Propagation on HF Lately
What HF bands have you noticed are “open” lately at various hours of the day?
30m had no one on FT8 early this AM and then began to “wake up” between 7 and 8 AM.
15m FT8 activity here picked up around 9 AM +/-. 15m in the AM has much activity in Europe and Africa. Later in the day, as the Sun comes up further west, Australia and New Zealand (with Hawaii, Fiji, etc.) start showing up.
A full day of ham radio activity for me generally includes going from 10m in the early part of the day to 40m at night with stops at 12m, 15m, 17m and 20m along the way.
Check out 40m FT8 4 AM - 7 AM our time...some great action from Australia and the South Pacific as well as Asia. Late evening/early morning can also yield some great contacts.
I am curious as to why 30m seems so dead during those hours while 40m is loaded with stations. Only 3 MHz separates them.
I see this currently as a great opportunity for "weak signal" stations. If you live in SCHH, YOU ARE a weak signal station compared to others who have towers and arrays, etc.
So, yes...FT8 for sure...CW if you want less competition too.
So many stations on FT8 now...it is almost like a contest every day as the exchanges are short and sweet and you can rack up the QSOs quickly! I love FT8 as do a lot of other CW ops.
And 10m, 12m...GREAT! These bands are PERFECT for folks who have some time to "baby sit" them. They can open at any time and you can get some great QSOs over vast distances in short order if you are in the right place at the right time.
Lately I've been hitting South American stations on 12 meters in the afternoon. 10 has been open occasionally but with the flux numbers in triple digits it should be open all the time.
These observations are on FT8.