The Joys of Fall

The Joys of Fall

Finally after a long and torrid summer once again Fall is on the horizon. for those of you who are participants in the world of High Frequency communication that means one thing. the return to lower noise conditions across the radio spectrum. You see, Spring and Summer march hand in hand with the development of Thunderstorms. Thunderstorms of course breed lightning. 

One of the things we enjoy about the high frequency shortwave bands is propagation of long distance signals. There's a 'bummer' that goes along with that effect. Lightning is in simple terms broad spectrum impulse noise of tremendous power. That means when it's summer in the northern latitudes we are treated to the crash and static generated by thunderstorms thousands many thousands of miles away. this results in the ambient noise level a.k.a. noise floor having a much higher level which tends to mask signals normally heard. 

Over the last several months I've watch the noise floor gradually sink on average 8 to 10db a significant amount where signals are now beginning to peak above the weeds so to speak.

Thankfully as we head further into Fall signals that were buried under the noise are now returning which allows my fellow travelers the opportunity to visit with friends on either coast with ease.

I've always said the best radio time of the year is December 26th at 12am local time. If there's no snow static (yes that's a thing) we enjoy transcontinental communication with ease making for the oft sought after "Arm Chair Copy". So bring on Fall, we're ready in the northern hemisphere for sure..

Until next time, best DX and 73 from North Texas.

He's Back....

One thing is for sure, if I keep posing at the rate I've been going no one can say I'm wearing out my welcome. This 'blog' thing requires a lot more discipline than I ever thought it would. Taking the time to organized my always scattered thoughts into something coherent is more work than I'm used to doing. Part of the problem I suppose is due to my background as a broadcaster I'm more use to expressing my thoughts by auditory means. This typing stuff takes more talent than I probably have. however, not wishing to avoid that which is difficult I'm doing my best to keep the notion alive.

On Radio...

I've always been enchanted by radio. radio in all forms, as a listener, and as a broadcaster. The 'Golden Days' of radio for those in my age group is the period between 1964 - 1976 that slice of magic smack dab in the rock and roll era. Radio in that period was geared to teenage and young adults roughly between the age of 12 - 34. Musically it was one of THE best periods in 'pop' music.  Every type of 'pop' from sappy love songs through hard rock. Artist wise, from 'The Teddy Bears' through 'Led Zeppelin'. Radio was a dynamic medium during that period all because of the personalities presenting the music. Personalities were topical, funny, informative and timely all in the space of time allocated by the musical intro of the songs they presented. In a :20 second intro they were able to create the setup, deliver the punch line, and toss in the call letters of a station nailing the vocal. Personalities also acted as a 'bridge' between musical elements, and by changing their delivery were able to help make the transition from a slow ballad to a smoking hot rock tempo with ease.

There aren't many stations these days who are as well programmed as stations in the 60's and 70's. Part of the reason is changes on the business side. Stations always existed to turn a profit. But these days programming is considered an item where corners can be cut. That's why it's rare to hear a truly 'LIVE and LOCAL' disc jockey on radio these days. Too many are hundreds of miles away from the station they broadcast from, and most couldn't tell you much about a town other than basic location and sports team names. There are a few stations that do carry on with local talent and when you hear one, you immediately sense the difference in presentation. That's the story for now, and it wasn't much however maybe I'll return in the future with addition thoughts..