the map. The map would be 
using  azimuthal equidistant projection centered on your QTH.

73   Roger   K5RKS   Oklahoma City
==========================

------ Original Message ------
From: "John Geiger" <af5cc2 at gmail.com>
To: "Oklahoma - DX news and information" <okdxa at mailman.qth.net>; 
DX-IS at yahoogroups.com; k9la at arrl.net
Sent: 12/12/2015 5:29:34 PM
Subject: [OKDXA] CQWW propagation question

>A couple of weeks ago in the CQWW CW contest, I encountered some
>propagation that has me a bit puzzled.  On Saturday afternoon around 
>2200Z
>(4pm local) the 15m band had been closed to Europe for a couple of 
>hours,
>when all of a sudden OH8X and SM2M showed up with very good signals, 
>and
>definite polar flutter on their signals.  I didn't hear any other EU
>stations further south of those countries.  Now this had to be midnight
>local for them, and well into several hours or more of darkness, but 
>the
>path was there.
>
>It returned on Sunday, a little earlier, and ES9C was also present this
>time.
>
>The Saturday opening especially has me puzzled, as to how the MUF was
>supporting propagation for them that long into darkness on 15m.  I was
>doing a 15m single band entry so don't know what was going on on 10m or 
>20m
>around this time.
>
>Anyone have ideas as to how to explain this propagation?  It seems the
>longer I am on the air, the less I understand about propagation.
>
>73 John AF5CC (ex. NE0P)
>______________________________________________________________
>OKDXA mailing list
>Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/okdxa
>Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>Post: mailto:OKDXA at mailman.qth.net
>
>This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html