FM Double-hop Es

[Buckeyes2001]

Anyone here have experiences in receiving FM stations via double-hop Es? I have seen youtube videos of people in other countries receiving double-hop FM Es but not of people here in the US or Canada.

[Schroedingers Cat]

I would think a double hop E skip would be on the order of 1200 to 2400 miles, peaking around 2000 miles.  2000 miles away is in the ocean (where there are no stations) for many areas of the country.  The "Eurasian" continent would probably have more land areas 2000 miles away.  Hawaii is something like 2500 miles across the ocean, and ducting is the main DX route from what I understand, though the salt water midpoint would tend to allow double hops more than land.

[Lawppy]

Double-hop Es is rare enough, but living in North America it even more difficult unless if you live in the far east or west regions of the continent. 2,000 mile 2x Es reception in California or North Carolina would likely land a log from the opposite coast, where 2,000 miles from Nebraska would put you in the drink in most directions.

I have personally heard 2x Es in my location. In 2009, I logged HIGM 88.1 (Primera FM) from Santiago, DR, not once, but twice during the same day (July 7th) from a distance of 1,760 miles. That same distance ring, give or take 100 miles, puts me in a favorable zone to also hear Las Vegas, Reno or Seattle during 2x reception.

Primera is my only instance of double hop reception. There otherwise seems to be a brick wall right at 1,375 miles in my location. I would love to pick up some west coast states, but the best I can do is Utah and New Mexico. I've been trying for Idaho and Arizona for years. I'll just let Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California fall into my lap someday. 

[BobOnTheJob]

Double-hop Es is rare enough, but living in North America it even more difficult unless if you live in the far east or west regions of the continent. 2,000 mile 2x Es reception in California or North Carolina would likely land a log from the opposite coast, where 2,000 miles from Nebraska would put you in the drink in most directions.

I have personally heard 2x Es in my location. In 2009, I logged HIGM 88.1 (Primera FM) from Santiago, DR, not once, but twice during the same day (July 7th) from a distance of 1,760 miles. That same distance ring, give or take 100 miles, puts me in a favorable zone to also hear Las Vegas, Reno or Seattle during 2x reception.

Primera is my only instance of double hop reception. There otherwise seems to be a brick wall right at 1,375 miles in my location. I would love to pick up some west coast states, but the best I can do is Utah and New Mexico. I've been trying for Idaho and Arizona for years. I'll just let Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California fall into my lap someday. 

My best is Flagstaff,AZ on 92.9 at 1442 miles....might be a challenge for you with South Bend on that freq. Plus, it's about 50-60 miles farther from you. But if you want to push the envelope, look at the Flagstaff freqs next time around.

[BobOnTheJob]

Anyone know how to delete a post rather than just 'modify' it?

[ddsparxx]

There seems to be no way to delete a post. A couple of times, I have said "disregard what I posted" when I said something wrong.

[dx1ng]

I've received a couple of double-hop FM stations here in Poughkeepsie, NY, but the funny thing is, when you hear them, you can't tell if it's double hop or not.

KWZY-94.9 (Sheridan, WY) was logged here June 18, 2005 at 1674 miles, my most-distant FM.   Other stations were heard from near the mid-point of the signal path (Wisconsin - Minnesota) which is a good indicator that double hop was involved. 

Also, on 94.9, RJ-94FM from Jamaica was logged here on June 16, 2007, approx 1642 miles.  This signal was amazingly fade-free while it lasted, but still was likely double-hop due to the distance.  The mid-point on this path was out in the Atlantic, although an hour or so later I heard East Florida and logged MORE-FM from Nassau, Bahamas, also on 94.9, both from near the mid-point.  That was a good morning, 2 new countries in the same morning, and on the same frequency no less!!

I also have heard 2 Texas FM's in the 1550-1600 mile range.  One, KAMX in Luling (Austin) was logged on June 25,2007, when signals were coming in from "everywhere", including a station in Indianapolis on the same frequency one minute earlier.  Good chance KAMX was double hop.  The other station, KULL Abiliene on June 18, 2010, was heard when all other DX was over 1000 miles distant, and nothing being noted anywhere near the signal path's mid-point.  Maybe double hop, maybe not. 

And while those of us near the US coasts can hear other US stations via double hop, those in the middle of the country have a good chance at double hop from Latin America, and perhaps Maritime Canada.

[dxer2_2000]

2-Es tends to favor watery paths - hence for us, 2-Es occurs more often from locations with ocean in between. The 2-Es over the Pacific must be very intense, as we regularly receive low power FMs via double hop in the 100W power range (eg Wallis & Futuna RFO 91.0). Factor in also, some of these FMs towers are not very high above sea level.
2-Es occurs more from the Pacific than Western Australia (which is over a land path)

I'd say that 2-Es is rarely obsvered in the U.S.  due to heavy band congestion more than anything else.

[fldxer]

I had Flagstaff, AZ last year on 93.9 here on the west coast of FL- distance 1761 mi

Greg

[MarioMania]

I'm going to keep an ear out for Japan on my TV sound radio