[SOC] In True SOC Style

[Dan KB6NU]

I don't normally post to this group, but I just want to thank you  
guys for all this great info on the ionosphere, propagation, etc. I'm  
teaching a General Class license course (whoo, boy, can you imagine  
how these guys are gonna turn out?) and tonight's the night I cover  
this stuff!

73!

Dan KB6NU
(sorry, forgot my SOC #)

On Mar 6, 2007, at 3:16 PM, Reicher, James wrote:
> Isn't tropospheric ducting is what happens when you use that grey
> sticky-tape in the Caribbean?
>
> 73 de N8AU, Jim in Raymore, MO
>
> Light travels faster than sound...  This is why some people appear
> bright until you hear them speak.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: soc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:soc-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
> On Behalf Of Fred Jensen
> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 1:48 PM
> To: Second Class Operators' Club
> Subject: Re: [SOC] In True SOC Style
>
> daz at ft-817.co.uk wrote:
>>
>> I've heard hams talking about the grey line before.
>> I thought it was the mark you get on your neck when you haven't  
>> washed
>
>> properly.
>
> That too, however it usually means the mark on your collar.  By the  
> time
>
> the gray line appears there, your neck should be clean.
>
>> You mean it has something to do with radio????
>
> Yes.  The ionosphere is divided into layers which are very creatively
> name with letters.  I don't know if there are A, B, and C layers, but
> there are D, E, and F layers.  So far, news of a G layer has not  
> made it
>
> out here to the American frontier that I know of.  The earlier in the
> alphabet, the lower the layer.  The F-layer bends signals back down to
> the Earth and accounts for all the distant babble we hear on 20m  
> [and 15
>
> and 10 if there were any spots on the sun].  It is on top and we like
> it.  Unfortunately, it only appears when the sun is shining on it  
> and so
>
> it disappears at night, accompanied by all the signals on 20.
>
> The E-layer is similar to intelligence on TV, it comes and goes and  
> only
>
> appears in small places at any time, and not terribly often.  When it
> has come, it accounts for longer distance signals on 6m and sometimes
> 2m, and those ops like it a lot.  The D-layer is similar to a sponge,
> and it absorbs signals.  The lower the frequency, the higher the
> absorption.  It too comes with the dawn and disappears with  
> sunset.  So,
>
> during the day, a 160m signal gets eaten up in the D-layer, and at
> night, it gets through but there is little left of the F-layer to bend
> it back down.  This is one reason why 160 and 80 sound fairly dead in
> the daytime [the other is because I left the dummy load connected  
> to the
>
> radio].
>
> At your dawn, the F-layer starts to build, and so does the D-layer,  
> but
> more slowly.  I don't know why however my theory is that it is  
> because D
>
> is earlier in the alphabet than F and the sun starts at Z just to keep
> us on our toes.  Now, if it is dawn for you, it is sunset on the other
> side of the planet [on most days].  There, the D-layer starts to
> disappear, but for some unknown reason [OK, unknown to me] the F-layer
> hangs around for a few minutes.  During this time [maybe 15 - 30 min],
> low frequency signals can get to the F-layer and bend down and extreme
> DX is possible.  Extreme antennas and extreme power help too.
>
> I have heard this effect only once in 53 years of ham radio although I
> have listened for it at least 3 or 4 times, but I am assured that it
> occurs often.  If you're interested, I'll be glad to make up an
> explanation for tropospheric ducting too.  I know it has something  
> to do
>
> with sticky tape.
>
> 73,
>
> Fred K6DGW
> - Northern California Contest Club
> - CU in the 2007 CQP Oct 6-7
> - www.cqp.org
>
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