Propagation from 2200 Metres to 2 Metres in Mid-Europe
Propagation from 2200 Metres to 2 Metres in Mid-Europe
Across Belgium and its neighbouring countries, the useful path changes with frequency, distance, local time, season, solar state, geomagnetic activity, weather and noise. This guide is a starting map, not a promise.
A band is not a propagation mode. The 80-metre band can carry local ground wave, regional high-angle sky wave and low-angle DX on the same evening. The useful answer begins with the path you need and the conditions that support it.
Use the table as a listening plan. Band edges, permitted modes and power vary by country. Check the current national allocation and band plan before transmitting.
The Four Path Families
- Ground wave follows the Earth’s surface and is most useful at LF and MF. Field strength depends strongly on frequency, ground conductivity, terrain and antenna polarization.
- Ionospheric sky wave returns energy through the E and F regions. Maximum usable frequency, absorption, path geometry and probability vary with time, season, solar conditions and latitude.
- Near-vertical sky wave uses high elevation angles to cover the skip zone between local ground wave and lower-angle sky wave. High-angle radiation is necessary, but the ionosphere must also support the frequency and path.
- VHF terrestrial and irregular paths include line of sight, diffraction, tropospheric refraction and ducting, scatter, meteor scatter, auroral propagation and sporadic-E.
A Band-by-Band Mid-European Listening Guide
| Band | Paths worth watching | Typical opportunity in Mid-Europe | Receive priority |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2200 m around 136 kHz |
Ground wave; night-time LF sky wave | Ground wave can be stable by day; darkness reduces ionospheric absorption and can extend reception. Winter often brings lower atmospheric noise. | Low-noise site, stable LF front end, controlled local RFI and either E-field sensitivity or directional H-field rejection as the site demands. |
|
630 m around 475 kHz |
Ground wave; night-time MF sky wave | Daytime coverage is often ground-wave dominated. Night can open much longer paths, with fading and multiple arrivals. | Pattern and local-noise rejection matter more than a universal antenna type; check front-end overload from strong broadcast signals. |
|
160 m around 1.8 MHz |
Local ground wave; regional sky wave; night DX | Daytime D-region absorption restricts sky wave. Darkness and winter noise conditions favour longer paths; sunrise and sunset can be productive. | For DX, seek a low-noise pattern with useful azimuthal rejection. For regional work, preserve high-angle response. |
|
80 m around 3.5 MHz |
Regional high-angle sky wave; night DX | Daytime and evening regional paths can be strong when NVIS is supported. Night opens longer paths, while summer lightning noise can dominate receive performance. | Choose between regional high-angle coverage and directional low-angle DX rejection; do not treat one receive antenna as optimal for both. |
|
60 m around 5 MHz |
Regional sky wave; NVIS; longer night paths | Often useful for dependable regional coverage when 40 m skips too far and 80 m is heavily absorbed. National channel and allocation rules differ. | Broad high-angle coverage for regional work, with enough overload margin for nearby HF signals. |
|
40 m around 7 MHz |
Daytime regional sky wave; evening and night DX | Useful across much of the day, but the supported distance changes sharply. Twilight transitions can move the skip zone quickly. | Use a pattern suited to the target distance and bearing; compare signal-to-interference ratio, not S-meter level alone. |
|
30 m around 10.1 MHz |
F-region sky wave; medium and long paths | Can remain open across broad portions of the day and sometimes night. The actual path depends on solar state, season and direction. | A quiet broadband antenna can be useful, but directional rejection wins when local or co-channel interference dominates. |
|
20 m around 14 MHz |
F-region medium and long-distance sky wave | A principal daylight DX band. It can remain open after dark on supported paths, especially when solar ionization is strong. | Low-angle directional gain helps DX, but arrival angle and polarization vary; preserve receive dynamic range during strong openings. |
|
17 m around 18 MHz |
F-region DX | Mostly daylight and twilight, with stronger and longer openings as solar conditions improve. | Low-angle response and a quiet site; verify that preamplification improves SNR rather than overload. |
|
15 m around 21 MHz |
F-region DX; occasional sporadic-E | Strong daytime DX during favourable solar periods. Seasonal sporadic-E can support shorter skip than the F region. | Directionality and front-to-back ratio can be more valuable than raw broadband gain. |
|
12 m around 24.9 MHz |
F-region DX; sporadic-E | Solar-dependent daylight paths, plus seasonal sporadic-E openings that can appear and fade quickly. | Use rapid A/B comparisons because propagation can change during a slow antenna swap. |
|
10 m around 28 MHz |
F-region DX; sporadic-E; local/terrestrial paths | Worldwide F2 openings favour higher solar activity. Sporadic-E often creates strong shorter-hop openings in late spring and summer, with a smaller winter occurrence. | Pattern and polarization remain relevant even when path gain is large; low feed-line loss becomes increasingly important. |
|
6 m around 50 MHz |
Line of sight; sporadic-E; tropospheric, meteor and occasional F-region paths | Sporadic-E is a major seasonal opportunity. Tropospheric enhancement follows refractivity structure and weather; other modes require their own evidence. | Low-loss feed line, known polarization, a useful azimuthal pattern and fast logging of signal, bearing and time. |
|
2 m around 144 MHz |
Line of sight; diffraction; tropospheric, meteor and auroral paths; rare sporadic-E | Normal coverage is terrain- and height-limited. Stable high-pressure weather can support enhanced paths; meteor and auroral modes have distinct signatures. | Use the polarization of the intended service, low feed-line loss and directional gain. For weak signal work, masthead noise figure and overload must be evaluated as a system. |
Takeoff Angle Belongs to the Antenna and Site
Low-band does not automatically mean high angle, and high-band does not automatically mean low angle. Elevation pattern depends on antenna geometry, electrical height, ground properties, nearby conductors and current distribution. The propagation channel then selects which angles are supported at that moment.
