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● APPENDICES
APPENDIX B: PROPAGATION
INFORMATION
STANDARD TIME AND INFORMATION STATIONS
Besides providing an extremely accurate time source
and other information, stations WWV and WWVH, in the
continental U.S.A. and Hawaii respectively, deliver
propagation announcements every hour in addition to
acting as powerful beacons themselves. The
announcements include information on geophysical
alerts, solar activity, and more that all affects how well
your signals will propagate to the DX station you’re
trying to catch. If you can’t hear WWV/WWVH, then
consult references such as the World Radio TV
Handbook for information on some of the other standard
time stations located closer to your area.
Check 2500, 5000, 10000, 15000, and 20000 kHz at 18
minutes after each hour (WWV), and 2500, 5000,
10000, and 15000 kHz at 45 minutes after each hour
(WWVH) to hear the propagation forecasts.
NCDXF/IARU BEACON NETWORK
The Northern California DX Foundation and the
International Amateur Radio Union are cooperating to
support this particularly useful on-the-air tool. The
network is monitored by scientists, students, etc. as well
as Amateur operators.
This group of stations are located in North America, the
Pacific, eastern Asia, the Middle East, Europe, southern
Africa and South America, and more stations continue
to be added to the network. They transmit beacon
signals on 14100 kHz consecutively in sequence at
power levels from 100 watts down to 100 milliwatts.
You can listen to each station transmit with a known
power from a known direction and location.
With minimal effort, in a brief time you can compile a
customized and accurate profile of HF propagation
conditions at your location. This information will help
you decide where to point your antenna to look for DX
or to call CQ. You could even distribute the information
via packetcluster to local friends for their benefit. Or,
because of the very precise timing used for each
transmission, possibly you could develop an automatic
means of monitoring the beacon frequencies, then
assemble the recorded signal levels into a meaningful
database for later consultation.
Call sign
(long dash)
(long dash)
(long dash)
(long dash)
100
100
10
1
0.1
CW Message
Transmitted
Beacon Power
Level (W)
The following table shows some of the stations involved
in this program.
Note:
As a courtesy to other Amateurs, avoid transmitting on the
14100 kHz beacon frequency. Also, plans are in progress to expand
the beacon network to include 18110, 21150, 24930, and 28200 kHz.
When operation begins on these new frequencies, avoid transmitting
on them as well.
HF BEACONS
Beacon stations transmit from locations in many
countries. Often they operate 24 hours per day and, if
you can hear a particular beacon, you know there is
some propagation to that area of the world. Consult
reference books such as the ARRL Repeater Directory
for detailed information on active beacons. The table
below lists some beacons that you may hear.
United Nations, New York
Stanford University, California
Kane'ohe, Hawaii
Mt. Asama, Japan
Tel Aviv University, Israel
Helsinki Technical University, Finland
Funchal, Madeira Island
Transvaal, South Africa
Buenos Aires, Argentina
4U1UN/B
W6WX/B
KH6O/B
JA2IGY
4X6TU
OH2B
CT3B
ZS6DN/B
LU4AA
LocationStation
Freq (kHz)
Call Sign
Location
Emis.
ERP
NCDXF/IARU
beacon network
St. Helena
Sao Paulo
Ottawa
Cyprus
Edmonton
Bologna
Crowborough
St. Petersburg, FL
Tyler, TX
California
Argentina
Spain
Arlington, TX
Natal
Germany
Mt. Predigtstuhl
Pickens, SC
Sarasota, FL
Venice, FL
Marlboro, MA
Staten Is., NY
14100
24192.05
28050
28175
28191
28191
28195
28200
28200
28200
28200
28201
28201.5
28202
28202.5
28204
28205
28206
28207.5
28207.5
28208
28209
See
page 80
KK6TG
PY2GOB
VE3TEN
5B4ZL
VE6YF
IY4M
GB3SX
KF4MS
KG5YB
W6WX
LU8ED
EA7PS
KE5GY
ZS5VHF
DLØIGI
DLØIGI
KJ4X
KE4NL
W8FKL
WA1IOB
NX2O
A1A
F1A
—
—
—
—
A1A
F1A
—
A1A
—
—
—
—
—
—
F1A
—
A1A
—
—
A1A
100
0.03
15
10
10
10
20
8
75
3
100
—
1
5
5
100
100
2
5
10
75
10