6474km TEP contact on 144 MHz from Argentina to a ship off the coast of Florida - 9th Dec 2024

Over the last few years, I've reported on many Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) contacts from South America to the Caribbean on the 144 MHz band... links on my 144 MHz page.

For this mode of propagation at 144 MHz, signals must generally cross the Geomagnetic Equator at right angles. This usually means that stations in the south of Brazil work places like Guadeloupe, St Martin & Puerto Rico. Stations near Buenos Aires in Argentina work stations in Curacao & the Dominican Republic.

There has been a distinct lack of 144 MHz TEP openings further west in South America mainly due to a lack of stations at one or both ends of the paths.

So it was a really big surprise to hear that Carlos, LU7MC in the west of Argentina managed to complete a contact with Yuri, UT1FG/MM on a ship to the north of Cuba!

The contact was made using the Q65B mode on the 9th of December 2024 at 01:34 UTC. This is just after 20:00 local time for both stations which is about the peak time for evening type TEP.

The distance was in the region of 6474 kms which is exceptionally long for a 144 MHz TEP contact for South America.

The map above shows just how close UT1FG/MM  was to the Florida. His ship was just 80kms south of the road going to Key West and about 170kms south of Miami.

It's hard to know for certain but I suspect that the TEP signal from LU7MC almost certainly reached Florida. It was most likely that there was nobody active there and looking.

Mode of Propagation... As indicated already, the mode of propagation was TEP - Trans-Equatorial Propagation. There may have been an extension at the northern end of the circuit with some marine tropo / ducting north of Cuba.

Mode of contact... The Q65B mode was used for this 144 MHz contact. The screen shot from LU7MC is shown below...

As you can see below, the signal level was about 0dB to -8dB which is probably too weak for SSB but should be strong enough to be heard by ear and a CW contact would be possible.

The screen shot from UT1FG/MM is shown below...

The signal levels were about the same at -4dB to -8dB.

Equipment... Carlos, LU7MC is located in the city of Mendoza in grid locator square FF57OB. He was running 100-watts into an array of 4 x 10-element Yagi antennas.

Yuri, UT1FG works on a commercial ship and was Maritime Mobile between Cuba and Florida in grid locator EL94PC. He was running 200-watts into a single 7-element Yagi antenna.

In conclusion... This really was an important contact on the 144 MHz band because it shows that there is a very good possibility of a TEP path from the west of Argentina to Florida. Could it extend even further north to some of the other southern US states by tropo? Could the stations in Chile get in on the action?

The really big question is if anyone in the United States is paying attention and is going to try and make a contact?

Link...
a) For more information on long distance 2m contacts, see my 144 MHz page.

3770 km contact on 144 MHz between Brazil and St Helena - 7th Dec 2024

On the 7th of December 2024, PY1MHZ in Brazil and ZD7GWM on St Helena Island managed to complete a contact on the 144 MHz (2m) band. The distance was in the region of 3,770kms.

This was an amazing contact for tropo on 144 MHz and it raises the question if a contact from the east coast of Brazil to the west coast of Africa might be possible?

Marcos, PY1MHZ sent on the following information... "After many years of trying over the sea, a contact was finally made last night on 144MHz 2m with the Garry Mercury ZD7GWM on Santa Helena Island at a distance of 3,768km.

Contact completed with the Q65D mode

Garry was using a Diamond X700 vertical antenna and approximately 50w. On my side, I was using 8 vertical elements with 200w. I could work up to 500w but there was no need.

Very happy with this Christmas present. 73 de Marcos PY1MHZ in grid GG98LC."

Comment & Analysis... Yet again, this is another fine example of some of the undiscovered paths that exist once there are stations active in the right location. Some of the VHF contacts that Garry, ZD7GWM has been able to complete with a vertical omni-directional antenna are nothing short of remarkable.

In the last few years, he has managed to work South Africa at 3000kms on 144 MHz and 432 MHz via tropo, he has worked Spain and Portugal at about 6000kms on 144 MHz via TEP and now, he has worked across the South Atlantic on 144 MHz to Brazil.

As for the contact to Brazil, it seems likely that it was a marine duct across the South Atlantic. The tropo prediction map from Pascal, F5LEN certainly seems to support this theory.

How many other undiscovered long distance paths are out there?

I have a previous post about Garry's set up HERE

For more information about other long distance openings on the 2m band, see my 144 MHz page.

LongChat… The new amateur radio text chat software by TA2STO

Oguz, TA2STO in Türkiye has developed a new mode called LongChat to allow radio amateurs to communicate with each other.

It's described as follows... "LongChat is a low-power (QRP) / low bitrate text chat software application over ham radios connected to a PC. Chirp symbols with an audio bandwidth of 2400 Hz (300-2700 Hz) are generated on the PC side for encoding the messages. Baseband audio signal is then transferred from PC to ham radio for modulation at the selected mode. SSB, FM and other types of modulation modes can be used. Forward error correction codes are used to correct messaging errors

Current version is tested on ICOM-7300 and YAESU FT991A radios. Other radios are supported but not tested yet. Future improved versions will support higher data rates or lower S/N ratios. 

Since the software is continually improved and data structures may have changed, newest version needs to be used for compatibility with all users. To ensure this, software will remind you to download and use the latest version when a new version is ready.

