tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63250076560722857442012-01-30T02:00:58.207ZSome PropNET.org participants have taken the extra step of mining and analyzing PropNET data. Along the way, they have documented long forgotten, presently well-understood and newly emerging concepts in the wireless communication arena. This Blog is dedicated to those pioneers, explorers and innovators. Consider this to be a central repository for those who are inclined to publicly share their work in this way. Join in by dropping the Blog Manager a note to request an Author account.Blog Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175554859894588138noreply@blogger.comBlogger361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-82089757952387835602011-10-15T15:23:00.044+01:002012-01-30T02:00:58.227Z

The Hits Keep Coming01/29/2012 7-DayA hefty solar flare early in the week stirred things up. Solar flux was still down, but the geomagnetic field was active enough to make things good. Es were very good this week.The sun got active Monday (1/16) and things improved. There was also some nice Es later in the week.01/22/2012 7-DayCaptures were down more than half this week. Since it was so light I

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-26911667344019057942011-09-07T01:06:00.033+01:002011-09-11T23:06:19.794+01:00

The 2011 10-Meter Spring/Summer Es SeasonBy Art Jackson KA5DWI Background:The following documentation is a summary of the 2011 Spring/Summer Es season based upon PropNET captures and identified fragments received at the home QTH of Art Jackson, KA5DWI, maidenhead grid square EM12ju located near Fort Worth, Texas. All of the data analyzed and displayed in this summary was accumulated by the

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-68598109156144445572011-08-15T17:27:00.006+01:002011-08-15T22:53:10.822+01:00

Hi all, Now we enter the final 2 weeks of the Spring/Summer Es season. And a fairly good one it was. Activity was down this year, the 6th lowest out of 7 measured. Still, opportunities overall were better than average for the season. I am sure a more active sun had something to do with this. Enjoy the movie of 10-Meter activity last week. Also note that 8/08 & 8/09 were short a few hours and

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-28400041494882157632011-08-09T19:11:00.005+01:002011-08-09T21:24:01.530+01:00

Hi all, I appears that our period of a disturbed sun last week resulted in a marked increase in Es activity. We have seen above normal activity for 2 straight weeks for the first time this season. The most active day this season for me occurred on August 4 (PNP-327 captures). 2011 will not be the worst year in the 7 measured as the totals surpassed 2008. Numerous C and M class flares stirred

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-89606117625711366112011-08-08T02:58:00.007+01:002011-08-08T03:51:42.743+01:00

Hi all,Now that I have figured out how to make PowerPoint presentations into Video, I can share with all of you what Es do each day.The 6-Year Study clearly shows that Es are seasonal and peak around the Summer Solstice. Yes, there are other influences such as; meteors and a severe storm. BUT, the main influence is the tidal affect of the Sun on the Es layer around the solstice. (See the CSVHFS

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-41907424338246736752011-08-07T21:23:00.003+01:002011-08-07T21:33:20.926+01:00

This is a test run for uploading PowerPoint Presentations to Video.Please do not expect perfection. Use pause and play to control the slides.I will edit this a little and re-submit it at a later date. I may add audio.I presented this to the Central States VHF Society Conference on July 29, 2011. A paper was also published in the Proceedings.Enjoy. I love talking about Es and entertain your

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-81628343999941821272011-08-01T14:54:00.010+01:002011-08-01T16:08:01.417+01:00

Howdy from the oven...30 days straight over 100, 15 days from the record in 1980 and 107 today.Oh well, thank you for Es.Amazingly the season rallied the past 2 weeks. Before now it appeared that this season would be the worst in 7 years. I looks like the second worst (I hope). The past 2 consecutive weeks were above average for both activity and active hours for the first time this season. The

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-58683026012063937212011-08-01T14:42:00.009+01:002011-08-01T14:52:01.497+01:00

Good day everyone,Well the 45th Annual Central States VHF Society Conference is over. It was a pleasure after 4 visits in 24 years to speak to the conference. It was 103 degrees on average and no one suffered heat stroke during the antenna measurements. The hotel facilities were nice, but I was very disappointed that there were no good reliable Internet connections. Only after my presentation

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-77747695531183783262011-07-04T23:49:00.026+01:002011-07-05T23:55:50.813+01:00

Happy 4th of July,I hope you are having a enjoyable and safe holiday.For the following week we will see again the most extreme activity of the Es season. Starting next week we will begin to notice its slow and inevitable decline into late August. The Es season still has a surprise or two still left in it.As I put this together I am listening to the East coast working the West coast on 6 Meters.

