3000km+ opening on 144 MHz between the USA and the Caribbean - 13th July 2021

In this post, we'll look at what looks like an unusual 3000km+ opening in North America between the USA and the Caribbean on the 13th of July 2021.

There seems to have been two very active Sporadic-E regions that were both capable of supporting propagation at 144 MHz. The map above shows the paths on FT8 from WP4KJJ in Puerto Rico to the USA. Most of the stations in Florida, in the SE of the USA and up the east coast are all likely to be one hop Sporadic-E. That cluster of stations out around the 3000km mark are probably double hop Sporadic-E.

The longest path that I found on the PSK Reporter website was between WP4KJJ in Puerto Rico and K2DRH in the NE of Illinois, a distance just over 3470kms.

The double hop part of the opening seems to have been mostly confined to Puerto Rico (KP4) and the Dominican Republic (HI8). The map above from HI8DL shows the same single hop and double hop Sporadic-E pattern.

K2DRH seems to have been the furthest away from the Caribbean stations and this is the FT8 map for him...

As you can see, it shows some single hop Sporadic-E to Florida as well as double hop to the Caribbean.

I also found another 3000km+ opening between K2TXB in New Jersey and PJ4NX in Bonaire at 15:02 UTC.

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)

K2TXB PJ4NX 2m FT8 3172 km 15:02:30

NV4B also reports that he made a FT8 contact with J79WTA in Dominica, a distance of just over 3370kms.

J79WTA

NV4B 2m FT8 3381 km 15:51:30

WB4OMG 2m FT8 2548 km 17:05:29

On the DX Cluster, N0JK in the east of Kansas reported hearing WP4KJJ at -18dB although the report didn't appear on the PSK Reporter website. The distance was just under 3650kms.

N0JK 144174.0 WP4KJJ 17:05 13 Jul EM28IX<>FK68XF copied -18 rpt

While there were some SSB contacts made, most if not all of the double hop ones were via FT8.

Propagation Mode: It does seem that in this instance, it really was a case of a double hop Sporadic-E opening. The tropo forecast shows some enhancement over the ocean but I suspect it was mostly double hop. 

Whether it reflected off the Atlantic ocean at the mid point or was chordal hop (Sp-E cloud to cloud) is open to debate.

There did seem to be another smaller double hop opening around 22:00 UTC but the data I have presented here is after the first one.

These are the FT8 reports that I saw over 2500kms for the opening around 17:00 UTC...

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
K2DRH HI8T 2m FT8 3223 km 16:56:14
HI8T KA9CFD 2m FT8 3160 km 16:55:26
KA9CFD HI8T 2m FT8 3160 km 16:53:14

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
K2DRH HI8DL 2m FT8 3219 km 16:49:11
KA9CFD HI8DL 2m FT8 3156 km 16:48:14
AA9MY HI8DL 2m FT8 3082 km 17:11:26
N4JQQ HI8DL 2m FT8 2702 km 17:06:41
AG4V HI8DL 2m FT8 2701 km 17:00:11
WB4LHD HI8DL 2m FT8 2678 km 17:02:11
NV4B HI8DL 2m FT8 2502 km 17:08:11

K2DRH HI8GSP 2m FT8 3223 km 16:49:14
KA9CFD HI8GSP 2m FT8 3160 km 16:48:44
AA9MY HI8GSP 2m FT8 3086 km 17:11:29
WB4LHD HI8GSP 2m FT8 2681 km 17:02:14

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
K2DRH WP3DN 2m FT8 3448 km 16:55:41
KA9CFD WP3DN 2m FT8 3398 km 16:36:11
AG4V WP3DN 2m FT8 2986 km 17:00:11
NV4B WP3DN 2m FT8 2780 km 16:09:41
WP3DN NV4B 2m FT8 2780 km 15:49:59
KY4G WP3DN 2m FT8 2724 km 16:15:41
WP3DN KY4G 2m FT8 2724 km 15:56:29
KC4JD WP3DN 2m FT8 2584 km 16:29:41
K4MY WP3DN 2m FT8 2525 km 16:04:11
W3CP WP3DN 2m FT8 2513 km 16:21:41
WP3DN W3CP 2m FT8 2513 km 15:49:59
KE4IP WP3DN 2m FT8 2505 km 16:03:14