Specifications
Usable data rate (net user data) is 7 ASCII characters per second at -12 dB signal to noise ratio.
Eb/No (Energy per Bit to the Spectral Noise Density) is 5 db 
Measurement of received message SNR.
Measurement of chirp frequency shift in SSB mode.
You may download the software, user manual and brochure at the link below.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NQwbeoHE3vPLORGN1krpSNHHI9brhDJh?usp=sharing "

As of late 2024, this is all very new and I'm sure a lot of people will have questions as to how good is it? Will it be better than modes like JS8Call? And more critically, will it get a critical mass of users to make it worthwhile?

I'd suggest that at the moment, it should be seen as something of interest to those who like to experiment with digital modes on the HF bands and want to experiment to see how it compares to other modes.

It also seems to be a 'work in progress' project  but remember that the software for this mode is free and is being developed by one person. It'll be interesting to see how it develops.

TA2STO released the following video about it...

Update from TA2STO - 1st Dec 2024: 

- Hi, I am the author of LongChat chirp mode. I started it a few years ago as a project for low power sensor applications. Then I wanted to try it as an experimental digital ham mode.

- The link for the software is at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NQwbeoHE3vPLORGN1krpSNHHI9brhDJh

-LongChat is an encoder/ decoder. In general it should work on all modulations LSB, USB, FM, AM etc.

- I usually work with USB at lower band edges and LSB at upper band edge. It is easy to miss it when changing the modes. I guess I relied on IC7300 to disable transmission at band edges. IC 7300 does allow that though. I had no specific reason for using LSB. It works both on USB and LSB.

- I am preparing a new video to compare the power efficiencies of digital modes. I will post it when ready

- Newest version is 1.3.00 . Setup manual, version info and other things are also in the link above.

- LongChat is experimental and supports a number of radios. Untested radios are marked with * as the first character

- I am not an experience radio ham in operations and regulations. Maybe experienced radio hams can designate frequencies and protocols for test purposes.

- Since the signal is way below the noise level (-13 db) , there is yet no equivalent of a waterfall display like FT8, JS8 etc. This makes it harder to see the activity.

- You can view the waterfall in FT8 because it's minimum SNR is -4 db. and bandwidth is 50 hz . People quote -21 db as the SNR for FT8. This is the referred SNR if the bandwidth were to be widened to 2500 Hz. My next video will clarify these issues.

- Since there are no designated frequencies for LongChat, it is difficult to find some one for QSO

-There is also a criticism of LongChat not being open source . LongChat code has some new algorithms with IP value. If I open the source code to radio hams, people and companies with commercial interest will also have a free access. But I totally respect and mostly agree with the open source advocators.

- In short, LongChat is an experimental mode. My effort is to bring the SNR of LongChat to the limit dictated by the Shannon channel capacity theorem and make it the most power efficient mode.

- If people want to experiment with it, I am ready to support. I am not the best person to decide on the designated QSO frequencies, LSB or USB selection, protocols etc. If some of you want to do that , or perhaps open a group here or on google groups i.o, I would be happy to get involved.

Addendum: Matt, M0DQW released the following video which shows LongChat in operation...

Reception report of Dutch FM radio station in Finland...

Thanks to Rob, PE9PE for sending on this following news item. Omroep Venlo is a relatively low powered FM radio station in the south of the Netherlands running 0.5kW on 96.9 MHz.

On their website, they posted a story about how someone in Ivalo in the north of Finland had sent them a reception report with an audio recording which they put on their website... https://omroepvenlo.nl/nieuws/artikel/omroep-venlo-ook-in-lapland-in-de-ether

On their site, they write... "Omroep Venlo was temporarily audible in Lapland thanks to a natural phenomenon. A local radio amateur in Northern Finland picked up the signal and listened to music from Venlo." 

"52-year-old Marko Brask from Ivalo, Finland, some 2,300 kilometres north of Venlo, was surfing the airwaves when he came across a radio broadcast from Omroep Venlo. Brask could understand little of the song Waat Gaon We Doon by De Herfshane Band. Reason for him to write to Omroep Venlo and check whether the broadcast actually came from Venlo."

"That was correct; the fragment that Brask sent along is indeed from a broadcast of Omroep Venlo. The signal could be heard in Lapland thanks to a natural phenomenon with the ionosphere. This layer in the atmosphere can reflect radio signals back to the earth like a mirror. This allows signals on the FM band to be listened to over great distances."

They don't mention the date of the reception report but it sound likes it might have been Sporadic-E. The distance was 2236 kms which is just inside the maximum distance for one hop Sporadic-E.

Using Google search, I can see other reception reports for this person in Finland so it would seem like they are an experienced FM DXer rather than just some random person finding the station on an ordinary radio.

In itself, it's not all that special a reception report in terms of distance or power but it was still interesting to see a radio station acknowledge the report on their website.

VIDEO: Solar Cycle 25 update by Carl, K9LA

In November of 2024, Carl, K9LA gave a presentation titled "Review of Propagation in the First Half of Cycle 25, and forecast for the Second Half of Solar Cycle 25" to the Madison DX Club. In it, he looks at the data for the current sunspot cycle, what the bands are like and what the future might hold.

It was also interesting to note from the presentation a recent interesting skewed propagation path on the 50 MHz band between the UK and Japan.

The main presentation is about 24-minutes in length.

3000km opening on Band 2 (88-108 MHz) from Ireland to Western Sahara - 10th Nov 2024

Paul Logan in the north-west of Ireland is one of the most active FM DXers in Europe and on the 10th of Nov 2024, he caught an interesting opening on the 88-108 MHz band.

