Antennas & DX

[Dereka5]

When DXing on 27.555, I'm finding that some people only 20 to 30 miles away are hearing continental stations but I'm often not hearing a thing. They can be hearing them at S9, yet they're in the noise for me, nothing at all, or maybe S3.

Is this normal?

I'm using a Sirio 2008 and doing as good as everybody else when talking point to point (line of sight) and managing 40 miles or sometimes more.

 

[sp5it]

And those some people what antennas are using?

 

[Ken Kanne]

Yes, it's normal. Signal propagation is very random. They were in the skip zone path, you weren't. There will be times that you can hear the DX station and the station 40 miles away will not. Sunspot cycle is increasing, so enjoy the propagation while it lasts!

 

[w9cll]

Dx is a fickled beast. There are times when I hear signals from Europe at S2 on the vertical and hear them S8 on the dipole.

 

[M0GVZ]

When DXing on 27.555, I'm finding that some people only 20 to 30 miles away are hearing continental stations but I'm often not hearing a thing. They can be hearing them at S9, yet they're in the noise for me, nothing at all, or maybe S3.

Is this normal?

Yes. I do a lot of mobile operating and as I'm driving down the road the signal of a a DX station goes up and down as I'm driving. If I turn around and go back the same way it peaks and troughs at exactly the same points.

Think of the radio signals from a DX station acting like a torch shone at a mirror. When you shine the torch at the mirror at an angle it'll bounce off at a similar but opposite angle and light up whatever it hits. A DX signal bounces off the ionosphere and the effect is kind of similar, it's bounced back down to earth. It means they could hear that DX station 20 miles away and you could be completely oblivious to it and sometimes it'll be the other way around.

 

[DXman]

When DXing on 27.555, I'm finding that some people only 20 to 30 miles away are hearing continental stations but I'm often not hearing a thing. They can be hearing them at S9, yet they're in the noise for me, nothing at all, or maybe S3.

Is this normal?

I'm using a Sirio 2008 and doing as good as everybody else when talking point to point (line of sight) and managing 40 miles or sometimes more.

Yes it is normal....