It looks as if there is a remarkable tropo opening in progress at the moment with EA8CXN on the Canary Islands making contact with several stations in the Caribbean on FT8 & SSB on 144 MHz!
These are some of the stations listed on the PSK Reporter website for the 27th of August 2020...
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
NP4BM EA8CXN 2m FT8 5236 km 19:26:26
EA8CXN KP4EIT 2m FT8 5189 km 18:00:44
WP3DN EA8CXN 2m FT8 5158 km 20:18:59
WP4G EA8CXN 2m FT8 5153 km 20:25:11
J69DS EA8CXN 2m FT8 4850 km 22:04:14
FM5CS EA8CXN 2m FT8 4836 km 17:49:26
FG8OJ EA8CXN 2m FT8 4775 km 19:25:26
Note that EA8DEC was also heard across the Atlantic...
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
EA8DEC NP4BM 2m FT8 5236 km 23:30:14
Updates further down the post...
Note the distance! Several are in excess of 5000 kms which would be a new distance record for a 144 MHz contact across the Atlantic.
Back on the 8th of April 2020, D4VHF on Cape Verde worked PJ2BR on Curacao and the distance on that occasion was about 4759 kms. It looks as if the new contact by EA8CXN to NP4BM in Puerto Rico has extended that record by roughly 500 kms.
This is the tropo map from F5LEN which shows a marine duct across the Atlantic...
Note that this opening in still in progress and there does seem to be a remote possibility of an opening from the west coast of Spain & Portugal to the Caribbean!
Here are some of the screenshots of the FT8 contacts with EA8CXN...
EA8CXN and FG8OJ...
EA8CXN and WP3DN...
Update - 28th of August - 13:17 UTC: The trans-Atlantic path is still open on the 28th...
This is heard/sent log for EA8CXN on the PSK reporter website...
Txmtr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
NP4BM 2m FT8 5236 km 12:45:26
KP4EIT 2m FT8 5189 km 12:42:26
WP4JCF 2m FT8 5170 km 21:46:26
WP3DN 2m FT8 5158 km 10:53:29
WP4G 2m FT8 5153 km 11:15:26
FG5GH 2m FT8 4809 km 12:09:44
FG8OJ 2m FT8 4775 km 12:47:26
Reports for EA8DEC...
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
KP4EIT EA8DEC 2m FT8 5189 km 12:32:59
FG8OJ EA8DEC 2m FT8 4775 km 12:06:14
Reports for EA8TX...
Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
NP4BM 2m FT8 5219 km 12:54:44
KP4EIT 2m FT8 5173 km 12:57:44
WP3DN 2m FT8 5141 km 09:46:41
WP4G 2m FT8 5136 km 09:48:44
DX-Cluster spots for the 27th of August...
EA8DEC 144174.0 KP4EIT 23:56 27 Aug IL18SK TR FK68 FT8 Puerto Rico
EA8DEC 144174.0 NP4BM 23:39 27 Aug IL18SK - FK68 FT8 Puerto Rico
KP4EIT-@ 144174.0 EA8DEC 23:52 27 Aug -13 TNX Canary Islands
NP4BM-@ 144174.0 EA8CXN 19:07 27 Aug still strong Canary Islands
KP4EIT-@ 144280.0 EA8CXN 18:11 27 Aug swl 4/4 fk68 Canary Islands
NP4BM-@ 144174.0 EA8CXN 17:32 27 Aug calling cq Canary Islands
NP4BM-@ 144174.0 EA8CXN 17:10 27 Aug tnx ft8 qso tropo Canary Islands
EB1DJ 144174.0 KP4EIT 23:57 27 Aug TR FT8 -22 dB 1092 Hz Puerto Rico
Update - 28th August 2020 - 15:21 UTC: Alex, EB1DJ in the north-west of Spain reports that he got one single decode of the FT8 signal from KP4EIT in Puerto Rico.
EB1DJ 144174.0 KP4EIT 23:57 27 Aug TR FT8 -22dB
As you can see from the report above, the signal was pretty weak at -22dB so it was buried in the noise. It does however show the potential of the path and if the conditions are right, it may happen again.
To put this in context, the distance from NW Spain to Puerto Rico is just over 6000 kms!
Update - 28th August 2020 - 17:10 UTC: Video of the SSB contact on 144 MHz between EA8CXN on Tenerife on the Canary Islands and FM5CS in Martinque. Just remember, this is just a 4800 kms contact on 144 MHz across the Atlantic! ...
In this second video, EA8CXN completes another SSB contact with FG8OJ in Guadeloupe...
DX-Cluster spots for the 28th of August...