From about 11:00 to 12:00 UTC, he heard a large number of FM radio stations from Spain and Portugal due to a Sporadic-E opening. While this is quite normal during the summer Sporadic-E season, it is unusual during the month of November and especially at these frequencies.

However, the really interesting signals were those that were much further to the south. This is an extract from Paul's log...

Mode UTC  QRG ITU Station, location Distance km kW ERP Pol
Es 1209 87.90 AZR RTP Antena 2, Pico Alto de Santa Maria 2346 1 v
Es 1151 93.00 CNR COPE, Puerto del Rosario/Temejereque 2906  4
Es 1154 88.60 CNR Happy FM, Puerto del Rosario/Temejereque 2906 0.25
Es 1152 91.20 CNR Onda Fuerteventura, Puerto del Rosario/Temejereque 2906 0.5 m
Es 1149 87.70 CNR RNE Radio Clásica, Puerto del Rosario/Temejereque 2906 7 m
Es 1146 90.20 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al-Watania, Tarfaya 2960  4 v
Es 1146 93.90 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al-Watania, Laâyoune=El Aaiún 3050 3.16 v
Es 1146 91.00 MRC SNRT Radio Régionale de Laâyoune, Laâyoune=El Aaiún 3050 10 h
Es 1146 87.90 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al Amazighia, Laâyoune=El Aaiún 3050 10 h

AZR - Azores, CNR - Canary Islands, MRC - Morocco / Western Sahara

Note that the signals are in the lower portion of the 88-108 MHz band and the highest frequency listed is 93.9 MHz.

For this opening, Paul was using a SDR Play RSP1A receiver with a 9-element Yagi for Band 2.

The normal maximum range of single hop Sporadic-E signals is about 2300 kms so an explanation is required as to how the signals above were heard.

The image above shows the tropo forecast by Pascal, F5LEN showing enhanced conditions to the north of the Azores and Canary Islands.

It seems likely that while there was a Sporadic-E opening from Ireland to Spain and Portugal, this very likely extended to the west as well to the sea to the west of Portugal. This then coupled into a maritime surface tropo duct as far as the Azores, Canary Island and the Western Sahara / Morocco. 

Of course, no-one can say for certain that this is exactly what happened. There is always the possibility of two Sporadic-E hops but the chances of that are a lot lower then the combined Sp-E / Tropo scenario.

Paul Logan as a very active FM DXer has heard stations in this area before but it's usually during the summer Sporadic-E season. It's just very unusual to hear 3000 kms signals in mid-November.

Indeed, Paul reports that this is the first time he has heard the Canary Islands by Sporadic-E outside of the usual summer season.

Links...

1) For latest logs on FM DX, see https://www.fmlist.org/

2) For more examples of long distance reception reports, see my 88-108 MHz page.

TEP openings on the 144 MHz band from St Helena Island to Europe - Oct 2024

Back at the end of September 2024, I had a post on the blog about the first TEP contact on the 144 MHz band between Spain and St Helena in the South Atlantic, a distance of about 6,100 kms - Post HERE.

Just after that, other stations in Spain and Portugal were making TEP contacts with St Helena so I waited for the end of October to do a proper report.

First of all, I must give credit to Gabriel, EA6VQ who collects a list of TEP openings on his website... https://www.dxmaps.com/

As with all data, it's hard to know from just raw information what is going on. So I took the information and generated the map that is shown above to give a better idea of what happened during the month of October 2024.

Some notes...

1) # of Days... Out of the 31 days of October 2024, there were 22 days where Trans-Equatorial Propagation on 144 MHz was reported between St Helena and the Iberian peninsula. As Garry, ZD7GWM is the only person active on 144 MHz from St Helena, any reported activity obviously depends on him being active. 

There were also a few days where TEP didn't seem possible due to geomagnetic disturbances. 

Still though, it's remarkable that there was a TEP path on 144 MHz to St Helena on two-thirds of the days of the month.

2) Mode... The initial contact with EA4I last month was with the FT4 digital mode. They are now using modes more suitable for TEP. For the first half of the month, the Q65-30B mode was used while the Q65-60D mode was used in the second half.

3) Right Angles... At 144 MHz, the TEP paths cross the geomagnetic equator close to 90-degrees. This is where the value of map becomes a reality because we can see the spread east and west of the stations involved.

Most of the stations at the northern end of the TEP circuit are in Portugal and the EA4 & EA7 regions of Spain. It's interesting to see EA3CJ in the NE of Spain is the outlier and well to the east of the rest. 

4) Missing signals?... Sometimes, it's the missing signals that are interesting. There were no reports from the EA1 area in the NW of Spain. Too far north? There were also no reports from the EA5 or EA6 areas. Too far east?

5) Distances... The longest distances are in the region of 6,300 to 6,400 kms. A total of 17 stations were involved at the northern end of the TEP path. Even UT1FG/MM on a ship to the west of the Straits of Gibraltar managed to get in on the action!

CT1EEB IN50qr 6315km

CT7ABA IN60GD 6246km

CT1FCX IM59LG

CT1APE IM59kj

CT1FFU IM59kk

CT1DIZ IM58kp

CT1CAD IM67GE 

UT1FG/MM IM55

EA3CJ JN01SE 6403km

EA4GDA IM68MV

EA4I  IM68MU

EA4LU IM68TV

EA4CYQ IM78CX

EA7/SM0KAK IM76mm

EA7BPO  IM76SR

EA7HLB IM76OP

EA7FDW  IM76WS

6) Times... As is typical with evening type TEP, most of the signals were around 8pm local time. The earliest report was at 19:38 UTC and the last report was 21:32 UTC.