For a specific circuit, use a propagation model with path endpoints, date, time, solar input and antenna patterns. A table cannot replace those inputs.
Polarization Is Not a Fixed HF Table Entry
Ground-wave systems strongly favour vertical electric fields because horizontal fields suffer greater ground loss near the surface. Ionospheric sky wave is different: magneto-ionic propagation, Faraday rotation, mode splitting and multipath can change the arriving polarization.
At VHF, polarization is often preserved more strongly on ordinary line-of-sight paths, so matching the service matters: vertical is common for FM/mobile work, while horizontal is common for weak-signal SSB/CW. Tropospheric, meteor, auroral and sporadic-E paths can still introduce rotation or depolarization.
Season Is a Probability, Not a Switch
Winter often helps low-band listening because nights are longer and thunderstorm noise is lower in much of Europe. Equinox periods can be productive on many HF paths, but no calendar date guarantees an opening. Solar flux, geomagnetic disturbance, D-region absorption and the path’s day/night geometry remain controlling variables.
On 10 and 6 metres, sporadic-E has strong seasonal statistics, especially around late spring and summer in Europe. Individual clouds are patchy and short-lived. On 2 metres, tropospheric enhancement depends on refractivity structure, which can accompany stable high pressure and coastal or marine layers without being guaranteed by warm weather alone.
The Best Receive Antenna Is the One That Improves SNR
An “optimal antenna” column is misleading because the limiting noise and unwanted signals change by site and band. A small active E-field antenna may deliver enough signal but also collect local electric-field noise. A loop may provide a useful null, but its pattern, balance and preamplifier limits still matter. A directional array may reject interference even when its raw signal level is lower.
- Measure signal, noise and strong unwanted signals with identical receiver settings.
- Check amplifier compression and intermodulation before adding gain.
- Rotate or relocate the antenna to test whether the useful improvement comes from pattern rather than sensitivity.
- Use fast A/B/A switching when the propagation mode changes quickly.
- Keep feed-line exterior current out of the comparison.
Primary and Authoritative Propagation Sources
- ITU-R P.368-10—ground-wave prediction from 10 kHz to 30 MHz.
- ITU-R P.533-14—HF circuit frequency availability, field strength, received power, SNR and reliability.
- ITU-R P.534-6—sporadic-E field-strength prediction.
- ITU-R P.452-18—line of sight, diffraction, troposcatter and ducting/layer-reflection mechanisms above about 100 MHz.
- ITU-R P.372-17—atmospheric, extraterrestrial and man-made radio noise.
Practical Conclusion
Do not ask which band is best in Mid-Europe. Ask which path you need, which frequencies the ionosphere or troposphere supports, which angle your antenna supplies and which noise your receive pattern rejects.
The table gets you listening in the right neighbourhood. Your logs, fast comparisons and current propagation data turn it into a station plan.
Mini-FAQ
- Are the lower bands always ground-wave bands? No. LF and MF can support ground wave and night sky wave, while 160 and 80 metres often use ionospheric paths beyond local coverage.
- Is 80 metres only a night band? No. Daytime regional sky wave can be useful when absorption and critical frequency support it; night generally opens longer paths.
- Does 20 metres always close at night? No. It closes when the path’s usable frequency falls below the band, which depends on solar state, season, direction and time.
- Is 6-metre DX always sporadic-E? No. Sporadic-E is common, but F-region, tropospheric, meteor, auroral and other paths have different signatures.
- Does summer automatically produce 2-metre tropo? No. Tropospheric enhancement depends on refractivity structure, terrain and path geometry, not temperature alone.
- Which receive antenna is best across all these bands? None universally. Choose enough sensitivity and overload margin, then optimize pattern and noise rejection for the wanted path and site.