DX RXThe Doctor of DX prescribes the |  |
DX RXThe Doctor of DX prescribes the | |
November is always an excellent month for the serious DX’er. The ionosphere is now recovering nicely from the ‘overheating’ of summer and this means higher MUFs. Combined with the increased solar activity of the current sunspot cycle, we’re likely to see some very interesting and exciting activity on 15, 12 and 10 meters.
To add more fuel to the fire, the CQ World Wide DX contests straddle November. See the Tiny Elephant’s Contest Corner for details, but in practice this means lots of fellas and gals out there looking for signal reports and tweaking their contesting skills.
The 10 Meter DX season runs from October through March with reliable openings into Europe almost daily, except during geo- magnetic storms. However, some parts of the world are difficult to work in winter, especially if they are on high latitude paths. To catch any remaining high latitude openings, try getting on just before daylight and just before sunset.
The 15 Meter band will be open mostly during the day, but the openings should be very strong. Because 15 does not usually stay open late during the Fall, concentrate on other bands in the evenings, but during a contest, take a listen. Mother nature sometimes fools us.
The 20 Meter band is hot, hot, hot! Now that the summer overionization has waned, expect that 20 Meters this winter may be open to some part of the world for a great deal of any given day. However, since it is also the most popular DX band, expect it to be super-crowded. Listen for Antarctic openings now, and for daily longpath openings to Asia.
During these years of high sunspot activity, expect DX to suffer on the low bands, but check your favorite 40 and 80 Meter hangouts, especially just after local sunrise (listen for openings to the West), and just before sunset (listen for openings to the East). The declining QRN levels make these two bands very appealing at night, especially after the din on 20.
One last hint: Check WWV daily at 18 past each hour for the latest A and K indices. Or check your favorite DX Cluster. Remember, if the A & K values decline substantially, head for the rigs - the favorable noise conditions will bring out the best DX.
The second operation was apparently some time ago, operating under the callsign ZL9AI. The New Zealand QSL Bureau says they are still receiving QSL cards for that bogus operation. You are advised to not waste your time trying to QSL him/her.
The Leonids - their name is derived from the Constellation of Leo the Lion - have been known for more than 1000 years. The Chinese first recorded the shower in 902 AD. But it wasn’t until the 1800s that astronomers figured out the orbit of the meteoroid stream and an association with the comet Tempel-Tuttle. They also determined that the Earth would encounter a very dense cloud of meteoroids every 33 years or so. While not absolutely certain, if you snooze, you’ll most likely lose (or wait until 2032 to see it again). (Editor’s Note: During the last peak back in 1966, astronomers estimated a maximum rate of 150,000 meteors an hour! So don’t miss this one!)
While the meteorites pose no threat to us earthbound folks, as previously mentioned they can and may cause havoc with orbiting satellites. The meteorites supposedly have a consistency not unlike instant coffee granules. These tiny specks impact the atmosphere at about 72 kilometers per second and burn up overhead at a distance of 90 kilometers. Scientists do not anticipate the very tiny meteorites will “blast” a hole in satellites. Rather they suspect that they create a plasma or free electric charge on the satellites, which could cause damage to computers and other sensitive electronics, ultimately causing the spacecraft to fail.
Scientists predict that this year’s activity may be very intense, and it will appear to the human eye as if the “sky is falling”. If a storm does occur this year, as some believe, then it may be around midnight on November 17/18. At that time, Leo will just be rising in the east, but the best place to look for meteors will be in the north-east or south-east. Meteors close to the “radiant” or origin point may appear faint, but further out they will lengthen and appear brighter. If you should decide to go out to watch the Leonids, it goes without saying that the best place to be is far away from city lights, and please don’t just wear your sneakers and T- shirt. If you take a flashlight, cover it with red cellophane to protect your night vision, and take a lawn chair along to relax in, or you’ll end up with a stiff neck! Keep your 2M handi-talkie with you. If the activity becomes heavy enough, serious ionization could occur, causing VHF bounce. Who knows? Good luck.