7) ZD7GWM... As far as  I know, Garry, ZD7GWM on St Helena has a modest station with just 50-watts from a Yaesu FT-897 into a Diamond X700H vertical antenna.

Analysis... I've been following the TEP tests in 2024 and it has been pretty remarkable just how often the path is there on 144 MHz. I think a lot of people expected it to be more sporadic but it often seems like TEP at certain times of the year is almost a daily occurrence.

Looking at the map, I think a lot of people will be wondering just how far north could this TEP path reach? Is it possible to reach the north of Spain? Could another propagation mode take the TEP signal further north to the likes of Ireland, Wales & the SW of England?

Sporadic-E would be an obvious answer but it's very unlikely at 144 MHz at 8pm on an evening in October. A maritime duct from Ireland to the north of Spain is more likely but signals don't seem to get too far inland into Spain.

It's very likely that the TEP signals from St Helena are in the north of Morocco but there is no-one there to exploit it.

I have a previous post about Garry's set up HERE

For more information about other long distance openings on the 2m band, see my 144 MHz page.

Opening from Guam to Ireland on the 50 MHz band - 5th Nov 2024

Tuesday 5th Nov 2024 - I had a quick listen to the FT8 frequency of 50.313 MHz today and almost straight away, I got FT8 decodes from India and Sri Lanka. It was obvious that there was some really good F2 propagation on the band.

I checked the PSKReporter website later to see if there were any good DX paths. I was interested to see that there was a path open from KG6DX on the island of Guam in the Pacific to Ireland & the UK.

Sometimes, it's not the distance that matters but how far north or south the path goes.

In this case, did the 50 MHz signals really go direct and pass that far north over Russia? Or was the path skewed with the signals following a path further south?

The solar flux today was 246 with a smoothed sunspot number of 191.

Here are some of the stations that had a path open to Guam (12,000kms +)

 Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC) SNR

CT1EEB KG6DX 6m FT8 13398 km 11:20:13 -15
KG6DX CT1EEB 6m FT8 13398 km 11:18:59 -15
CT7BIZ KG6DX 6m FT8 13360 km 11:25:43 -17
KG6DX EA5K 6m FT8 13311 km 11:18:59 -18
F4BKV KG6DX 6m FT8 12588 km 11:28:13 -18
F8BON KG6DX 6m FT8 12540 km 11:35:43 -15
F8DBF KG6DX 6m FT8 12494 km 11:20:13 -7
KG6DX F6HRP 6m FT8 12429 km 11:18:59 -12
G7RAU KG6DX 6m FT8 12377 km 11:39:43 -13
KG6DX G7RAU 6m FT8 12377 km 11:18:57 -1
G8BCG KG6DX 6m FT8 12309 km 11:35:43 -16
EI7BA KG6DX 6m FT8 12305 km 11:21:13 -16
EI3EBB KG6DX 6m FT8 12290 km 11:23:43 -11
KG6DX GE1SDX 6m FT8 12267 km 11:18:59 -11
KG6DX G0KDY 6m FT8 12260 km 11:18:59 -15
KG6DX G0ABI 6m FT8 12243 km 11:19:29 -7
G0GGG KG6DX 6m FT8 12150 km 11:24:43 -18
GW7SMV KG6DX 6m FT8 12147 km 11:29:13 -10
KG6DX GW7SMV 6m FT8 12147 km 11:19:56 -11
KG6DX G0KTN 6m FT8 12141 km 11:26:00 -9
F6GCP KG6DX 6m FT8 12140 km 11:18:43 -17
G4CCZ KG6DX 6m FT8 12068 km 11:21:13 -16
KG6DX GW0WZL 6m FT8 12052 km 11:18:57 -6
F5OHS KG6DX 6m FT8 12027 km 11:30:43 -16
G0MTN KG6DX 6m FT8 12019 km 11:28:13 -10
KG6DX GW8ASD 6m FT8 12005 km 11:18:56 -10
GW8ASD KG6DX 6m FT8 12005 km 11:17:13 -14

K6JEY talks to Ham Radio Workbench podcast about Earth Moon Earth Amateur Radio Operation

 

Over the last few months. I've been listening to some of the back catalogue of podcasts from the Ham Radio Workbench while I've been out walking. I recently listened to one titled 'Earth Moon Earth Operation'. 

In the podcast. Doug Millar, K6JEY talks to George, KJ6VU and Mike, VA3MW about his experience operating moonbounce on the 144 MHz and microwave amateur radio bands.

While the podcast is from September of 2020, I think a lot of people who are interested in the VHF and microwave bands will find it of interest.

The podcast itself at 2 hours 33 minutes is very long. The first 32 minutes is general chit chat with some microwave operation discussed.

The first part of the presentation proper begins at 32:00 and lasts until about 1:52:00. The photos and notes for this first section are shown in a PDF slideshow titled SIDEWALK EME... Link HERE 

The second part of the presentation starts at 1:52:00 and concludes at about 2:30:00. The second PDF slideshow is titled 10GHz EME Project... Link HERE 

40 MHz option added to popular ON4KST Chat site...

The ON4KST 'CHAT' website is a very popular tool for radio amateurs on the VHF & UHF bands as it allows them to exchange real time information with others about band conditions.

