ground wave & ur antenna, type & height

[radioreddz]

how far have you talked ground wave. what type of antenna do you have and how high. just ground wave not DXin.

 

[Marconi]

For me when the distance for a contact comes into question, how do you ever know if it's DX or ground wave and you are out there a 100-250 miles?

 

[radioreddz]

For me when the distance for a contact comes into question, how do you ever know if it's DX or ground wave and you are out there a 100-250 miles?

i guese like here with me when the band is ultra quiet at night or early mornings and you don't hear a peep i can max out flat side at around 130 miles 0n 6 element quad or vertical ground plane maco V5000 around 90 to 100 miles as the crow flies. i guese i can tell when it's not dx when its that real quiet time zero noise floor.

 

[park]

On AM about 25 miles base to mobile and 60 miles base to base. I don't know what they where running but I was using 50 watts into a A-99 with NO radals. I have noticed something interesting though, about 13 years ago I had a A-99 WITH radals and I was running 100 watts AM and when I got to work 15 miles away I could hardly hear my wife on the base station. 13 years later running 50 watts into a different A-99 WITH OUT radals I can copy my wife much better now conpared to the past ?? The cars and antennas are diffrent, 13 years ago a K40 on top of a pick-up, now a Wilson 1000 on a car ????

 

[airplane1]

Wilson #1

 

[Beetle]

Here's a little descriptor of the difference between direct wave, ground/surface wave and sky/skip. Interesting reading.

 

[Seminoles]

On AM about 25 miles base to mobile and 60 miles base to base. I don't know what they where running but I was using 50 watts into a A-99 with NO radals. I have noticed something interesting though, about 13 years ago I had a A-99 WITH radals and I was running 100 watts AM and when I got to work 15 miles away I could hardly hear my wife on the base station. 13 years later running 50 watts into a different A-99 WITH OUT radals I can copy my wife much better now conpared to the past ?? The cars and antennas are diffrent, 13 years ago a K40 on top of a pick-up, now a Wilson 1000 on a car ????

I would say the radials a friend had the same setup as mine but he had the radial kit he would always ask who I was talking to in the early morning hours it was this guy going to work three county's away around 100 miles and other people in different country's

 

[W5LZ]

park,
Quite a difference in 13 years, huh? And that difference is in the sun spot cycle, nothing to do with power levels or antennas.
We're at about the 'bottom' of the cycle now, things can't do anything but get better. Something like 15 years ago, we were at the 'top' of the cycle, and you could get across town with a wet noodle and a 'AAA' battery...
- 'Doc

 

[park]

Are saying ground wave conditions were better 13 years ago or now ?

 

[Marconi]

Hey 'Doc maybe you need to explain using pictures.

 

[W5LZ]

park,
I'm saying that 'conditions'/propagation was much better 13 or so years ago than it it now. And, about that same length of time FROM now, it'll be that much better again.
Everything sort of runs in cycles, including 'conditions' or propagation, which is based on solar activity, or sun spot cycles. NOW is about as bad as it gets, in general. There are going to be days when things are even worse, but even 'Mother Nature' has days like that. The 'average' is going to do nothing but get better till we get to the 'top' of the cycle, and then it'll turn around and start down again.
To put it another way, we're at what might be called 'Mother Nature's max PMS cycle. In a few years, it'll be like handing 'Momma Nature' a brand new credit card and ten pounds of chocolate! Can't get much better than that...
- 'Doc


PS -
Marconi,
The thought of 'Momma Nature' with a brand new credit card and ten pounds of chocolate is too frightening for me to think about, much less take a picture of!

 

[park]

Yeah, I understand all that. I have had radios since the 70's. Although I guess anything's possible but I don't think sky wave propagation such as F2 or sporadic E is noticable from my house to work 15 miles away. If the band is open of course I can't talk 3 miles because of all the strong signals. We were talking about ground wave when it's very quiet or what you call bad conditions (others might call that good conditions).

73,
AC5PS

 

[W5LZ]

Okay, I see where you're coming from now. In that case, this is about as good as it'll get in relation to ground wave and 'quiet'. At the 'top' of the cycle even with no 'conditions' or propagation, it's going to be noisier, sort of.
Whatever...
- 'Doc

(and since you've "been there" before, I think you know what I'm saying.)