I was hiking in remote Tasmania once, using an AM radio to try to get weather forecasts as there was possibility of snow which would affect one part of our walk

I was hiking in remote Tasmania once, using an AM radio to try to get weather forecasts as there was possibility of snow which would affect one part of our walk. I was getting up pre-dawn to listen, and found that I could not tune in to any local stations, but was able to pick one up from about 2000km away. I figure this is due to the radio waves bouncing off the ionosphere (as intended), but the angle possible with this is relatively shallow, so a greater distance is better than a shorter distance when you haven't got line of sight (there were mountains in the way of most nearby cities). The moral of the story is to ensure that the broadcasting station needs to describe its location clearly (and the listener to listen for the station's location), as it may be a _long_ way away.