While there are several different platforms for information, each one tends to serve a different function.

The DX-Cluster is good for spotting DX stations on a particular frequency but the exchange of information is very limited.

There is the 40 MHz & 60 MHz group on Facebook with roughly 1200 members but that's more for post-opening analysis and the sharing of images.

The ON4KST pages have their own niche and it allows for the rapid exchange of short live time messages about what's happening on a particular band.

An screenshot of the CHAT site is shown above.

There used to be some 40 MHz traffic before on the 50 MHz chat page but with more people experimenting on the band, Alain ON4KST has kindly set up a separate page for 8m activity.

The link is http://www.on4kst.info/

For more info on the 8m band, see my 40 MHz page.

17,000km+ opening on the 50 MHz band from the UK to Sydney, Australia - 27th Oct 2024

There's an expression in the English language called 'CAN'T SEE THE WOOD FOR THE TREES'. Sometimes DX on the VHF bands can be like this, you can see a flood of reports and contacts on a particular band during an opening but the exceptional DX reports often get missed.

There have been many reports of openings in the last week from Australia to Europe but a lot of these are from the south of Europe and to places like Western Australia (VK6). There's a huge difference between say an opening on 6m from Perth to Athens compared to say an opening from the UK to New South Wales.

Conditions on Sunday the 27th of October 2024 were really good on the 50 MHz band and Stewart, G0LGS in the west of England reports working VK2IR in Sydney, Australia... a distance just under 17,120kms.

Stewart sends on the following report... "After being on six (on/off) since 1985 I was lucky to get one of those magic moments on Six just after 07:00 on Sunday 27th October 2024

I was up early and had the beam looking East for a while on 6m FT8 (50.313) when at 07:07:15 I saw VK2IR calling an OZ station (Denmark).

I immediately stated calling CQ and after 4 calls at 07:09:15 UTC. VK2IR called me giving me -17. Report, my report back was R-17 and at that point the conditions faded a little (I could see faint trace in waterfall but no decodes) and I was not sure if we would complete however at 07:11:45. I finally received RR73 for my first ever 6m contact with VK at 17,089km.

This QSO was later confirmed on LoTW

Paul G4RRA saw things a little better than I did and during that period when VK2IR also worked PA3GCV and then just after that PA0O and PC5C as can be seen from Paul's Screenshot.

I am told that this might be the best distance Terrestrial DX on 6m from the UK so far this season.

On Monday some UK and EU stations managed to make SSB QSOs with VK6 and on Tuesday some had SSB QSO's with DU6/PE1NSQ and FT8 with both DU6/PE1NSQ and 4S7AB and others, but I missed out on those.

Currently (Weds 0820) VK's are getting good propagation to East EU and Scandinavia."

G0LGS was using an ICOM IC-7300 with an Acom 1000 Linear (set to about 700W) with a 4 Ele LFA at 7m above ground level.

Analysis... As we reach the peak of the current sunspot cycle, conditions are really getting good on the 50 MHz band. Unlike previous solar peaks when the dominant modes were SSB and CW, there are now huge numbers of stations using weak signal modes like FT8 which allows reception of very weak signals buried in the noise. It's probably fair to say that openings and contacts are being made now that would have gone unnoticed in the past.

On the 27th of October, the solar flux was at 246 and the sunspot number was 198. The propagation mode was via the F2 layer of the ionosphere.

Over the next few months, we're likely to see more remarkable paths appearing on the 50 MHz band and now is the time to be active on the band. If the 6m band can open from the NW of Europe to the SE of Australia then there should be plenty of more opportunities.

Link... See my 50 MHz page for more reports of other long distance openings on the 6m band.

Trans-Atlantic opening on the 50 MHz band - 31st Oct 2024

Now that we're at or near the peak of the sunspot cycle, there are plenty of reports on the 50 MHz (6m) amateur radio band. While north-side openings are reasonably common, it's the east-west openings from more northerly latitudes that are more difficult.

One of the key indicators of very good conditions on the 50 MHz band is an opening across the North Atlantic from Europe to North America. On the 31st of October 2024, there was one such opening as can be seen above.

The map shows the 50 MHz paths on FT8 from EI3KD on the south coast of Ireland but I'm sure there were plenty of other similar paths for stations in the UK and Ireland.

It's interesting to see the footprint of the signals in the USA dropping off around the 6,000km mark which would suggest perhaps 2 x 3000km hops.

The key takeaway message is that now is the time to get on the 50 MHz band and make the most of the good openings. There should be plenty of openings on the 6m band over the next few months.

40 MHz reception report from Bill Smith, W1-7897 for May to August 2024

Thanks to short wave listener Bill Smith, W1-7897 for sending on his 40 MHz reception report for May to August of 2024.

Bill who is located near Douglas in Massachusetts in the United States is using a Yaesu FT-847 as a receiver on the 40 MHz (8m) band with a 5-element beam for the 50 MHz band about 6m above ground level.

The period in question covers the summer Sporadic-E season and it's a good example of just how hard to hear any relevant signals if there is no-one in range.

At first sight, the north-eastern part of the USA might seem like a good location for Sporadic-E and it is on bands like 50 MHz / 6m. On the 40 MHz band however, nearly all of the amateur radio or experimental stations are located well outside the 1-hop Sporadic-E range of about 2300kms.

During the four months of May, June, July & August, the pickings were slim with just two stations heard in the Caribbean which may have been double hop Sporadic-E.

