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Another Aussie, Almost
Apr. 24th, 2012 08:44 amThis morning I was up at 4:30 to go to the bathroom, and once that was done I thought I'd see what was happening on the radio. I sit down, switch on the software, and there in the middle of the screen is a faint signal. Well, I think, let's see who this is.
It was a station in Queensland, Australia.
On some bands long distance communication is quite common. I hear a lot of Japanese stations most afternoon on the 15 meter band. With my current setup, though, I consider myself lucky if I can pull in Florida or Hawaii on the 40 meter band, much less Australia.
I called him a couple of times but he came back to someone else, at which point I decided chasing any ham station, Australia or not, was silly when I had to get up for work in an hour.
So I went back and laid down until the alarm went off at 6:00. Got up, stretched, switched on the computer screen and started up the JT65 software.
There he was, the same station, calling CQ again.
I tried calling him a couple of times but he came back to a station in Helena, Montana. I got my shower, dried off, put my clothes on, sat down to put on my shoes and socks . . .
Once more, there he was, talking to a ham in Nevada. So I decided to try tailgating. I waited until he finished his conversation with Nevada and sent the signoff signal, and called him.
No answer. I called again. Still nothing. He had disappeared.
Frequency bands change characteristics according to the time of day, and I figured it was just the right time for the sun to come over the horizon and start bombarding the D layer of the ionosphere with solar radiation, which makes it absorb lower-frequency signals. (That's a gross oversimplification, but it'll do.) It's too bad. I don't get out 7000 miles on any band all that often, much less 40 meters, which I think of as a regional band. It's not - I used to occasionally make it into Europe when I lived in Montana - but most of the contacts I make with it are North American.
And as I pulled on my shoes and got ready to switch off the monitor, I checked the software one last time. There, at the bottom of the display, was the call of an Arizona ham I've seen around the band and worked at least once, giving the Australia station a signal report.
As they say on Twitter, smh.
It was a station in Queensland, Australia.
On some bands long distance communication is quite common. I hear a lot of Japanese stations most afternoon on the 15 meter band. With my current setup, though, I consider myself lucky if I can pull in Florida or Hawaii on the 40 meter band, much less Australia.
I called him a couple of times but he came back to someone else, at which point I decided chasing any ham station, Australia or not, was silly when I had to get up for work in an hour.
So I went back and laid down until the alarm went off at 6:00. Got up, stretched, switched on the computer screen and started up the JT65 software.
There he was, the same station, calling CQ again.
I tried calling him a couple of times but he came back to a station in Helena, Montana. I got my shower, dried off, put my clothes on, sat down to put on my shoes and socks . . .
Once more, there he was, talking to a ham in Nevada. So I decided to try tailgating. I waited until he finished his conversation with Nevada and sent the signoff signal, and called him.
No answer. I called again. Still nothing. He had disappeared.
Frequency bands change characteristics according to the time of day, and I figured it was just the right time for the sun to come over the horizon and start bombarding the D layer of the ionosphere with solar radiation, which makes it absorb lower-frequency signals. (That's a gross oversimplification, but it'll do.) It's too bad. I don't get out 7000 miles on any band all that often, much less 40 meters, which I think of as a regional band. It's not - I used to occasionally make it into Europe when I lived in Montana - but most of the contacts I make with it are North American.
And as I pulled on my shoes and got ready to switch off the monitor, I checked the software one last time. There, at the bottom of the display, was the call of an Arizona ham I've seen around the band and worked at least once, giving the Australia station a signal report.
As they say on Twitter, smh.
