Thanks for being such a great forum...

[Justme]

Not only active on H.F. but again on 2/70 with the new FT991A so even in winter we have some ducting going on and work DX.
With the demise here of 11 meters i would have ditched the hobby if i didn't have a full license here.

I got my license in spring 1977, so a little time back, having realized thre was more as just 11 meters, and experimenting and building was more important as just yapping into an microphone.
Every band we have has it's own properties propagation etc so there is always a band "open" for DX if you are into that.
For me that is just a sideshow, i just as happy to do some ragchew about the hobby or work DX.
That was why i went for 160, because it was not easy to do here how i live on a small plot and every ham said it could not be done.
I proved them wrong, i love a challenge.
Took some serious reading and freshening up my knowledge of antenna's ( low band Dxing by ON4UN) and Arrl antenna books and bullding several predecessors of my final antenna.

Don't forget 3000 feet of radials put in/over the ground as well and pounding in 17 10 foot ground rods....
All connected to the house earth as well.
The hunting for noise sources in my house as well neighbours to kill these off.

All in all i work from160 up to and 70 cm's here, having fun being a pensioner with lots of time to burn.

 

[Slowmover]

I could reply with something pithy and low brow. Do some research and find out for yourself. You need some assistance in the science department. No drinking or smoking.
If we can bounce signals off of the moon at 238900 miles why not off of the "E" layers in our atmosphere? That would be less 25,000 miles.Far less preposterous than some of the CB claims I have heard..

Ha!

That wasn’t disputation, but recognition of, “okay, who’s screwing with me?”.

I knew of such possibility from reading when a boy. Doesn’t mean I’ve experienced it, but never thought it impossible. Just unlikely UNLESS I remembered something read more than a half-century ago

The “duh” moment.

(“Radio” is boyhood for me).

Your version of it cracked me up.
I’d have had that feeling come across the stage to slap me.

Remember: Once we sought to inspire our boys.

Adults held keys, not remote controls.

(Are you now a Master of the Snipe Hunt? With whatever afflictions Time has visited, the calculated, controlled smile is still in evidence I’d wager. Someone’s minute is almost here, Uncle Elmer).

Yes, it’s a very good forum. And, thanks!

.

 

[Handy Andy]

@TheBlaster - if you get out in a mobile every now and then to travel, you can experience some other types of propagation...

One being in the mountains of the northeast, Altoona, Wikes-Barre even towards Schenectady or Scranton, Hazelton or on down towards the Sea coast side of the Appalachians or thru the "Cumberland Gap" area you can experience on some nights - with higher humidity and temperature inversions - you can find yourself in a layer of air that is conducive to ducting events - the local traffic and the dialect can change as you travel thru those mountains but the signals you pick up can travel long distances.

Makes for some fun on a slow midnight run thru traffic cones and barrels on those highways...

 

[TheBlaster]

That would be some radio journey.... (I operate exclusively static mobile) I am in the U.K. and I had a QSO with a Belgian station which is in my "E layer skip dead zone" i.e. you cannot get a signal up and down off the E layer at a distance of around 130-200 miles (the incident angle would mean the signal is much more likely to pass through to outer space) So I put that contact down to warm air enhanced ducting. In fact The Netherlands and Belgium, Luxembourg are some of the most difficult locations to speak with from my locality.

It sounds a bit like what you suggest is happening but maybe your propagation is more extreme and covering even greater distances. Typically a tropo ducting event allows good comms to take place over 160-270 miles in the UK.

 

[Tallman]

I thought some wise ass was pulling this B.S. on me. I had a neighbor that did this only to me. No one else just me. He knew it pissed me off and I warned to quit. He was just being a bully. One day I told him to get his car off of my property or I was going to have it towed. He started that repeating crap and one hard upper cut later and he was out for the count. When he came back to consciousness, I told to move his car and he said to go screw myself. Have it your way then. The cops did show up to investigate and assault. After the cops left four flat tires later he moved it after taking all the wheels off of and replacing the valve stems. He did not bother me after that. When he was moving out I hosted a neighborhood BBQ and a kegger. That was one great day. Some of the other neighbors had been threatened by him too it turns out..

echolalia
[ˌekōˈlālēə]
NOUN
psychiatry

1. meaningless repetition of another person's spoken words as a symptom of psychiatric disorder.
   • repetition of speech by a child learning to talk.

 

[Justme]

I just got my license and was siting in a bullding in the city waiting to be served using my first 5 watt Yaesu handheld 2 meter radio.
Conditions were excellent that summer, worked Leeds ( UK) from the Netherlands in that building.
after a few weeks the conditions fell apart and i thought my receiver was dead....
When i had my 2 stacked 12 element beams up on 2 meter i had regular chats with the UK peeps in the night, AM/FM/SSB.
No wonder with 50 watts and 20 dB antena gain...at 23 meters above the ground.( 77 feet) ( 5 KW pep)

 

[Justme]

After 43 years af being ham i don't know everything as well, still use antenna books and common sense.
As said before, you are never too old to learn and profit from the knowledge or just ask.