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Operating

Grey Line

[Today’s run: 3 miles]

I got up this morning about 6:30 and I had the radio already tuned up for 20 meters (14 mHz) and had the tribander all tuned up.

Just before sunrise the stations from Europe sounded like a contest, they were all over each other.  I heard a LX in there for awhile but he was talking to guys in Spain and didn’t hear me.  I did get a couple of UAs and some Rs  (Ukraine and Russia), eastern Europe.  Later in the day I picked up ZL (New Zealand) on 10 meters and a couple from Brazil.

Anyway, that time right before dawn is a great time to hear Europe.  I turn the beam to point NE, over the shoulder of the globe, the great circle route into Europe.  And this morning they were coming in bucketfuls for about half an hour or so.  (One of the reasons it is hard for me to hear people from India is because of all those big Russian stations between us… or so is my excuse.)

I don’t have quite as much luck with the evening greyline.  I’m not sure why, probably just not good timing.  I have a computer program called ‘Sun Clock’ which will show me when it is nearing dusk here and where that would put me by following the edge of day/night.  I do get some JA (Japan), but usually that is in the morning on 40 meters, finishing up the night time propagation.

As you might have gathered, grey line is that ring on the globe that is between day and night at any given time.  Radio propagation is changing from the night mode to the day mode and just for a while it can be more open than either one.