Monday, November 18, 2013

Recent Low-VHF Skip Heard in Southern California

With the calendar saying November, and the daily solar fluxes in the 163-176 range, it's THAT time again.

33 MHz fire departments are still active when the band opens, though there are fewer stations on every year.  The typical path heard on the West Coast is transcontinental, from the eastern US. There was also once a cable TV company in Agana, Guam which could be heard in the US in local afternoons, but that hasn't been reported in eons.

I'll be days going through SDR recordings.  Some early identifications are:

MHz
33.68  Tone call testing and ID "Malta-McConnelsville," "KBH343"  2258
-This is Morgan County Fire Dispatch, Ohio. Tac is on 33.86, also heard

33.70  So far two agencies:
-"Westmoreland" (Westmoreland County Emerg Mgmt,  KGH706 , Jeannette, PA)
-"Somerset" (Somerset County, PA, KGD869). "North-1" is 33.84, also heard. 

33.84  Somerset County, PA, "North-1" tactical frequency, unit wkg Somerset Command

33.86 So far two agencies:
-Licking County 911, Ohio, KQH904, lots dispatches Hanover engine (802) and medic (802)
-Malta-McConnelsville, tactical, ID given as "KBH343 at 1800 hours" (2300 UTC)