HELLO!!!!!

[Scott]

I am new to this GREAT hobby so I am not sure how much I can add to this discussion. I am glade this discussion board was created... To be totally honest... I don't know much about how weather effects reception so at the very lest it will be educational.... Thanks once again

Scott

[Clara Listensprechen]

Hi, guy. The longer you're with this hobby, the more it'll be a love/hate relationship because there'll be times when it's trying. Key is to keep on trying. I can say this cuz I've been a hobby dropout, and more than once.

As to weather, I get the impression that this website is less concerned with weather and more concerned with the conditions of upper layers of atmosphere, though weather does have some effect on HF communications, mainly in terms of static levels and such.

What's vexing about HF communications is also its wonder. Enjoy.

[Scott]

Thank you Clara ... See.,,, I've learned something already... hahah!!! definitely worth the price of admission...

Scott

[Clara Listensprechen]

Yer welcome, only you might wanna take stuff from a hobby delinquent with a grain of salt or three.

[NW7US]

I am new to this GREAT hobby so I am not sure how much I can add to this discussion.

Welcome to the forum! Thank you for posting the first message. Just doing that is a great start.

The idea for this forum is to explore the science of radio signal propagation. This includes theory, as well as real world observations. So, asking questions about anything related to propagation is a help to this discussion. I appreciate your participation.

I am glade this discussion board was created... To be totally honest... I don't know much about how weather effects reception so at the very lest it will be educational....

Weather affects the propagation of radio waves, if those radio waves fall within certain frequency ranges. For instance, if we are talking about microwave signals, we know that moisture in the air, rain, for instance, will absorb the radio wave's energy. Too much of this absorption, and we find that the microwave signal degrades and won't go as far as the same radio wave if the air were "dry."
An other example of weather-related issues might be the Sporadic-E related propagation. Theories regarding Sporadic-E (Es) propagation has it that certain weather events cause small to medium ionized clouds of high density in the E-layer of the ionosphere. These clouds move around, and might last for only minutes, or might last for hours. Radio waves are refracted off of these moving ionized clouds, creating short-skip openings between two stations.

So, there are times and modes when propagation is affected by weather. On the other hand, the term "weather" is often used when referring to "solar" and "geomagnetic" weather.

Solar weather includes a watch of Solar Flares, sunspot counts, coronal holes, and those sorts of solar events. Geomagnetic weather includes the state of the geomagnetic field around the Earth, and the condition of the Magnetosphere. Quite a topic, each of these!

Feel free to ask a lot of questions. I am glad that you are here with us. I look forward to hearing more from you.

- tomas -