‰  NOW 30 WPM  ‰   TEXT IS FROM DECEMBER 2013 QST  PAGE 90‰

FAMILIAR WITH.  SPORADIC E PROPAGATION OFF OF SMALL IONIZED CLOUDS IN THE E
LAYER, OR SPORADIC E ES, OCCURS THROUGHOUT SOLAR CYCLES.  ITS APPEARANCE
SEEMS INDEPENDENT OF SUNSPOTS.  SUMMERTIME ES CAN REACH THOUSANDS OF
KILOMETERS IN RANGE.  SINGLE HOP ES IS USUALLY ABOUT 2200 KM LONG.  THIS
CAN BE EASILY WORKED WITH EVEN WITH 10 W AND A DIPOLE.  A DOUBLE HOP
DOUBLES THE DISTANCE TO 4400 KM AND OCCURS FAIRLY OFTEN.  SMALL STATIONS
CAN WORK IT, BUT IT IS MUCH EASIER WITH 100 TO 1000 W AND COMPUTER
OPTIMIZED YAGIS.  THREE HOPS TAKES YOU OUT TO 6600 KM.  SIGNALS ARE WEAKER
OUT HERE, AND HIGH POWER AND A BIG ANTENNA MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.  THIS PUTS
THE EASTERN HALF OF NORTH AMERICA WITHIN RANGE OF WESTERN AFRICA, EUROPE,
THE CARIBBEAN AND NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA.  THIS IS A TREASURE HOUSE FOR
DXCC.  YOUR LOCATION IN NORTH AMERICA GREATLY AFFECTS HOW MANY COUNTRIES
ARE WORKABLE VIA ES.  FROM VE1, VE2, VE3, W1, W2, W3, AND THE EAST PART OF
THE W4 CALL AREA UP TO 75 OR MORE COUNTRIES MAY BE POSSIBLE VIA ES ALONE.
EVEN FROM THE CENTRAL USA, THERE ARE AROUND 50 POTENTIAL DXCC COUNTRIES
WITHIN A THREE HOP ES OF KANSAS CITY.  GO OUT TO FOUR HOPS, AND THE AIR AND
‰  END OF 30 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