40 MHz reception report from Bill Smith, W1-7897 for May to August 2024:

1st May 2024: PJ4MM in Bonaire (FK52) brief CQ 19:36 to 19:37 UTC  -16dB in strength. No Reply. 

3rd June 2024: ZF1EJ (EK99) logged 12:37 and 12:39 UTC calling CQ from the Cayman Islands. No answer. Signal Strength -17 dB on 40.680 MHz FT8.

15th June 2024: PJ4MM (FK52) logged at 20:50 UTC one CQ Call with no answer; Signal strength -16dB  on 40.680 MHz FT8.

18th June 2024: PJ4MM (FK52) called CQ from 16:47 until 17:03 UTC. No answers. Signal Strength ranged from -19dB to -7dB on 40.680 MHz FT8.

RX: FT-847.  Bill Smith, SWL W1-7897 Douglas, MA (FN42DA).

Thanks for the report Bill!

For more information on the 40 MHz band, go to https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/p/40-mhz.html

Opening on the 40 MHz band between N Australia and NW Europe - 23rd Oct 2024

A week ago on the 16th of Oct 2024, I reported on how there was an opening on the 40 MHz (8m) band from the north of Australia to the south of Europe. Conditions are gradually improving and on the 23rd of October, there was a similar opening but this time, it was from the north of Australia to the north-west of Europe. I have included a log of reports at the bottom of this post.

The map above shows the FT8 reports from PSK Reporter and the frequency is use was 40.680 MHz, the main centre of activity for all modes on the 8m band.

Mark, VK8MS in Australia was operating under the terms of the LIPD (Low Interference Potential Devices) Class Licence.  LIPD allows Australian citizens to operate on several bands in the low VHF spectrum with the need for a licence if the power output is below certain levels.

For the frequency range of 40.660 to 41.000 MHz (340 kHz), a maximum of 1-watt ERP can be used.

I have more details about the Australian LIPD licence in this previous post... https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2024/01/low-vhf-band-lipd-licence-in-australia.html

In general, the further the path moves away from the equator, the more difficult the path. It's one thing for VHF signals from Australia to reach the south of Europe but when path opens to places like the UK and Ireland then it's worth taking note.

The key takeaway from this post is that conditions on the 40 MHz band are improving and if the maximum usable frequency is reaching as high as 40 MHz then there is a chance that an opening on the 50 MHz band isn't too far behind.

Link... For more information on the 8m band, see my 40 MHz page.

Log for VK8MS on PSK Reporter...

A mystery QRSS signal on 28 MHz from North America - 21st Oct 2024

Over the last few days, there has been a mysterious QRSS signal on 28.1246 MHz USB which is also the WSPR frequency on the 10m band. I was seeing it during the afternoon and evening so I guessed it was probably from North America.

It was usually very weak and I was usually only getting fragments of the QRSS signal. I tried to make sense of the dots and dashes but I couldn't be sure if I was actually get real dots and dashes or was it just part of the signal that was missing.

The screen capture above is one of the better ones from the 20th of October. The QRSS signal at the bottom is from AE0V but who was at the top? It didn't seem to make any sense.

On the 21st of October, I got two reasonable screen captures. I then posted these to https://groups.io/g/qrssknights to see if anyone could help. This forum is the main source for all up to date information regarding QRSS signals.

Thanks to Halldór, TF3HZ in Iceland, he was able to solve the mystery! He posted the following...

Finally with this information, all the pieces fitted into place. These are my screen grabs from the 21st of October with the signal shown.

The mystery signal is from KC2CHK in the state of New York and his locator / grid square is FN13WD.

With most QRSS signals, a dash is represented by a long dash and a dot is represented by a short dash. 

KC2CHK is using the same length of short dash for both dots and dashes except that the real dashes are at the top of the QRSS waveform whereas the dots are at the bottom.

In the example above, you can see it starts with 'Up - Down - Up' which is 'dash dot dash' which is the letter K.

Some letters can be particularly confusing especially when the signals are weak. An example is the letter H. When the signals are very weak, it looks like one very long dash. But on closer inspection, you can see that it's actually four short dashes on the lower part of the waveform i.e. four short dots which is the letter H.

Mystery solved, thanks Halldór!

WSPR... I checked the WSPR ROCKS website and sure enough, I had actually heard KC2CHK sixty-nine times over the space of three days (19th, 20th & 21st of Oct 2024) on 10m. His power is listed at just 0.2 watts and is likely alternating between WSPR and QRSS signals for his transmissions.

The strongest WSPR signal is -18dB which means in reality means that it's inaudible to the human ear. If the QRSS signal wasn't shown by software on a screen then I wouldn't have known it existed.

Propagation... The distance of the path from my location on the south coast of Ireland to KC2CHK in New York is about 5000kms which suggested to me that it was F2 layer double hop.

The map above from VOACAP seems to support this as you can see the skip zone in the middle of the Atlantic and the second F2 hop covering parts of western Europe.

Equipment... Frederick, KC2CHK reports that he was using a QRP-Labs Ultimate3S for the transmitter which is running about 200-milliwatts into a half wave dipole about 5.5m above ground level. It was only built in October of 2024 so this is a new QRSS signal on the band. The antenna is oriented east west which means the best radiation is probably in the north south directions.

QRP Labs Ultimate 3S units for 50 MHz & 28 MHz at KC2CHK

Frederick also confirms that he is running DFCW instead of FSKCW just to speed up the transmission, as it can go out in much less time than FSKCW.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 26-callsigns & 11 DXCC.

