Venezuela Today 10 10 09

[Jo-OH]

Flipped on the tv and heard Spanish before the picture came on!

ch2/3/4 booming in around 5pm. Nothing seen on 5 or 6.

Had vcr disconnected and camera batts low but managed to get some stills of 2 TVes and ch4.

Things start popping when you're just not ready........

[Danny]

Those sure are some nice IDs.

[KW4RZ]

outstanding DX!

[N5XZS]

I just noted I got some weak E-skips here in New Mexico, around 7:20 PM MDT but did not last long though, but then again you never know they might flare up again tonight.

[Lynn]

Jo-OH,

You picked up Venezuela from OH? Nice!

[cd637299]

I think I'm goona be sick......

cd

[swampman]

Still waiting on my first Es. Got a question for the experts. With tropo I usually point my antenna in the direction of the tropo and bam. But what should I do in the presence of Es? Do you guys have an indication of where to move your antenna, or does it really matter? My antenna is currently at about 18 ft AGL. With tropo it seems adequate, but what about for Eskip? Any tips or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

[Russ-PA]

Here's my experience - and lest some others differ, this is only my experience.

My antenna is about 15' up. When I am actively DX'ing Es ( as opposed to leaving things on for unattended recordings ), I usually move the rotor to aim at the skip when possible. When there are more than a couple of skip stations there, moving it can help peak one at the expense of others. But I don't find that in the majority of cases the heading is critical.

When I am recording unattended, I'll often aim the antenna more or less SW, in that about 96+% of my Es come from between 150 and 320 degrees. I've found that to work fairly well for most of the area in between.

All of that said, though, my first several years of serious FM DX was all from my car, parked either in my driveway, the lot at work or driving locally. Using a more or less vertical antenna didn't significantly hinder that - the lack of selectivity was a much bigger problem.

So my advice is to aim at it whenever you can, realizing that not infrequently skip is coming from two or even three different directions at once. But if you can't, you still won't lack for skip stations.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by swampman

Still waiting on my first Es. Got a question for the experts. With tropo I usually point my antenna in the direction of the tropo and bam. But what should I do in the presence of Es? Do you guys have an indication of where to move your antenna, or does it really matter? My antenna is currently at about 18 ft AGL. With tropo it seems adequate, but what about for Eskip? Any tips or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Mike, just rotate the antenna until you receive the best signal. Remember that most English (and French) will be from Canada, unless you receive an US LPTV.

Eighteen feet is fine for Es. In fact, I've used antennas as low as a few feet agl for Es with good results.

[swampman]

OK thanks Russ. Thanks Danny. Not sure what you guys use as a tool for Locating Es?