EI9KP to carry out Low-Band VHF Propagation Tests on Sat 13th & Sun 14th May 2023

Back in January, February and Arpil of 2023, Phil EI9KP carried out some propagation tests on the 34 MHz band. These tests are possible because the radio amateurs in Ireland are allowed to use a large part of the low band VHF spectrum.

Jan 2023 results HERE

Feb 2023 results HERE

Apr 2023 results HERE

On Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th May 2023, EI9KP will be carrying out more propagation tests but this time on three frequencies on 32 MHz, 34 MHz & 36 MHz. 

His supervised 1-watt beacon will operate from 08:00 UTC to 19:00 UTC on both days. The purpose of these tests is to investigate F2 layer propagation at this point in the solar cycle. There is a possibility of some Sporadic-E propagation as well.

EI9KP writes... "Six weeks on from the last test, I will be repeating my experiment over the weekend of 13/14th May 2023, from 0800UTC till 2200UTC om both days.

Propagation may be diverse and include diffracted groundwave, tropospheric scatter, ionospheric scatter, sporadic-E and F2 layer.  The Solar Flux forecast is 160 and Kp index 2.

For this test there are three time slots:

TS    Frequency  USB dial (kHz)
[00]  32013         32012.200
[01]  34013         34012.200
[02]  36013         36012.200

Each 1-minute sequence is 2*FT8, 2*CW and a short carrier.  The beacon power is 1W.  The antenna is a vertical dipole consisting of a 33MHz feeder dipole and a 36MHz coupled dipole."

Coverage Area: Considering that the tests will be done in mid-May, the main propagation mode will likely be Sporadic-E. This should allow the signals to be heard at the 1000-2000km range in Europe. e.g. Germany, Spain, N Italy, S France & the Nordic countries.

F2 propagation may be more difficult although a key target would be the SE of the USA. The lower 32 MHz frequency is likely to be more successful than say 36 MHz for F2 layer propagation.

Antenna: The antenna that Phil is using is shown on the left.

The element on the right is a half-wave dipole for 33 MHz with an adjustable capacity hat.

The element on the left is a dipole is parasitic dipole for 36 MHz which is coupled by its proximity to the main 33 MHz dipole. The purpose of this element is to extend the VSWR bandwidth of the antenna so that it can cover from 32 MHz to 36 MHz.

The antenna is mounted on a fibreglass mast.

The coax feed is probably a little bit too close and may distort the radiation pattern somewhat but Phil reports that the VSWR is acceptable at 1.6 and below.

Reports: Reports to EI9KP on QRZ or you can leave a comment here.