1) 8th Jan 2024: VE1VDM - DXCC #1

2) 10th Jan 2024: VA1VM

3) 15th Jan 2024: G0MBA - DXCC #2

4) 15th Jan 2024: G0PKT

5) 15th Jan 2024: AE0V - DXCC #3

6) 16th Jan 2024: RD4HU - DXCC #4

7) 16th Jan 2024: W1BW

8) 17th Jan 2024: OH5KUY - DXCC #5

9) 18th Jan 2024: TF3HZ - DXCC #6

10) 6th Feb 2024: VA3RYV

11) 16th Feb 2024: IK2JET - DXCC #7

12) 16th Feb 2024: N8NJ

13) 21st Feb 2024: PY3FF - DXCC #8

14) 26th Feb 2024: VE6NGK

15) 27th Feb 2024: NM5ER

16) 28th Feb 2024: VK4BAP - DXCC #9

17) 2nd Mar 2024: WA1EDJ

18) 5th Mar 2024: FR1GZ/B - DXCC #10

19) 30th Apr 2024: IK1WVQ

20) 8th May 2024: IW0HK/B

21) 14th May 2024: IZ1KXQ/B

22) 3rd Jun 2024: M0GBZ

23) 3rd Jun 2024: G0FTD

24) 17th Oct 2024: AA7US

25) 19th Oct 2024: DJ5CW - DXCC #11

26) 21st Oct 2024: KC2CHK

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - DJ5CW in Germany - 19th Oct

As part of a challenge for 2024, I've decided to see how many QRSS signals I could capture on the 28 MHz band during the year. On the 19th of October, I heard / saw the QRSS signal of DJ5CW in Germany.

QRSS is a mode where a morse code signal is sent very slowly over the space of several minutes allowing very weak signals to be displayed on a waterfall display.

The story behind this reception report started at 10:23 UTC when I got an email from Fabian, DJ5CW to say that he was doing QRSS tests on 28 MHz until 14:00 UTC and if I wanted to try and capture his signal.

The thing about QRSS is that it is a 'visual mode' and I use the SpectrumLab software to capture the waterfall display in 10-minute periods. This means that if I'm not checking the screen on a regular basis then it can be easy to miss a signal.

I checked for the QRSS signal from DJ5CW and there was nothing on the screen. I did notice however that I was hearing WSPR signals from Germany so I suspected that there was some Sporadic-E propagation about.

I sent Fabian an email an email at 10:41 UTC to say that I would look for his signal. Needless to say, as soon as I sent the email, his signal appeared! 😂

At 10:52 UTC, I got a good capture of the QRSS signals on the waterfall and these are shown above.

As noted already, I believe the signal from DJ5CW was via Sporadic-E and as can be seen, it's a nice clean display. 

I think the signals from G0PKT and G0MBA near London are via F2 layer backscatter and there is a certain amount of fuzz on these signals. I see these two signals every day and they are almost ever present as long as there is some sort of decent F2 propagation on the 10m band.

G0MBA and G0PKT are about 650kms from my location and are usually a bit too close for Sporadic-E. DJ5CW at just under 1500kms is just about perfect for Sporadic-E when it appears on the band.

Equipment... For this reception report, I was using a simple CB half-wave vertical about 4m above ground level. DJ5CW was using an Elecraft K2 transceiver which is keyed by an Arduino microcontroller. The power output was 1-watt into a 13m long vertical antenna on a fiberglass mast looking out of a skylight window of his 4th floor flat in central Munich

LCWO... As you might guess from the callsign, Fabian is a big fan of CW / morse code. He is the owner of the Learn CW Online website... https://lcwo.net/

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 25-callsigns & 11 DXCC.

1) 8th Jan 2024: VE1VDM - DXCC #1
2) 10th Jan 2024: VA1VM
3) 15th Jan 2024: G0MBA - DXCC #2
4) 15th Jan 2024: G0PKT
5) 15th Jan 2024: AE0V - DXCC #3
6) 16th Jan 2024: RD4HU - DXCC #4
7) 16th Jan 2024: W1BW
8) 17th Jan 2024: OH5KUY - DXCC #5
9) 18th Jan 2024: TF3HZ - DXCC #6
10) 6th Feb 2024: VA3RYV
11) 16th Feb 2024: IK2JET - DXCC #7
12) 16th Feb 2024: N8NJ
13) 21st Feb 2024: PY3FF - DXCC #8
14) 26th Feb 2024: VE6NGK
15) 27th Feb 2024: NM5ER
16) 28th Feb 2024: VK4BAP - DXCC #9
17) 2nd Mar 2024: WA1EDJ
18) 5th Mar 2024: FR1GZ/B - DXCC #10
19) 30th Apr 2024: IK1WVQ
20) 8th May 2024: IW0HK/B
21) 14th May 2024: IZ1KXQ/B
22) 3rd Jun 2024: M0GBZ
23) 3rd Jun 2024: G0FTD
24) 17th Oct 2024: AA7US
25) 19th Oct 2024: DJ5CW - DXCC #11

VIDEO: Solar Cycle 25 - predictions V reality ...by Steve Nichols, G0YKA

At the recent RSGB Convention, there were a number of presentations given on the live stream. On the stream for Sunday 13th October 2024, Steve Nichols, G0YKA gave a presentation titled 'Solar Cycle 25 - predictions V reality'.

