The west coast can be hard, simply because of our physical location. Many
stations aim their signals to beam over the polar area. If the earth's
magnetic field is distrubed very much in this region, reception gets
unreadable or dies altogether becuase the magnetic field is disturbed and
that disturbs the ionosphere, the region of the atmosphere where the
atmosphere becomes electrically charged under the influence of the sun's
radiation. As long as the ionosphere is a smooth, quiet consistent blanket,
the signals are reflected back to earth with great fidelity. If there is a
sufficient disruption of the layer, the beam is not bent at all. Think of it
as looking at your reflection in a stream. You can see yourself easilly if
the stream is flowing smoothly. If the stream is purturbed, then it is
difficult or impossible to see your reflection. That is why many stations
use relays in the Caribbean or South America. Using 500,000 watts to send a
signal over the pole can be less effective than transmitting a signal from
Antigua at the same 500,000 watts. It is difficult to know the origen of a
signal simply by listening. Passport to Worldband Radio lists the origin
information. While a purist may not be as thrilled hearing a signal
originating in Antigua as he would be if he heard the signal direct from
Budapest, I am happy to hear Budapest at all, and if relaying means I can
understand what is being said, to me, so much the better (Budapest does not
transmit on that frequency s). If things are not booming in on 2.310 Mhz,
try another band. DXing is the challenge of trying to identify a signal, and
it is somewhat of an art. Stations change their frequencies to take
advantage of conditions and other stations that have ceased broadcasting on
a given frequency, so you never know what surprises there might be. Don't
get discouraged, just keep trying
V
"Gw kuddles" wrote in message
...
I live about 15 miles west, over in Thurston. I don't know about how
things are
on Shortwave, but on MW, the reception has been KILLER. Even at mid-day.

--Guy Kudlemyer
Thurston, OR

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You laugh because I'm different; I laugh because you're all the same...
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