Last night, after three years of not using the ham radio, I was listening to a net on 7.185 MHz.
To be clear, I enjoy rag chewing. I want to get to know people, hear their stories, and just maybe include bits and pieces of them in some future book. (I am an author.)
While I was working in the shop, the net ended, and the group decided to chase DX, or distant stations typically located in a different country.
After a CQ call and things being slow, I picked up the mic and tossed my call into the ether.
KD2DMR eventually welcomed me; they were a friendly group of folks.
To my surprise, a station in South Africa responded to me.
Jeremy in Illinois heard him, but I did not.
The first point of this post is simple: if you’re a ham, you might want to listen to 7.185 at night. They are a friendly bunch.
The second part of the post, and clearly the question I was asking myself, is this: why could I not hear this fellow in Nimbini when he heard me?
Of course I knew what the answer was but…Why not share?
Think “asymmetrical propagation.”
On HF bands like 40 meters (7.185 MHz), asymmetrical propagation is actually quite common.
Here are the likely culprits:
1. Ionospheric Conditions and Skip Zones:The ionosphere’s state changes constantly. His signal may have taken a different propagation path to reach me than my signal took to reach him. At certain times, one direction might have a clear skip path while the other does not. This is especially true for long-distance contacts, where the signal bounces off the ionosphere at different angles.
2. Polarization Mismatch:My 260-foot horizontal wire antenna radiates horizontal polarization. When HF signals bounce off the ionosphere, the polarization can shift unpredictably. His receiving antenna may have been oriented to better capture the polarization of my transmitted signal, while my antenna was not optimally positioned to receive his return signal’s polarization state after it bounced back.
3. Antenna Directivity and Takeoff Angle:My long wire antenna has directional characteristics that vary with frequency and height. At 30 feet on 40 meters, my antenna likely has a relatively high takeoff angle, which is good for medium-distance skip but may not be optimal for receiving signals coming back from South Africa at a different angle than my transmission went out.
While the long wire is a perfectly fine antenna for general-purpose communication, including DX, antennas (which to me in 1973 were simply magic) are the stuff of amateur radio’s dreams and fascinations, and they are one of the simpler things to experiment with.
If I had a Vertical antenna that I was listening on, there is a high probability I would have heard him. Many DX chasers have two antennas, one for transmitting and another for receiving for this reason. Even a simple inverted V for 40 might have made the difference.
There is even something called a beverage antenna, for receive only…If you want to maximize receive capability specifically, a Beverage antenna is legendary for HF reception. It is a long, low wire (typically 1 to 4 wavelengths long, running 6 to 10 feet high) that is highly directional and excellent at rejecting noise while capturing weak signals. Many serious DXers use Beverage antennas for receiving while transmitting on a separate antenna. *
If you are interested in such things, I would encourage you to find your local ham radio group and get your feet wet. If you are a ham, I will make a point to be listening on 7.185 and chat with them more, if they ever simply rag chew.
Best, and 73 to the hams out there.
About the Cover Picture:
When the world teeters on the brink of nuclear annihilation, a retired Air Force general is given an impossible second chance: to rewrite history. Sent back in time to 1962 by mysterious alien beings, he wakes up trapped in the body of his ten-year-old self—armed with decades of knowledge, but stripped of his power and authority. With the Cuban Missile Crisis looming, global tensions rising, and secrets hidden in the shadows of the past, he must navigate a world that sees him as a child while carrying the burden of preventing humanity’s self-destruction.
As he re-encounters his family, a young JFK, and the love of his life before they’ve even met, he discovers that saving the future isn’t just about stopping a war—it’s about proving that humanity is worth saving. Along the way, secrets buried deep in Area 51, a chilling conspiracy within the U.S. government, and the cryptic motives of the alien beings reveal the stakes are higher than he could have ever imagined.
Echoes of Tomorrow is a sweeping tale of time travel, love, loss, and redemption. With the weight of the world on his young shoulders, one man must face the ultimate question: can the future truly be changed, or is humanity destined to repeat its greatest mistakes?
This gripping journey will captivate fans of thought-provoking sci-fi, historical intrigue, and heart- through time and the fragile threads of destiny.
*Why It Is Called a Beverage Antenna
The Beverage antenna is named after its inventor, Harold H. Beverage, an American radio engineer who developed and patented the design on June 7, 1921.
The name is entirely unrelated to drinks; it is simply an eponym honoring the man who created it.
A Bit of History: Harold Beverage (later known by his amateur radio call sign W2BML) was working at RCA when he invented the antenna as part of his efforts to improve the reception of transatlantic radio signals.
The design quickly gained popularity for its excellent performance in long-distance communication.
One of the most impressive early implementations was built by AT&T in Houlton, Maine, for the first transatlantic telephone service.
This massive array consisted of four phased Beverage antennas, stretching three miles long and two miles wide.
Why It Remains Popular
More than a century after its invention, the Beverage antenna is still widely used by amateur radio operators, shortwave listeners, and professional monitoring stations. Its ability to deliver an extremely low noise floor and a clean directional pattern makes it unmatched for receiving weak signals on the low bands, typically 160 meters through 40 meters.
The design is elegantly simple: a long wire (often several wavelengths in length) suspended low to the ground and terminated with resistors at one or both ends. This configuration allows it to function as a traveling wave antenna, capturing signals along its length while rejecting interference from unwanted directions.
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