Spain allows radio amateurs access to the 40 MHz band for another 18-months

Good news! The licencing authorities in Spain have decided to allow radio amateurs there access to the 40 MHz (8m) band for another 18-months!

Here is the story so far...

The national association for radio amateurs in Spain is the URE and back in 2023, they approached the licensing authorities in Spain about permission to use the 40 MHz (8m) band. As a result of their detailed submission, Spanish radio amateurs were allocated the use of 40.650 to 40.750 MHz for a period of 18-months with a maximum power output of 25-watts PEP. See previous post HERE 

As the initial 18-months were coming to an end, the URE compiled a detailed report outlining what the results of the activity on 40 MHz for Spanish radio amateurs and this was published in September 2025.

Some of the key points of the study were...

A) The study went from June of 2024 to July of 2025

B) Contacts with and reports from 60 countries across 6 continents

C) Successful contacts via Sporadic-E with all countries in Europe that allow operation on the 40 MHz (8m) band. Distances recorded were from 500 to 3000 kms

D) Openings via F2 layer propagation to the following countries... Australia,  Canada,  Cuba, the United States, Cayman Islands,  Mexico,  New Zealand,  Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Of particular note were the communications with Australia over 14,000km, with the best day being the 20th. October.

E) Impressive openings with New Zealand (19,467 km) with the reception of The ZL28M beacon, which operates in FT8, is operated by ZL2WHO and works with 10 Watts and a 3-element Yagi antenna pointing towards Europe.

F) Practically daily reception of the ZS6WAB/B beacon in South Africa between March & April 2024 via F2 propagation on the trans-equatorial path.

G) At the time of writing of the report, there was no evidence of any harmful interference to other services on the 40 MHz band.

H) 99.9% of the contacts were made thanks to the use of the FT8 digital mode.

In response to the detailed submission, the Spanish licencing authorities have extended the permission for another 18-months as of from the 18th of October 2025.

They have also increased the power limit from 25-watts to 100-watts PEP.

URE Statement... In welcoming the extension of the 40 MHz permission, the URE said...

“With this new resolution, Spain joins a growing number of European countries —members of CEPT— that allow experimentation in the 40 MHz range, a segment of the spectrum that arouses great interest due to its usefulness in the investigation of ionospheric propagation and solar activity.

The Spanish amateur radio community, coordinated by the URE, has demonstrated a high level of technical skill, scientific rigor, and operational responsibility, contributing to the generation of data of international value and consolidating the role of amateur radio as a useful tool for science and technology.”

URE President Víctor (EA7FUN) said... “This extension is a recognition of the rigorous work of the URE and the value that amateur radio can bring to science. We will continue collaborating with the Administration so that Spain remains at the forefront of technical experimentation in radio and communications.”

In Conclusion... This is an important development for the 40 MHz band in that a major European country has not only extended the permission period for another 18-months but also allowed a higher power level.

It sets an important precedent for other countries where radio amateurs might like to get access to the 8m band. Amateur radio societies for other countries can submit proposals to their own licencing authorities and give Spain as an example of where limited permission was granted without any interference issues.

Links...

1) URE post from the 16th of Oct 2025

2) URE post from the 30th of Sept 2025

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

Opening on the 40 MHz band between the UK and Australia - 8th Nov 2025

Even though we have passed the peak of the current sunspot cycle, conditions on the higher HF bands and the low VHF region are still very good.

On the 8th of November 2025, Paul G7PUV reports an opening from the UK to Australia on the 40 MHz (8m) band.

The map above from PSK Reporter shows the paths open for Paul using his G9PUV callsign. Paul reports that he managed to complete a contact with Joe, VK8VTX in the far north of Australia.

PSK Reporter didn't show the path so it's a reminder that while the website is a very useful tool, it may not give the full story.

This is the screenshot for the 8th of November 2025 for the 40 MHz band and it shows all the paths recorded.

Note that there may be a few paths in the map which are mistakes and are for other bands! However, you can see the 40 MHz from the north of Australia to Europe, the path north from ZS6WAB in South Africa to Europe and the paths from the Dominican Republic to Europe.

While the good conditions help, the one big change of late on the 40 MHz band is the permission given to radio amateurs in Spain and Italy to use the 8m band.

The list of the path shown in the map above are listed below...

New 40 MHz beacon in Croatia - 9A0BEZ

In late May 2025, a new 40 MHz (8m) beacon in Croatia with the callsign 9A0BEZ was switched on. The location of the beacon is at Malo Sljeme which is at 982m above sea level in a mountainous area to the north of the Croatian capital Zagreb.