Spotter Freq. DX Time Info Country
KP4EIT-@ 144174.0 EA8CXN 19:34 28 Aug -14 thanks Cesar Canary Islands
WP4JCF 144174.0 EA8CXN 19:06 28 Aug rx -20 in kp4... Canary Islands
KP4EIT-@ 144174.0 EA8DEC 12:38 28 Aug -20 GRACIAS Canary Islands
KP4EIT-@ 144174.0 EA8TX 09:07 28 Aug SWL -12 INTO FK68 Canary Islands
KP4EIT-@ 144174.0 EA8TX 00:01 28 Aug -12 TNX Canary Islands
EA8CXN 144175.0 KP4EIT 19:33 28 Aug FK68 TR IL18 -12DB. Thanks QSO Puerto Rico
EA8TX 144174.0 KP4EIT 12:24 28 Aug hrd -2db Pse 144.260ssb Puerto Rico
EA8DEC 144174.0 FG8OJ 12:10 28 Aug IL18SK TR FK96 FT8 CQ Guadeloupe
EA8DEC 144174.0 KP4EIT 09:35 28 Aug IL18SK TR FK68 FT8 CQ Puerto Rico
EA8DEC 144174.0 WP4G 00:52 28 Aug IL18SK TR FK68 FT8 Puerto Rico
Update - 30th Aug 2020 - 09:00 UTC: EA8CXN has now put details of the opening in a post on his blog... see HERE
Summary....
EA8CXN works 7 stations in the Caribbean on FT8 and 2 on SSB.
EA8DEC works 3 on FT8.
This is the sequence of events on 144 MHz....
27th Aug 2020 - 17:08 UTC: EA8CXN completes a contact on FT8 with NP4BM in Puerto Rico. Signal reports of -9dB and -13dB are exchanged. The distance was about 5243 kms which is a new record for a trans-Atlantic contact on 144 MHz.
27th Aug - 17:15 UTC: EA8CXN complete a FT8 contact with FG8OJ in Guadeloupe (~4780 kms). Reports of +25dB and -2dB are exchanged.
27th Aug - 17:20 UTC: EA8CXN and FG8OJ complete a contact on SSB.
27th Aug - 17:51 UTC: EA8 CXN completes a contact on FT8 with FM5CS in Martinique (~4842 kms). Reports of -11dB and -18dB are exchanged.
27th Aug - 17:55 UTC: EA8CXN and FM5CS complete a contact on SSB.
27th Aug - 18:20 UTC: EA8CXN completes a contact on FT8 with WP3DN (5165 kms). Reports of -12dB and -17dB are exchanged.
27th Aug - 19:24 UTC: EA8CXN completes a contact on FT8 with J69DS on St.Lucia (-4856 kms). Reports of -5dB and -6dB are exchanged.
27th Aug - 23:44 UTC: EA8DEC completes a contact on FT8 with NP4BM on Puerto Rico. Reports of -11dB and -14dB are exchanged.
28th Aug - 00:08 UTC: EA8DEC completes a contact on FT8 with KP4EIT (5193 kms). Reports of -13dB and -13dB are exchanged.
28th Aug - 00:46 UTC: EA8DEC completes a contact on FT8 with WP4G (5156 kms). Reports of -14dB and -15dB are exchanged.
28th Aug - 19:33 UTC: EA8CXN completes a contact on FT8 with KP4EIT (5196 kms). Reports of -14dB and -19dB are exchanged.
28th Aug - 21:49 UTC: EA8CXN completes a contact on FT8 with WP4JCF (5176 kms). Reports of -12dB and -9dB are exchanged.
Working conditions for EA8CXN...
Antenna: 6el BigSignal Quad
FT8 transceiver: Yaesu FT-991
SSB transceiver: Icom IC-970H
Amplifier: 500W Telecom 2m HK
Update 2nd Sept 2020: Thanks to Fernando, EA8TX for supplying the following info.
EA8TX was the third station in the Canary Islands to make contacts on 144 MHz to the Caribbean. Located on the island of Tenerife, Fernando managed to complete two FT8 contacts with KP4EIT and WP4G on Puerto Rico.
Fernando also reports that KP4EIT peaked at -1dB on FT8 but soon faded down to -12dB to -20dB where the signal remained for a long time. Fernando speculates that a SSB contact might have been possible but it would have required trying just at the peak of the strongest signal where as the signals were well into the noise for most of the time.
Fernando also decoded NP4BM but was unable to hear the more southerly stations in Guadeloupe and Mantinue due to high ground in the way.
That pretty much closes off the post for this opening as I think that gives a good idea of what happened and who worked who. If anyone has any additional information then please let me know.
Links...
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