Gintas, LY2YR in Lithuania will be operating a FT8 beacon on 36.680 MHz in the low-VHF part of the spectrum.
LY2YR will have it on air from October until the 9th of December 2026 and Gintas is investigating if F2 layer propagation will reach as high as 36 MHz. He especially welcomes reports from outside Europe.
Details as follows...
• Dial Freq: 36.680 MHz
• Mode: FT8
• Power: 10W
• ANT: Multiband Hexbeam (20-6m) – therefore the radiation pattern is broad
• QTF: 290°
Analysis... The map below shows the location of LY2YR in Europe.
Even though we are well past the summer Sporadic-E season, there will still be the occasional opening even in October and November. If someone in the 1000 to 2000 km range left their receiver on all day then there's a chance of catching a weak opening.
Locations like Greece and Italy to the south are about the right distance and it should be possible. Even though LY2YR is beaming west with a Hexbeam, the beamwidth is pretty broad.
This is the wider map...
In terms of F2 layer propagation, openings to Spain and Portugal are possible and certainly the Canary Islands (EA8).
To the east, the path to Australia might be possible via F2 where there is a pocket of low band VHF enthusiasts. The beam heading for Sydney (VK3) is about 83 deg although the front to back of the Hexband might be an issue here.
The more northerly path to North America might be difficult. South America and South Africa certainly seem possible.
Equipment... With so many people now using SDR receivers, tuning to unusual frequencies like 36 MHz is now a lot easier. Ideally you should have an antenna tuned to 36 MHz but an antenna for 28 MHz or 50 MHz will work albeit with reduced sensitivity.
The easiest thing to do is probably just to tune the receiver to 36.680 MHz, mode USB, use a wide bandwidth like 2.5 kHz.
Operating... Leave the receiver on 36.680 MHz for a few hours during the day. The best times are when you are hearing stations in or near Lithuania (LY) on the 28 MHz (10m) band. PSK Reporter is especially good for this.
If you are using software programmes like WSJT-X then you can edit one of the unusual frequencies stored by default in the programme and change it to 36.680 MHz USB. Alternatively, you can use say 28 MHz and just turn off PSK reporting.
Reports... If you hear any signals from LY2YR then you can email his directly, His address is on QRZ.