The locator for the beacon is JN75XV, the frequency is 40.6675 MHz and the output power is 5-watts into a quarter wave vertical.

The antenna shown above is slightly blocked to the north-east by a mast which is just out of view. There is also some higher ground along this ridge which may reduce the signal somewhat in this direction.

The beacon gives it's callsign and locator in morse code. The message is '9A0BEZ 9A0BEZ 9A0BEZ BEACON JN75XV JN75XV JN75XV'.

Beacon reports to 9A2EY.

Coverage area... Looking at the map at the top of this post, the beacon should have a good signal under tropo conditions to most of Croatia and Slovenia. As noted already, the signal to the north-east in the direction of Budapest will be more difficult.

The main attraction of the beacon however will be its coverage during the summer Sporadic-E season.

The map above shows the suggested coverage area for Sporadic-E signals. It should have a reasonable signal into areas like the east of Spain and England during the Summer months when there are openings.

There are relatively few amateur radio beacons on the 40 MHz band so it's good to have another addition.

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

Italian radio amateurs get permission to use the 40 MHz band in 2025

The Italian regulator has just given permission for radio amateurs to use the 40 MHz band (8m) until the end of 2025. The approval is dated the 18th of April 2025 and is for a period of just over eight months. This is just over double the previous period which was from late August 2024 to the end of December 2024.

For the remainder of 2025, Italian radio amateurs can use 40.660 MHz to 40.700 MHz. This 40 kHz wide segment is the same of the 40 MHz ISM band (ISM - Industrial, Scientific, Medical). The maximum power allowed is 10-watts. 

The full announcement via Google Translate is as follows...

SUBJECT: Renewal of authorization for amateur radio experiments in the 40.660-40.700 MHz, 70-70.400 MHz and 1810-1830 KHz bands. Year 2025.

Reference is made to the request for renewal for the year 2025 (prot. E n. 107953 of 11.15.2024) of the authorization for radiopropagation experiments throughout the national territory presented by this Association, representing all the members who will participate, in relation to the use of the frequency bands specified in the subject matter.

In this regard, taking into account the authorization of specific competence expressed by the General Directorate for Digital and Telecommunications of this Ministry with note prot. n. 12452 of 8 April 2025, deemed necessary to meet the needs of experimentation and given the successful outcome of the previous temporary authorizations issued as well as the relevance of the multi-year research activity carried out, amateur radio experiments are authorized (under the conditions indicated below) throughout the national territory in the bands 40.660-40.700 MHz, 70-70.400 MHz and 1810-1830 KHz, on a general and temporary basis, until 31 December 2025, in which all radio amateurs with a valid general authorization for the installation and operation of a radio amateur station are allowed to participate. 

Without prejudice to the right to revoke the authorization in question upon request of the Ministry of Defense or for failure to comply with the provisions of the current legislation on the matter, the experiments must observe the following parameters and the following technical operational conditions:

- on a non-interference basis and immediate revocation in the event that phenomena of harmful interference are detected and without the right to any protection;

- in the location and with the technical characteristics indicated in the request;

- maximum transmission power equal to 10 W; 

- limited to the 70-70.400 MHz band, the Ministry of Defense points out the impossibility of assigning the entire band, but only the following individual frequencies, at 25 KHz max: 70.100 MHz – 70.200 MHz – 70.300 MHz.

- ARI must make available to MIMIT an appropriate system for tracking the experimental activities carried out by the participants, also in order to allow the timely interruption of transmissions in the event of harmful interference;

Finally, it is recalled that it is mandatory to report to the undersigned General Directorate and to the Dgtel of this Ministry on the results of the experimentation at the end of the same.

Analysis ... This is really good news for those using the 40 MHz band. The previous test period of Sept to Dec 2025 was mostly after the Sporadic-E season. The new eight month period in 2025 will cover the months of May, June & July which is the peak of the summer Sporadic-E season.

It's likely that 40.680 MHz will be the centre of activity for all activity.

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

Irish VHF beacon cluster is operational again - Apr 2025

Back in February of 2025, I had a post up about how the Irish VHF beacon cluster near Dublin was off air for the foreseeable future. In March, a new site had been found. The good news is that all the beacons are now operational from the new site.

The four beacons have an output power of roughly 20-30 watts and they all share the same directional antenna. The antenna is beaming at about 60 degrees (east-north-east). On any particular band, only 2-3 elements are active so the beamwidth is quite large.

Over a 10-minute period, this is the sequence...

