KC0LTV
08-07-2005, 12:41 AM
I put up my CM 4228 antenna on 07/28/2005 (not an enjoyable process). Since then, I have been keeping records, much more detailed than I usually do, of what I receive each day and night. I'll sum them up into nice sentences here:
(Note - Evening/Nights continue into early the next day. I'm 18, you know)
Evening/Night of 07-28-2005: Decent tropo enhancement. Seven different translators of local KQDS seen: Ashland, Ironwood, Virginia, Hibbing, Grand Rapids, Aitkin, and Hayward, ranging from about 50 miles out to over 100 miles out. KSTC-DT and KTCA-DT decoded for the first time.
07/29/2005 - Morning: a number of regional stations in, with KSTC coming in very strong. Evening: Es to NY and MA with WGBH and WKTV (new). Later on the usual tropo enhancement / nocturnal tropo channels came in, e.g. WFTC Minneapolis, KSTC Minneapolis, KSTC Rochester.
07/30/2005 - KFME and KVRR from Fargo, ND seen.
07/31/2005: Strong enhancement to the west with Bemidji, MN (about 110 miles to the NW, odd direction) WFTC relayer KFTC on 26 and KMSP translator K30DK coming in. A number of weak translators also making it. KFME-13 Prairie Public Television in Fargo (232 mi) seen with an unusually strong signal, as well as KDSD-16 Aberdeen SD (272 mi), even with adjacent local KQDS-DT.
08/01/2005: Skip in the morning from KPRC. Sioux City locals from 348 mi distant seen in the morning (not very unusual). Skip in the afternoon with KJRH, KPRC, KBTV, and an unknown CBS on channel 2. More trops to Sioux City in the evening.
08/02/2005: Decent tropo enhancement to the west with a new logging, powerful (32 kW) KWCM translator K49FA from Fergus Falls, 178 miles to the west. KMEG/KSIN Sioux City and KRIN Waterloo IA seen in the evening, along with all the normal tropo enhancement channels (which seem to come in well almost every night).
08/03/2005: Strong WFXS-55 and WHRM-20 from central Wisconsin. WEak signals on 14 and 26, probably from Green Bay. A thunderstorm (complete with tornado warnings) whipped through the area, killing a good opportunity in the night. Only the usual stations seen, KSTC etc.
08/04/2005: No work this day. A quick dial scan during them middle of the day revealed stronger-than-average reception of a few U's. During the evening, conditions gradually progressed, until around 1:30 AM, when enhancement to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area (124 miles) reached a very unusual level of strength, with all the DT's except KMWB-DT (probably wiped about by KAWB) and KTCI-DT (only 50 kW and probably stressed by K16BQ) coming in, and very strongly. All with SNR's above 20 and normally weak KTCA-DT taking the lead with 21.2. KPXM-DT finally seen! High-power low-power station K25IA very strong. Some of the Alexandria "Selective TV" free-to-air cable stations came in weakly but identifiably, with K52DZ and K55ID, History Channel and GAC respectively, in.
08/05/2005 - Nothing unusual with 14 and 27 from Sioux City in.
08/06/2005 Wee Hours and Morning - Amazing trops from nowhere. St. Louis, Springfield, MO, etc. in. Several new logs, mostly translators from SW MN.
08/06/2005 Evening: Good tropo to Iowa with a number of stations in and some very well. Many good photo opportunities. Janesville, WI 57 also seems to be in.
(Note - Evening/Nights continue into early the next day. I'm 18, you know)
Evening/Night of 07-28-2005: Decent tropo enhancement. Seven different translators of local KQDS seen: Ashland, Ironwood, Virginia, Hibbing, Grand Rapids, Aitkin, and Hayward, ranging from about 50 miles out to over 100 miles out. KSTC-DT and KTCA-DT decoded for the first time.
07/29/2005 - Morning: a number of regional stations in, with KSTC coming in very strong. Evening: Es to NY and MA with WGBH and WKTV (new). Later on the usual tropo enhancement / nocturnal tropo channels came in, e.g. WFTC Minneapolis, KSTC Minneapolis, KSTC Rochester.
07/30/2005 - KFME and KVRR from Fargo, ND seen.
07/31/2005: Strong enhancement to the west with Bemidji, MN (about 110 miles to the NW, odd direction) WFTC relayer KFTC on 26 and KMSP translator K30DK coming in. A number of weak translators also making it. KFME-13 Prairie Public Television in Fargo (232 mi) seen with an unusually strong signal, as well as KDSD-16 Aberdeen SD (272 mi), even with adjacent local KQDS-DT.
08/01/2005: Skip in the morning from KPRC. Sioux City locals from 348 mi distant seen in the morning (not very unusual). Skip in the afternoon with KJRH, KPRC, KBTV, and an unknown CBS on channel 2. More trops to Sioux City in the evening.
08/02/2005: Decent tropo enhancement to the west with a new logging, powerful (32 kW) KWCM translator K49FA from Fergus Falls, 178 miles to the west. KMEG/KSIN Sioux City and KRIN Waterloo IA seen in the evening, along with all the normal tropo enhancement channels (which seem to come in well almost every night).
08/03/2005: Strong WFXS-55 and WHRM-20 from central Wisconsin. WEak signals on 14 and 26, probably from Green Bay. A thunderstorm (complete with tornado warnings) whipped through the area, killing a good opportunity in the night. Only the usual stations seen, KSTC etc.
08/04/2005: No work this day. A quick dial scan during them middle of the day revealed stronger-than-average reception of a few U's. During the evening, conditions gradually progressed, until around 1:30 AM, when enhancement to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area (124 miles) reached a very unusual level of strength, with all the DT's except KMWB-DT (probably wiped about by KAWB) and KTCI-DT (only 50 kW and probably stressed by K16BQ) coming in, and very strongly. All with SNR's above 20 and normally weak KTCA-DT taking the lead with 21.2. KPXM-DT finally seen! High-power low-power station K25IA very strong. Some of the Alexandria "Selective TV" free-to-air cable stations came in weakly but identifiably, with K52DZ and K55ID, History Channel and GAC respectively, in.
08/05/2005 - Nothing unusual with 14 and 27 from Sioux City in.
08/06/2005 Wee Hours and Morning - Amazing trops from nowhere. St. Louis, Springfield, MO, etc. in. Several new logs, mostly translators from SW MN.
08/06/2005 Evening: Good tropo to Iowa with a number of stations in and some very well. Many good photo opportunities. Janesville, WI 57 also seems to be in.