In the presentation, G0YKA looks at what the predictions for the peak of solar cycle 25 were, what the peak is actually turning out to be like and what the near future might hold.

The live stream for Sunday 13th Oct is embedded below. Use the controls to move forward to 5:31:52 for the start of the presentation. 

The talk is about 45-minutes in length and ends at 6:16:35.

See video below, just press the red play button...

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - AA7US in Arizona - 17th Oct

As part of a challenge for 2024, I've decided to see how many QRSS signals I could capture on the 28 MHz band during the year. On the 17th of October, I heard AA7US in Arizona during an F2 layer opening during the afternoon.

The QRSS signal can be seen at the top of the graphic above. I also heard AE0V who I had heard earlier this year.

QRSS is a mode where a morse code signal is sent very slowly over the space of several minutes allowing very weak signals to be displayed on a waterfall display.

G0MBA and G0PKT were probably via F2 layer backscatter to the west.

The path from my location on the south coast of Ireland to AA7US in Arizona is just over 8000kms which was probably 2-3 F2 layer hops.

John, AA7US was using 1.5-watts from a QRPGuys AFP-FSK Digital Transceiver III kit into a horizontal Hamstick dipole mounted about 5 metres above ground on a mast on the back of an RV.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 24-callsigns & 10 DXCC.

1) 8th Jan 2024: VE1VDM - DXCC #1
2) 10th Jan 2024: VA1VM
3) 15th Jan 2024: G0MBA - DXCC #2
4) 15th Jan 2024: G0PKT
5) 15th Jan 2024: AE0V - DXCC #3
6) 16th Jan 2024: RD4HU - DXCC #4
7) 16th Jan 2024: W1BW
8) 17th Jan 2024: OH5KUY - DXCC #5
9) 18th Jan 2024: TF3HZ - DXCC #6
10) 6th Feb 2024: VA3RYV
11) 16th Feb 2024: IK2JET - DXCC #7
12) 16th Feb 2024: N8NJ
13) 21st Feb 2024: PY3FF - DXCC #8
14) 26th Feb 2024: VE6NGK
15) 27th Feb 2024: NM5ER
16) 28th Feb 2024: VK4BAP - DXCC #9
17) 2nd Mar 2024: WA1EDJ
18) 5th Mar 2024: FR1GZ/B - DXCC #10
19) 30th Apr 2024: IK1WVQ
20) 8th May 2024: IW0HK/B
21) 14th May 2024: IZ1KXQ/B
22) 3rd Jun 2024: M0GBZ
23) 3rd Jun 2024: G0FTD
24) 17th Oct 2024: AA7US

Opening on the 40 MHz band between Australia and Europe - 16th Oct 2024

It was interesting to see that there was a good opening on the 40 MHz (8m) band on the 16th of Oct 2024 from the north of  Australia to Europe.

The map above shows the FT8 reports from PSK Reporter and the frequency is use was 40.680 MHz, the main centre of activity for all modes on the 8m band.

Mark, VK8MS in Australia was operating under the terms of the LIPD (Low Interference Potential Devices) Class Licence.  LIPD allows Australian citizens to operate on several bands in the low VHF spectrum with the need for a licence if the power output is below certain levels.

For the frequency range of 40.660 to 41.000 MHz (340 kHz), a maximum of 1-watt ERP can be used.

I have more details about the Australian LIPD licence in this previous post... https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2024/01/low-vhf-band-lipd-licence-in-australia.html

I have included a log of reports below...

Some of these are reception reports by the stations in Europe but FT8 reports were exchanged with EA7KBX in Spain who was running 25-watts to a 4-element beam.

I believe EA3ERE who was running 10-watts also exchanged FT8 reports with VK8MS.

In conclusion... This is a nice example of some long distance paths which are now possible at the peak of the solar cycle on the 40 MHz band. There will be many times where the maximum usable frequency will support 40 MHz propagation but 50 MHz is a little too high. Sometimes, these 40 MHz openings can give advanced warning of potential openings on 6m.

Over the next few months, we should see plenty of long distance paths like this on the 8m band.

If you want to try and you have a suitable radio, just tune to 40.680 MHz USB and set up FT8 on your computer. Leave your radio on that frequency during daylight hours and see what you can hear.

Link... For more information on the 8m band, see my 40 MHz page.

L-Match antenna coupler for the low VHF bands - 40 MHz to 70 MHz

Peter, VK3YE has just released a video on his YouTube channel about a very simple L-match antenna coupler for the 50 MHz band.

As Peter marks in the intro to the video... "Most HF antenna couplers have too much minimum inductance and capacitance to work up to 50 MHz. Here's one that uses just two parts. "

In the video, Peter uses a ferrite core but you could also try an air spaced inductor to get the required 0.5uH.

According to the calculator on the M0UKD website, an 11-turn coil with a diameter of 10mm and 20mm in length will give an inductance of 0.49 uH. Website HERE

This type of simple L-match will also work on the other low VHF bands. For 40 MHz, try an extra 2-3 turns and a little bit more capacitance. For higher bands like 70 MHz, try a few less turns and lower capacitance. The key is to experiment.

Many people use non-resonant antennas when they are trying to listen to the low VHF bands like 40 MHz, 50 MHz or 70 MHz. A lot of short wave listeners and radio amateurs may have antennas for the HF and short wave bands but may not have anything for listening above 30 MHz.

A simple L-match antenna coupler like this is an interesting way to get a better antenna match and improve reception.

See the video below from VK3YE...