Best time of day or year for LW reception

If you want to know about activity on 630m, there is a comprehensive daily report here: http://njdtechnologies.net/category/630-meter-daily-reports/

The short answer is that there is activity on WSPR, JT9, AND CW 365 days of the year... the diehard ops are there. At this time of year, considering the QRN levels, CW operations are generally early evening and as sunrise sweeps through the eastern US, centered around 474.5. I just worked a station in Texas on CW this morning, 559 both ways. Hawaii coming in overnight via WSPR. JT9 QSO with a station in Calif. two nights ago... etc, etc.

2200m has markedly less activity, mostly WSPR this time of year until QRN lowers. I have copied a VK4 station off and on throughout the summer, as recently as this morning (the latter two post-sunrise):

1040 -33 0.0 1555 ` VK4YB QG62 30 0.019
1100 -31 0.0 1555 ` VK4YB QG62 30 0.013
1110 -27 0.0 1555 ` VK4YB QG62 30 0.014

 

Summer = no good. Fall = better. Winter = best. After dark is optimal. Been doing this over 45 years.

 

Winter nights the best, less Summer storm QRN and longer path via Ionosphere refraction/
Just using a 160M dipole I have heard long wave airport beacons in the Southern US and Western Canada on winter nights. Even heard some LWBC signals from eastern Europe a few times from MI.
I only have heard a very few CW signals on 630 M and a few before , on the previous 600 M experimental band.

 

Please esplain, can recognize an Australian callsign, BUT the the rest is all unknown.

 

I have used google earth to look at some of the Low band LW broadcast antennas in Australi, Europe and North Africa. They are as tall as our TV towers, 1000Fr+ and a few are multi tower arrays. BUT with all the power , and full sized antennas, they cover entire countries in Europe !

 

Eric, can you please explain this ?

 

1040 -33 0.0 1555 ` VK4YB QG62 30 0.019

At 10:40z, a signal was received at -33dB with 0.0 clock deviation at frequency 1555 above the RX setpoint.
The sending station identified itself as VK4YB in grid square QG62, transmitting at 30dBm [1W].
I think the last datapoint is the amount of drift observed during the entire 2 minute transmission.

 

I have an SDR receiver monitoring WSPR on 630/2200M every night and hear dozens of stations on 630M and at least a handful on 2200M. Propagation on these bands is groundwave during the day and skywave starting just shortly before local sunset and lasting until about an hour after local sunrise. My antenna is a full-size 40m vertical with 120 full-size radials.

 

630m is Medium Wave, MW
2200m is Long Wave, LW

Best reception is deep winter nights with low Geomagnetic Flux and minimal thunderstorms within about 1,200 miles. Check the latest WWV, USAF bulletins or propagation sites. www.BlitzOrtung.org for real time lightning mapping.

NOTE: Most modern ham transceivers have strong High Pass Filters that greatly attenuate all frequencies below the 160m band. This is to attenuate the massive power levels of AM BCB stations. Weak ham stations on 630m/2200m will be difficult or impossible to receive.

Strategies For Receiving:
-Defeat/disable the High Pass Filters. Probably not the best idea, unless you are really dedicated to 630m/2200m and willing to accept possible overload and IF intermodulation on 160m, 80m.
-Get an external Active Antenna or Pre-amplifier that will boost the low frequencies. This to overcome the High Pass Filter.
-Get a Transverter that is specific for those bands. Probably the best solution
-Get a MF/LF radio, or a Boat Anchor receiver designed for those bands.

Strategy For Existing 160M Dipole:
-Short both antenna feedline leads together at the shack entrance.
-Connect to the center conductor of coax, or single post of tuner. Connect braid of coax to ground radials or ground rod.
-Work antenna against ground as a "T" short vertical with capacitive top hat. This is the traditional Marconi T! BTW, this also works great for AM Broadcast Band listening/DXing!!!
-

 

. My antenna is a full-size 40m vertical with 120 full-size radials.[/QUOTE]

Full sized on 40 M is mini-micro size on 630 M !