Local stations are in contact with New Zealand, yet you cannot hear the New Zealand amateur radio operators with your antenna pointed in that direction. What other antenna direction could you try to hear them?

When you are trying to hear a distant station like one in New Zealand, the signal usually takes the shortest, most direct route around the globe, known as the short path. However, ionospheric conditions might block this direct route for your specific location. Radio signals can also travel the long way around the Earth, which is called the long path. If the short path is closed but the long path is open due to favorable solar conditions on the other side of the planet, you might still hear the station. To listen for a long-path signal, you must point your directional antenna exactly opposite to the short-path heading. Reversing your direction on a compass means turning the antenna exactly 180 degrees.