During the week of July 9-16, 2026, W2MMD's North American propagation patterns revealed a classic summer ionospheric signature dominated by evening and nighttime skip conditions on the lower HF bands. The 40-meter band showed the strongest overall activity with 335 unique receiver stations, displaying a bimodal distribution with morning peaks during the 00-03 EDT block (52 stations) likely from northeastern NVIS propagation, followed by dramatic evening enhancement beginning at 15-18 EDT (73 stations) and peaking at 21-24 EDT (117 stations) as the F2 layer refracted signals across continental distances. The 20-meter band followed a similar but less pronounced pattern, with evening dominance from 15-18 EDT through 21-24 EDT (62-65 stations per block), indicating that despite summer's typically poor 20-meter conditions, oblique F2 propagation and lower-angle radiation remained viable during the post-sunset window. Thirty meters, constrained by the antenna's 8:1 SWR limiting effective radiated power to approximately 30 milliwatts, nevertheless captured 61 unique stations concentrated in the evening blocks (15-24 EDT), suggesting this band's natural efficiency at lower power levels and favorable coupling to evening skip propagation. The complete absence of 10-meter activity underscores the Si5351A synthesizer's output rolloff at 28 MHz, coupled with summer's F2-layer limitations on the highest bands, rendering even optimal propagation windows ineffective. Overall, the data demonstrates that W2MMD's signals reached North American receivers almost exclusively between 15-24 EDT, a window consistent with the evening F2-layer enhancement and skip-distance optimization characteristic of mid-latitude summer propagation on 40, 30, and

W2MMD's European reception during this period was dominated by two distinct propagation windows corresponding to the opening of the F2 layer during the evening hours. The 20-meter band showed the strongest and most consistent performance, with reception peaking in the 15-18 EDT block (4 unique receivers) before surging to 16 unique receivers during the 18-21 EDT window, indicating classic F2-layer skip propagation as the ionosphere ionized during late afternoon and early evening. The 15-meter band exhibited a similar but more compressed pattern, achieving maximum reception during the 15-18 EDT period with 16 unique receivers but dropping sharply to just 1 receiver by the 21-24 EDT block, suggesting that 15-meter skip distances to Europe were optimal during a narrower ionospheric window before the F2 layer density became excessive or the critical frequency shifted. Notably, 40-meter activity was limited to the late-evening 21-24 EDT block with 9 unique receivers, likely representing either groundwave propagation to nearby European stations or lower-angle skip during the transition to night conditions, while 30-meter showed no European spots despite theoretical advantages for mid-latitude circuits—a result attributable to the antenna's elevated 8:1 SWR limiting effective radiated power to approximately 30 milliwatts. The 10-meter band showed no European reception during the reporting period, consistent with expectations given the reduced Si5351A output at 28 MHz and the likelihood that F2-layer propagation to Europe on that band was insufficient. Overall, this beacon demonstrates that 20 and 15 meters remain the most reliable paths for European communication from the mid-Atlantic region, with a narrow optimal window centered around the 15-21 EDT hours during summer ionospheric conditions.

During the reporting period of July 9–16, 2026, W2MMD's propagation to Africa was limited to the higher frequency bands, with all 51 spots concentrated on 20m and 15m during the evening hours (15-24 EDT). The 20m band showed initial openings in the 15-18 EDT block with a single receiver, followed by stronger activity during the 18-21 EDT and 21-24 EDT blocks, peaking with three unique African stations in the late evening window. The 15m band exhibited similar evening-dependent propagation, with activity clustered in the 15-18 EDT and 18-21 EDT blocks, suggesting that transatlantic F2 layer refraction to Africa was optimized as the ionosphere transitioned into local evening hours when recombination rates increase and critical frequencies support DX propagation. Notably, the lower bands (40m, 30m, and 10m) produced zero spots to Africa, which is consistent with 40m's poor daytime skip characteristics to southern latitudes, the 30m antenna's severely compromised effective radiated power at approximately 30mW due to its 8:1 SWR, and 10m's reduced output from Si5351A rolloff making long-distance propagation unlikely. The small number of unique receivers (only three) and the concentration of activity to just two bands during a specific time window suggests that African propagation via the great circle path from Mullica Hill remains sporadic and dependent on favorable ionospheric conditions during the evening 15-24 EDT period, particularly on 20m where the majority of the 51 total spots were recorded.

Propagation to South America during the 2026-07-09 to 2026-07-16 reporting period proved extremely challenging, with only three total spots received by a single station despite consistent transmission across all monitored bands. The single successful reception occurred on 15m during the 18-21 EDT block, which aligns with expected F2 layer skip dynamics for mid-summer evening hours when the ionosphere begins to transition toward nighttime conditions and long-distance propagation windows open toward the southern hemisphere. The complete absence of spots on 40m, 30m, and 20m suggests that either skip distance was too short for reliable propagation to South America during daylight and early evening EDT hours, or the ionospheric geometry simply did not favor this particular path during the reporting week. The 30m band's severely reduced effective radiated power of approximately 30mW due to the 8:1 SWR condition likely contributed significantly to its poor performance, while 10m's inherently weak output from the Si5351A rolloff effect at 28 MHz further compromised reception potential on that band. Given the limited operational history of this station and the single-receiver constraint, conclusions regarding South America propagation patterns remain preliminary; however, the isolated 15m success point suggests that evening hours during the 18-21 EDT window warrant continued monitoring, as this window may represent the most favorable period for achieving F2-layer skip to South American destinations.

During the 2026-07-09 to 2026-07-16 reporting period, W2MMD's propagation to Oceania was severely limited, with only three total spots received by a single station, both occurring on 20 meters during the 15-18 EDT and 18-21 EDT time windows. The complete absence of activity on 40, 30, 15, and 10 meters suggests that ionospheric conditions during this week did not favor transpacific propagation on these bands, though the technical constraints of the station warrant consideration: the 30-meter antenna's elevated SWR limiting effective power to approximately 30 mW, and the Si5351A's reduced output at 28 MHz both likely precluded reliable long-distance paths on those bands regardless of propagation conditions. The sporadic 20-meter success in the late afternoon EDT windows (15-18 and 18-21 EDT) aligns with typical F2 layer refraction patterns during the Northern Hemisphere summer, where the F2 critical frequency remains elevated through early evening, though skip distances at these times typically favor northern Pacific routes and Australian paths require marginal geometry. The single Oceania receiver capturing only two spots over an entire week indicates that W2MMD's 100 mW on 20 meters represents borderline signal strength for reliable detection at such extreme distances, and successful propagation likely required particularly favorable ionospheric conditions and optimal skip angles to reach the receiver's location. Future reporting should track whether enhanced antenna performance on 30 meters and consistent operational periods will reveal more predictable seasonal patterns for South Pacific reception.