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[N3DT]

Been working some 15M SA and some 17M during the day and afternoons and am finding that even if I hear stations in the good range (FT8 -single digits to plus signals) my reports are consistently down in the -15 or less range. I have to sock 500W out to get good and reliable reports and even returns. It appears to be a sort of 1 way propagation mode. Others finding this? I'm near DC.

[W1VT]

I think this is more of a population inequality.  There are so many more NA that SA stations that it is hard for a NA station to call without competition other NA stations, particularly if you call on the frequency of the SA station.

[K0UA]

Also don't forget SA station are nearing Summer time with lots of QRN static noise from storms.  AND I would be willing to bet they are running "some power" too. Add all of that up and it don't spell mother..    Continue to "put some fire in the wire", and you will make contacts. 

[N3DT]

Well, when I turned my HDB antenna towards SA and pushed 500W to them, there was no problem. They were even calling me and sort of getting irritating during other contacts. Lots seem to want to call even on the frequency being used. I try to be careful not to call on the same freq when others are finishing and go up or down 100Hz or so.

I find a lot of the SA stations sort of erratic with their FT8 operations. Like we exchange good reports and all of a sudden they're gone, then they come back in 5 minutes to try to finish the qso. Sometimes they just disappear and I know it's not because they can't hear me. Or maybe so if they have lots of static QRM.

I found that trying to stay on one 'hold' freq didn't seem to work too good. On 40M that seems to work fine. And yes if they are using power, I'll have to also.

[N3DT]

Boy, it's still the same, I have to sock at least 500W out to make good contacts. Sometimes I still get in the -10's but most of the SA stations are strong. Maybe it's easy to use power there?

[W9IQ]

The signal report is S/N, not signal strength. When you are receiving, the S is their signal strength and the N is your noise. So it can be a combination of you having a lower noise level on receive and them using higher power.

- Glenn W9IQ

[N3DT]

Yeah, I realize the S/N. But no other time/band I've used FT8 has my S/N been so low compared to theirs, and consistently. Over a week I think maybe I've seen once when my S/N is higher than the other.  I am in a pretty quiet area, RF wise however. Maybe it's really noisy in SA. My EU contacts have not been like this.

I do notice that if I swing my HDB antenna to favor SA, their sigs certainly do come up and EU goes down. Opposite if I swing it to EU. Lots of times pointed NW I can't even hear SA. It's got a pretty deep null off the ends, but also an 88° 3dB beamwidth in both directions, so if I'm pointed at EU it's not bad to ZL/VK if they're coming in.

[K0UA]

 

Maybe it's really noisy in SA.

I think so, and the middle east is even worse.  Most of those guys seem really deaf.  I am not sure what it is, but I assume local noise.

[N3DT]

I can work EU mostly with 20-30W, but not SA. Yeah, I've seen some of those near east guys call cq forever and not get a qso. Maybe they use too many cheap wall warts.

[N3DT]

Now this afternoon/evening I was working SA on 15 and 17M with 25W and getting equivalent S/N numbers as the other guy was giving. I still think sometimes there's a one-way sort of propagation. Then there are some guys that never hear you, they don't seem to hear anyone else either. Constantly calling CQ with no answers.