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-62212335270535962512011-06-22T12:57:00.033+01:002011-06-24T01:41:04.754+01:00

Happy Summer,The Spring/Summer Es season for 2011 has reached the halfway point. The season is shaping up to be very interesting and showing common traits for Es and some uniqueness at the same time.All charts represent PropNET captures at the QTH of KA5DWI EM12ju. It does not include reception of my signal nor other participants.10-Meter PropNET & Non-PropNET Captured 4/26-6/23/11 @ KA5DWI

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-47103507598494038152011-05-21T18:47:00.002+01:002011-05-21T18:55:56.603+01:00

Hi all,Today (5/21) when the world was suppose to end...Europe had a 2 Meter E opening.This is what the E layer was doing. ..No F2 could be read because the Es layer was so well ionized.Weather had nothing to do with it. 73's Art

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-36110992571579657682011-04-04T01:05:00.011+01:002011-04-04T02:44:07.219+01:00

Here is a recap of what you can expect during this year's Spring/Summer Es Season.Es appear around April 21th to the 25th now and then. The first full scale opening appears near May 9-11. By the end of May, Es are in full swing and will not decline until mid-August. Activity-wise, it peaks very near the Summer Solstice. It rises quickly and takes its time end.This chart represents the daily

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-90505938029051882592011-04-03T14:32:00.006+01:002011-04-03T15:41:01.200+01:00

Hi all,All of us that are active on 10-Meter PropNET have had the pleasure of seeing this band really take off in early March. We saw solar flux levels the highest since 2004.The results here were outstanding.I captured 31 DXCC entities, 98 Grid Squares and 86 Prefixes. The number of individual calls were too many to count at this time. The only continent missed was Asia. I just didn't point

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-39930824748314309582011-02-10T01:34:00.032Z2011-03-19T16:32:09.581Z

As time permits, I will start adding comments about the data I collected here in North Texas since the fall of 2005.I will explain later the background of each chart and what it appears to show. I will also update and re-post these charts as the data is audited and re-compiled. Stay tuned for further updates plus the 6-Year Spring/Summer Es Propagation Study.73s Art Jackson KA5DWIDistance

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-21830866419797193522010-12-20T15:23:00.008Z2010-12-20T22:25:27.384Z

Questions and Answers:“Is Es propagation truly a seasonal occurrence?”The answer derived from this study is definitely yes. The season begins within days of April 25 and progressively increases up to May 6, at which time it is in full swing and remains totally active until at least August 15. There is still a good chance that activity continues till the end of August. From the study, the season

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-81141480705610038362010-12-20T13:32:00.022Z2010-12-20T15:14:55.855Z

The Final Level of Analysis:Now that 5 years of data was collected and PropNET participation each year was consistent and the data displayed definitive trends, there still existed a few unexplained holes. Although I averaged combinations of days and hours, most of these charts displayed many peaks and valleys. It stirred up my curiosity and I decided to investigate it on a micro level.Five years

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-42352121922737221142010-12-19T22:48:00.014Z2010-12-20T13:29:59.791Z

Hour to Hour Probabilities by Week:The final analysis performed using probabilities was to compare the hour-to-hour trends of each week in the Spring/Summer Es season. With the volume and sampling, we should be able to identify where changes may occur from week to week of the season. Also, if the data accumulated was reliable, did it provide consistent and reasonable results? Three Week Periods:

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-64020654820468386412010-12-19T19:56:00.014Z2010-12-19T20:25:47.849Z

