The effects of winter

It has been a week since my last blog, partly beacause of a lack of time and partly because not much has been happening on the radio front here.
I have managed to download and set up WSPR 2.0, I find it an improvement over the original, particularly the "Tune" button which enables me to set up my transmit power with ease.
Conditions at least when I have been in the shack haven't been that great on HF. Apart from PSK 31 I have been trying to work a little SSB on 40 and 80.
Interestingly the onset of winter has had an effect on my UHF reception here. There is a semi local 70Cms repeater which I cannot normally hear at all from my location (I am not in a good site from VHF and UHF here as I am fairly low down with higher ground either side of my QTH) however since the leaves have fallen off the trees I can hear this particular repeater, a noisy signal but it is there.VHF signals are unaffected so it seems that at UHF the foliage absorbs some signal.

I have thrown caution to the wind and ordered a Wellbrook receiving loop. The website advises me that it will be dispatched on the 12 of this month so I am hoping it won't get delayed by the Christmas rush of parcels.When it arrives and it set up I will post my first impressions of its effectiveness.
The image accompanying this post is a shot of my 2m/70cms vertical on a winter February day this year.