[IRCA] Odd AM blackout condition for many months. What caused it?
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[IRCA] Odd AM blackout condition for many months. What caused it?

Bill Hepburn, a VHF DX'er and WTFDA member replied about a blackout like
condition that he noticed in 1984.  The oddity is that it lasted for
MONTHS.  I have attached his message to the WTFDA TV-FM list.  If you
have any input, you can email him offlist OR, reply to the list so we
can all see what you think(prefered).

I thought of:  1) poor ground conductivity during the "frosty" thaw, 2)
100 percent absorption or 3) poor skywave as the suns disk moved North
further and further each day (and shorter nights).

Thanks,

Dave Hascall
Indianapolis, IN
----------
Message: 6
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:32:05 -0400
From: "Hepburn, William R." <cxgy@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Tvfmdx] [Amdx] Dead band conditions last night in
	Indiana. Au?
To: tvfmdx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID: <5.2.0.9.2.20080328122212.014b9588@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed

I was in Hall Beach, Nunavut (ex-NWT) in 1984 - 68-47 N 81-15 W.

 From when I arrived in February until I left in July - I had a grand
total 
of 1 ... yes 1 ... AM station received (CFFB-1230 Iqaluit, Nunavut). The

band was DEAD 24/7 the ENTIRE time I was there!! No matter what radio
... 
no matter inside or outside.

I came back in August (after a 6-week stint in Coral Harbour)...and low
& 
behold AM was wide-open at night indoors and outdoors. Even Mexico AM's 
such as 900 were in. I left Hall Beach in September never to return.

Why happened from February to July?  Was there 100% absorption? Were all

signals skipping overhead? I never experienced anything like in Eureka 
(79-59 N) or Resolute Bay (74-42 N) where AM was full of signals except 
during the daylight hours. Hall Beach is located on the northern edge of

the "doughnut" part of the auroral doughnut.

This is still to this day my number 1 personal DX mystery of all time.

   Bill Hepburn


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