Triple-Hour Probabilities:To better qualify these observed trends throughout the Spring/Summer Es season, I charted probabilities into three hour increments. I first charted probabilities in 1-hour segments and found the information to be overwhelming. This approach shows the seasonal changes in Es opportunities best.Arranging the probabilities in this pattern will show that the peak of the

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-28275655927835400162010-12-19T13:09:00.015Z2010-12-19T13:49:48.676Z

Probability Analysis – A Better Method to Predict “Es” Activity:Due to the fact that the United States’ distribution of population and Ham activity was not equal, a better measurement practice is to apply an equal value to one single reception (PropNET capture) within a one hour period. In other words, a single occurrence in a measured period equals the occurrence of many. The probability of an

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-58275501645820871762010-12-18T21:39:00.025Z2010-12-18T22:21:21.962Z

Es Directional Characteristics:One of the characteristics of Es to observe was to compare PropNET captures between different directional groups. Due to the varying volumes from each directional group, the following capture data is displayed as an “hourly percentage of the total day” for each group, and not the actual volumes. This allows us to compare groups to each other on an equal scale.

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-25179381516846573842010-12-18T15:00:00.014Z2010-12-18T16:38:40.971Z

Distance Analysis:One of the characteristics of Es that might be unknown is how propagation of the E layer changes during the course of a day. I noticed into the second year of the study that many of the longer distance captures were occurring late into the afternoon. Using the distance calculation and data provided from the PropNetPSK software for each station captured, I was able to determine

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-16004212241775876382010-12-11T13:41:00.014Z2010-12-12T04:31:57.909Z

The Time of the Day That Es Occur:My belief from practical experience and with other researchers was that Es seemed to be best in the late afternoon/early evening hours. I have discovered in this analysis that it was the morning hours towards midday that are the best time for Es. More operating activity from Hams generally occurs during the later hours of day, and that was the probable cause

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-82951885949812893452010-12-08T12:38:00.011Z2010-12-08T13:59:59.915Z

The Spring/Summer “Es” Season:When the first individual season study was first begun in 2005, my opinion based on experience was that for 10-Meters, the Spring/Summer Es season occurred from about May 1 till August 11. Once I compiled the data for 2005, I determined that I was slightly incorrect. The season begins a few days earlier and ends many more days later. I extended the data gathering

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-80236817151908370452010-12-05T23:44:00.007Z2010-12-08T12:32:03.262Z

Computers, Equipment (Rigs) and Antennas:Rig Transceiver – Yaesu FT-747GX Auto ID transmissions were set normally at 6 times per hour. The BPSK31 Auto ID lasts for about 30 seconds (3 minutes an hour). 57 minutes per hour are spent listening for other PropNET stations. It was operated in this mode normally from 07:00 to 23:00 local Central Daylight Time (-5 hours UTC) for the first 3 years.Rig

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-42103976997753512712010-12-05T16:04:00.005Z2010-12-05T23:22:33.274Z

Hi all I will begin posting excepts of my 5-Year Study of 10-Meter Es Using PropNET.The study was part of the proceedings for this year's Central States VHF Conference.I have done this for the Hamradio hobby. Enjoy this and I hope that you all use this to operate more on the HF and VHF bands. All I ask is that if you use this material outside of this forum that you give credit to the PropNET

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-3093834694702423882010-10-18T03:01:00.007+01:002010-10-19T02:48:31.584+01:00

Hi all,Now that I have over 6 years (78,000+ captures) of data from PropNET, I can now display how conditions will probably be when the 10-Meter band is open during the Spring/Summer Es season.How do these charts look? What would you like me to change?Es are not different between the west or east ends of the country, and it makes no difference where you are. It's all about location of the sun. So

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-62064214566762086172010-09-21T02:13:00.002+01:002010-09-21T02:30:33.301+01:00

Good Evening all...My 6th annual recap of the spring/summer Es season is now available at the "Library" on the PropNET Homepage: www.propnet.orgThe direct link is: http://www.propnet.org/docs/art/KA5DWI_2010_SummaryA.pdf This was a facinating year with highs, lows and surprises. Please email me direct at ka5dwi at sbcglobal dot net if you have any questions or comments.73sArt