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
WP4KJJ K2DRH 2m FT8 3474 km 16:44:57
K2DRH WP4KJJ 2m FT8 3474 km 16:44:41
KA9CFD WP4KJJ 2m FT8 3425 km 16:48:11
WP4KJJ KA9CFD 2m FT8 3425 km 16:45:26
WP4KJJ KO9A 2m FT8 3372 km 17:04:56
WP4KJJ AA9MY 2m FT8 3344 km 16:55:26
NV9L WP4KJJ 2m FT8 3255 km 16:45:41
WB9Z WP4KJJ 2m FT8 3255 km 16:43:41
WP4KJJ NV9L 2m FT8 3255 km 16:43:26
WP4KJJ WB9Z 2m FT8 3255 km 16:37:56
WP4KJJ N8CC 2m FT8 3245 km 16:08:56
KT8O WP4KJJ 2m FT8 3146 km 16:50:14
WP4KJJ WB8ZBT 2m FT8 3017 km 16:38:29
WB8ZBT WP4KJJ 2m FT8 3017 km 16:18:41
AG4V WP4KJJ 2m FT8 3012 km 16:38:41
WP4KJJ N4JQQ 2m FT8 3011 km 16:42:59
W4JIT WP4KJJ 2m FT8 2964 km 16:32:11
WP4KJJ K1PTF 2m FT8 2903 km 15:44:26
WP4KJJ NV4B 2m FT8 2806 km 16:56:14
NV4B WP4KJJ 2m FT8 2806 km 16:25:11
KY4G WP4KJJ 2m FT8 2750 km 16:37:11
WP4KJJ KY4G 2m FT8 2750 km 16:33:59
KI4IIV WP4KJJ 2m FT8 2749 km 16:33:44
WP4KJJ KI4IIV 2m FT8 2749 km 16:25:26
WP4KJJ NZ3M 2m FT8 2642 km 16:28:29
KC4JD WP4KJJ 2m FT8 2610 km 16:32:44
K3AJ WP4KJJ 2m FT8 2592 km 16:29:41
WP4KJJ K3AJ 2m FT8 2592 km 16:28:26
WP4KJJ W3IP 2m FT8 2582 km 15:29:29
K1RZ WP4KJJ 2m FT8 2579 km 16:31:44
WP4KJJ K1RZ 2m FT8 2579 km 16:28:29
K2TXB WP4KJJ 2m FT8 2572 km 16:12:41
WP4KJJ K4MY 2m FT8 2551 km 16:33:59
K4MY WP4KJJ 2m FT8 2551 km 16:04:11
WP4KJJ K1HTV 2m FT8 2546 km 16:31:26
WP4KJJ W3CP 2m FT8 2539 km 16:36:59
W3CP WP4KJJ 2m FT8 2539 km 16:06:11
WP4KJJ KE4IP 2m FT8 2531 km 16:39:56
WP4KJJ WA4CQG 2m FT8 2519 km 16:26:56
WP4KJJ N4TS 2m FT8 2516 km 15:41:27
WP4KJJ W4MAA 2m FT8 2510 km 16:39:56
W4MAA WP4KJJ 2m FT8 2510 km 16:25:41
WP4KJJ KC7RW 2m FT8 2508 km 16:14:26

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
K2DRH WP4G 2m FT8 3449 km 16:55:41
KA9CFD WP4G 2m FT8 3399 km 16:48:41
NV4B WP4G 2m FT8 2781 km 16:24:11
KY4G WP4G 2m FT8 2726 km 16:05:44
K1RZ WP4G 2m FT8 2553 km 15:37:41
K4MY WP4G 2m FT8 2526 km 16:04:11
W3CP WP4G 2m FT8 2515 km 16:03:11
KE4IP WP4G 2m FT8 2506 km 16:02:11

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
K2DRH WP3DN 2m FT8 3448 km 16:55:41
KA9CFD WP3DN 2m FT8 3398 km 16:36:11
AG4V WP3DN 2m FT8 2986 km 17:00:11
NV4B WP3DN 2m FT8 2780 km 16:09:41
WP3DN NV4B 2m FT8 2780 km 15:49:59
KY4G WP3DN 2m FT8 2724 km 16:15:41
WP3DN KY4G 2m FT8 2724 km 15:56:29
KC4JD WP3DN 2m FT8 2584 km 16:29:41
K4MY WP3DN 2m FT8 2525 km 16:04:11
W3CP WP3DN 2m FT8 2513 km 16:21:41
WP3DN W3CP 2m FT8 2513 km 15:49:59
KE4IP WP3DN 2m FT8 2505 km 16:03:14

WP4RF
Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
K2DRH 2m FT8 3388 km 16:45:26
KA9CFD 2m FT8 3336 km 16:52:56
KO9A 2m FT8 3290 km 16:59:29
AA9MY 2m FT8 3256 km 16:56:56
NV9L 2m FT8 3171 km 16:45:26
WB9Z 2m FT8 3171 km 16:42:56
WB8ZBT 2m FT8 2921 km 16:30:29
N4JQQ 2m FT8 2915 km 16:43:26
NV4B 2m FT8 2710 km 16:53:29
KY4G 2m FT8 2656 km 16:13:29
KI4IIV 2m FT8 2656 km 16:28:41
NF3R 2m FT8 2559 km 14:44:11
W3IP 2m FT8 2513 km 15:38:59
K2TXB 2m FT8 2513 km 14:34:41
K1RZ 2m FT8 2512 km 16:29:59