Low band Skip

[pete_uk]

I'm interested in reports of low band skip from between about 28.5 to 50-ish Mhz. I'm interested in mainly transatlantic skip as there are a lot of low band users in north america.

I'm not really sure the best time of year or what is the best conditions are for it but I would be interested to know.

Thanks

[Auldgeek]

Check out dxmaps.com

I use this all the time to look for 10m, 6m and 4m propagation. It's real time too so you get up to the minute info

http://www.dxmaps.com

[grafter]

Forget the US for the next seven or eight years apart from maybe a few brief Es openings per year but even then don't expect a lot as the footprint won't cover a large area of the east coast. Best chances will be looking at 29.7-31.1 for cabs or 33MHz for fire and EMS dispatchers when 50MHz is open across the Atlantic.

Closer to home and during Sporadic E you'll hear Spanish and Portuguese fire and civil protection on 33, 34 and 40MHz, French highways on 35MHz, Italian civil protection (although most of it will be data) on 43MHz and Ukraine PMR also on 43MHz. When there's a southerly opening you will often Berber or Arabic traffic across 40-50MHz that has a 150Hz tone, likely sources are military or security services in Algeria.

Even when there are 2x Es reaching as far as somewhere like Moscow it's unusual to get the same dispatchers and signals heard during even mediocre F2 openings, the same goes for all the IDF traffic that covers low VHF when the band is open to the Middle East.