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-46573108556017754252010-04-10T14:40:00.011+01:002010-04-10T16:12:56.582+01:00

Hello everyone,I can't wait!!We are 3 weeks away from the beginning of the season.This is my last post on Spring/Summers Es characteristics. All future posts involve what to look for during the season.The first chart displays hourly probability during the season along with the actual number of captures for those active hours. It shows a clear correlation with only a minor shift in the late

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-26502643900625518702010-04-03T03:23:00.008+01:002010-04-03T04:10:26.300+01:00

This is the tell all concerning Es propagation. It is measuring the probability of working Es during the season. Thanks to the data of John-N5XYO, I was able to fill in several days of the last 2 weeks of August. My return to college kept me off a few days. Probability is based on a single capture in any hour. 1 counts the same as 100. Next week I will show that probability and activity go

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-46219870222799628912010-03-28T22:23:00.002+01:002010-03-28T22:53:02.719+01:00

The first and second charts show hourly captures in directional halves; North-to-South, and East-to-West. The dual-peak diurnal is evident it both opposite directions, but tends to be better defined for northern and eastern paths. The third hourly chart are the individual 16 weeks of the Spring/Summer Es season. The diurnal pattern is evident each week of the season. The 6th week (5/30 - 6/5)

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-40654351438873644512010-03-21T17:25:00.005Z2010-03-21T18:02:22.773Z

Hello Again,This will be my last post until next weekend. I have to go back to work (Spring Break). To recap, I have posted my 5 years of results by day of the season (4/25 to 8/14) and have also posted annual charts of Es Layer critical frequency to show the base cause for Es propagation.I will now begin to post charts that show the characteristics of Es.The first ones are the number of captures

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-24011041675536504742010-03-18T15:50:00.009Z2010-03-18T22:00:39.463Z

Hello again,For years, many believe that Es are influenced by a number of factors.Examples:1. Solar Conditions2. Meteors3. Moon phases4. Jet Stream5. Electrical activity (Thunderstorms)Yes there are probable influences, but it is not the root cause for Es.The root cause for Es are the tidal conditions of the Es layer in the ionosphere.The charts are from HAARP (sorry, no mind altering is done

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-20616971812855024072010-03-17T22:12:00.003Z2010-03-17T23:54:52.634Z

Hi All,Here is where I discovered that I really needed to extend my data collection by at least 2 weeks. 8 weeks prior to the summer solstice is the beginning of the Es season. It really doesn't end until 10 weeks after it. Usually I did see the first inactive day around August 15. I do take care of the 2 additional weeks in the probability numbers to be shown later on.In the first years activity

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-47057588257708719262010-03-16T22:53:00.003Z2010-03-18T15:17:43.064Z

Hi All,I applied a polynomial regression analysis to the daily 10-Meter data. The second degree regression was satisfactory. Increasing the degree (X squared is a degree of 2) did not improve the coefficient of determination (R squared). This value, 0 to 1 is a measure used in statistics that indicates how well a calculated regression trend line approximates the actual data points. 1 is perfect

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-62227245344981181642010-03-16T03:29:00.003Z2010-03-16T03:42:30.966Z

Hi All,The following chart is the source data for the study I have been working on.I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be published as part of the 2010 Central States VHF Conference proceedings. It is composed of 65,014 PropNET captures and identified partials from April 20 to August 15 2005 to 2009. The data is only PropNET participants captured here at my QTH in North Central

KA5DWI - Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07426739997102318372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325007656072285744.post-53627668576705830002008-03-11T01:47:00.005Z2008-04-08T02:55:19.830+01:00

THE KF6XA TO W3NRG 10 METER PROPNET EXPERIMENTCOMPARISON OF SUMMER VERSUS WINTER PROFILESSIX METER PATH ALSO CONFIRMEDEd Sack, W3NRGAbstractAs an active member of the PropNET system, W3NRG has recorded thousands of ten metertransmissions from fellow PropNET participant, KF6XA over the past four years. What makes these measurements interesting is that the path between the stations would not

Blog Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175554859894588138noreply@blogger.com2