Trans-polar conditions

[WX9T]

Just a note to those interested...as of the past couple of days, I've been noting relatively good trans-polar conditions on/around 25 and 19 meters in local midday and afternoon times. Various targets I'm noting include some AIR outlets and Sri Lanka on 11910, plus some other more conventional targets are showing some major long-path echoes off and on. Sometimes I'll note a bit of auroral flutter, but quite often this seems quiet. Could be a good opportunity for people to check for Central Asians, etc right now...

[NW7US]

Hey, Andrew:

Great info on the latest conditions at your location. I think you are in a good location for hearing polar paths from Europe, as well as Asia. You are in a central location for both, and at a high enough latitude to catch skips over the pole.

I've been noting relatively good trans-polar conditions on/around 25 and 19 meters in local midday and afternoon times. Various targets I'm noting include some AIR outlets and Sri Lanka on 11910, plus some other more conventional targets are showing some major long-path echoes off and on. Sometimes I'll note a bit of auroral flutter, but quite often this seems quiet. Could be a good opportunity for people to check for Central Asians, etc right now...

I'm interested in the echos. You think those are from long-path combined with the short path reception?

I'm not sure about the "auroral" flutter, though. I'm not seeing a lot of AU activity, and rarely are we seeing K index readings above 3. We *did* have some elevated solar wind yesterday (Feb 15, 2006), that pushed the K up to a 4, due to solar Coronal Hole activity. No real aurora, though.

I am not saying that the flutter was NOT aurora. I am just exploring the idea that maybe the flutter is just really rapid fading waves (those were explored as early as the 1950's) that are caused by a combination of magnetic field lines and interaction between the MUF of the E-layer and the MUF of the F-layer. I'm reading up on that, now...

Keep the updates coming! I think it is really great to hear the "real" reports from people around the world, to augment the "official" numbers, etc.

Thanks, and happy DXing.

[WX9T]

I'm interested in the echos. You think those are from long-path combined with the short path reception?

It would be a good guess, given the time duration of the echo and also the type (one-shot 'slapback'). It was fairly short, around what I would expect for a long-path durational delay against a short path, something under 90 msecs or thereabouts. I spend a lot of time in the studio dealing with delays and the like, so I've got a good ear for delay timings.

I'm not sure about the "auroral" flutter, though. I'm not seeing a lot of AU activity, and rarely are we seeing K index readings above 3. We *did* have some elevated solar wind yesterday (Feb 15, 2006), that pushed the K up to a 4, due to solar Coronal Hole activity. No real aurora, though.

I am not saying that the flutter was NOT aurora. I am just exploring the idea that maybe the flutter is just really rapid fading waves (those were explored as early as the 1950's) that are caused by a combination of magnetic field lines and interaction between the MUF of the E-layer and the MUF of the F-layer. I'm reading up on that, now...

Sort of a refractive anomaly? Possible, although this sounded like classic polar flutter that many characterize as auroral in nature. Of course, that's an older characterization, so it's possible that more recent studies have clarified the exact mechanism by which the polar fluttering is being interposed on a signal passing through that region.

DAC/WX9T

[NW7US]

Sort of a refractive anomaly? Possible, although this sounded like classic polar flutter that many characterize as auroral in nature. Of course, that's an older characterization, so it's possible that more recent studies have clarified the exact mechanism by which the polar fluttering is being interposed on a signal passing through that region.

Yeah, Polar Flutter is at least a usable descriptive name to give it, as it covers all possibilities. I've been reading and so far I do see that there are more than one cause of whatever mechanism is in play.

Some of the research is found in Scientific Research Papers that are only available by paying rather large sums of money. One can read the abstracts, but not the actual content without shelling out a good bit. That's frustrating.