excerpts RB Cooper column from Radio-Electronics Mar 1957 p. 49 F2 skip, Es and meteor scatter all combined to make the last months prior to the expected sunspot peak pretty fair for television dxing. (For the benefit of new readers, E, Fl and F2 are ionized layers of the atmosphere, E being the lowest - about 60 miles and F2 the highest - around 200 miles. The E layer may occur in patches of varying height, causing sporadic reception.) Throughout the eastern section of the country, sporadic-E was widespread and more frequent than in past years. RADIO-ELECTRONICS observers report E skip on 14 days during November alone. This is more than three times the usual number of this type of opening for the month of November. An unusual feature of the November openings was the time of day involved. Unlike past years when wintertime sporadic-E was an evening phenomenon, this season's seems to be show ing up in the morning hours. One of the few afternoon openings produced some very rare double-hop sporadic-E for a wintertime opening. It occurred on Jan. 3, between such areas as the California coast and the southeastern portion of the country. Such openings should not be passed off as freakish, however. During 1948 -50 several double-hop wintertime E-layer openings are on record. Since this was the period of the last sunspot cycle peak, perhaps we should take a lesson from history. It is also interesting to note that wintertime sporadic-E increased manyfold during the same period of high sunspot activity. All of this seems to point toward a lessening of the seasonal tendency of E skip for the next few years. F2 skip activity (long-range skip in the order of 2,200 miles and up) during the last of November and on into December and January held up much better than expected. As the current 11-year sunspot cycle was expected to peak in January, 1957, conditions should level out and remain more constant for the next 12-18 months. Due to the varying distances and angles between the Sun and the Earth's ionosphere, skip conditions via the F2 layer will vary from season to season of the year. For those interested, F2 skip patterns may be simplified to the following statements: F2 dx reception from areas to the east and west of your location should occur during the fall months, while F2 reception from areas to the north and south of your location will usually be a springtime occurrence. Reception of the audio portion of many European television stations is reported by observers from Maine to Texas. At least one fellow we know of has taken the time to construct a converter to receive the European transmissions. Gordon Simkin of Harve de Grace, Md., is using a tunable converter covering the range of 40-60 mc. Thus far, most of the reception from the other side by dx-er Simkin has been in the range of 40-55 mc. Daily reception from such places as London, Paris, Berlin and Budapest began in late October and was still going strong at this writing. Reception has been seen as early as 0730 EST and often lasts as late as 1400 EST. Calvin R. Graf of San Antonio, Tex., has been doing what so many others report doing, namely, using a shortwave communications receiver to listen for the TV signals. Calvin uses a simple dipole cut to 41.5 mc, and listens for signals on his Hallicrafters SX-28A. Reception from France, England, Ireland, Germany and Switzerland is noted as an almost daily occurrence between 0830 and 1230 CST. Meteor-scatter dx-ing continues to attract newcomers to its fold. Jerry Don Burch of Hot Springs, Ark., reports nine stations logged 44 times during November. The average distance is nearly 800 miles. Late winter possibilities As this appears in print, we should be in the winter slump. We should, but will we? As has been noted many times, the sunspot peak is upon us. What this means in terms of dx conditions, other than the F2 dx, is not known. We have already seen an increase in the amount of fall E skip so perhaps the same will hold over into the spring months. During the last cycle, television was just getting its start. Fringe-area reception was at its best in the 50-mile range and anything beyond that was considered dx. Transmitting power was pitifully low, receivers inadequate and antennas simple. But even so, an occasional dx report showed up. Among these was a report of reception of American television stations in France in the spring of 1948. This, we believe, may be duplicated on a large scale during the next 12 months. Unfortunately, reception of European television broadcasts on American receivers appears only as interference lines similiar to co-channel interference. This is due to the difference in TV standards in use in Europe and in America. Conditions look much better to the south. The greater majority of our South American neighbors use American standards (525 lines, 30 frames, etc.). Information issued by the National Bureau of Standards, Central Radio Propagation Laboratory, Washington, D. C., in the form of the CRPL F2 predictions, looks very promising. These charts show that excellent skip conditions should exist between such areas as the Gulf states and northern South America on a daily basis during the month of March. Channel 2, Caracas, should be seen daily in the southern portion of the country and on occasions in all areas. On the West Coast, similar reception should be possible between the Hawaiian Islands and the Southwestern states. All of this skip will be a daytime phenomenon, occurring in the morning hours and on until shortly after noon, on most days. Very little definite information can be given on F2 skip, other than that listed above. For this reason RADIO-ELECTRONICS is extremely interested in any reports of such reception. April predictions The first two weeks of April should be very similar to March in all forms of dx. Around the 15th of the month, the summer session of E skip should begin to make its appearance over the more southern areas of the country. The rate of occurrence for E skip will rise rapidly after this date and be going strong as the end of the month approaches. An annual meteor shower will occur during the period of April 15 -21, peaking in the morning hours of the 17th and evening of the 18th. Report forms RADIO-ELECTRONICS makes television dx-ing report forms available to reporters to this column. They may be obtained free of charge simply by addressing a postcard to TV DX Column, RADIO-ELECTRONICS, 154 West 14 St., New York 11, N. Y. F2 station listing In response to those who have asked for a listing of those television stations that may be received via the F2 skip route, we publish this partial list of those most likely to be seen. Europe: 41.25 mc, Paris. France, audio 41.5 mc. London, England, audio 45.0 mc, London, England, video 48.25 mc, England, audio 48.25 mc Switzerland, video 51.75 mc, England, video 53.25 mc, England, audio South America: Channel 2 (U. S. standards) Caracas, Venezuela San Juan, Puerto Rico Rio de Janiero, Brazil (Portuguese) Mexico City, Mexico Channel 3 (U. S. standards) Sao Paulo, Brazil Mexico City, Mexico (relay) Guatemala City, Guatemala Other: Channel 2 : Honolulu, Hawaii Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Channel 3: Hawaii (relay)