Min    Callsign      Freq (MHz)   
0        EI0SIX        50.004 
1        EI1MMH    40.013   
2        EI0SIX        50.004   
3        EI1MMH    60.013   
4        EI4RF        70.013 
5        EI1MMH    40.013  
6        EI0SIX        50.004    
7        EI1MMH    60.013   
8        EI4RF        70.013  
9        EI1MMH    40.013 

The transmission sequence for each one of the minutes is a short carrier, then THREE x FT8 15 second transmissions and then the callsign and locator of the beacon in CW (morse code).

New beacon location... The new location is about 4kms to the south of the old site and it's a bit lower in altitude. It's certainly not as good as the old site but the challenge for any amateur radio beacon is to find any site where a beacon can operate.

The new site is nestled in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountain just to the south of Dublin and then local mountains and hills will certainly have a major impact in certain directions.

This is the approximate horizon of the new site...

To the north-east and on a heading of about 40 degrees, the Irish Sea is visible and there is a very good path to the Isle of Man and Scotland.

As we move further south, the local terrain starts to become more of an issue. The take off to the north of England is reasonable but once we go below a line say running from Liverpool to Leeds, it gets to be more challenging.

For example, the horizon in the direction of London and the south-east of England is about 6-degrees which will make reception difficult especially on tropo. 

To the south-west of Ireland which is in my direction here in Cork, the horizon is about 14 degrees which effectively kills all signals.

This map shows where tropo signals might be heard and the maximum range for one-hop Sporadic-E.

The range for single hop Sporadic-E to northern Europe is pretty good but the maximum range to Spain and Italy is shorter due to the mountains near the beacon site.

If you live in say England then be sure to check for the beacons during auroral conditions. There are also a lot of planes going in and out of Dublin airport so getting a FT8 decode from aircraft scatter is a distinct possibility if you live in the UK or Ireland.

Opening on the 40 MHz band between New Zealand and the UK - 16th March 2025

On the 16th of March 2025, there was an interesting opening on the 40 MHz (8m) band between New Zealand and the UK.

ZL28M is an 8m beacon on 40.680 MHz and is located on a hilltop on the North Island of New Zealand. It is operated by Mark, ZL2WHO and is running 10-watts into a 3-element Yagi beaming at the north of Australia which also the direction for the south of Europe. The beacon uses an RF ZERO controller and operates on FT8 and CW.

The beacon was received by Paul, G9PUV who is located in the south-east of England. The screenshot by Paul of the FT8 decodes is shown below.

Paul reports that he only got 3 decodes and that he was beaming in the general path of short path to New Zealand over the hills of the South Downs which have a 3-degree elevation.

The signals were in the region of -15dB to -19dB which means that they were weaker than what can be heard by the human ear. The time of 08:25 UTC is consistent with it being a short path opening.

Direct or skewed path??? As can be seen from map above, the direct short path from the UK to New Zealand goes well into the Arctic region. Did it really go that far north or was it skewed to a more southerly path where propagation on the low VHF bands might be more likely?

Whichever it was, it's always interesting to see such a long path like this on the 40 MHz band. At about 18810 kms, it's only about 1200 kms shy of the maximum of 20,000 before it changes to long path.

It also worth mentioning that there were some openings from New Zealand to Spain in the previous few weeks. On the 20th of February and the 12th of March 2025, Joan EA3ERE reported reception of the ZL28M FT8 beacon. The path to the south of Europe is a lot more favourable but is still a considerable distance at 19,467 kms.

Addendum: Rik, ON7YD reports that S57TW in Slovenia was recently copied by ZL2005SWL in New Zealand (RE68) on 40.680 MHz FT8 in the late afternoon. 8m was open to PY (Brazil) and CE (Chile) at that time, so it was most likely long path.

Additional info... Back on the 13th of March 2023, G9PUV and EI2IP in Ireland were heard by Bob, ZL1RS in New Zealand via long path. See previous post HERE

Also see my 40 MHz page... https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/p/40-mhz.html

Irish VHF beacons off-air for the foreseeable future

For the last few years, the EI1KNH, EI0SIX and EI4RF beacons have been operating from a site to the south of Dublin with an excellent take off to the east towards the UK. Now due to a change of ownership of the site, the radio beacons will be turned off on Saturday 15th February 2025.

The EI4RF beacon on the 70 MHz band (4m) will be the first to re-locate and it is hoped that a site will be available in the same general area. All going well, it will be operational for the start of the Sporadic-E season in May. It is hoped that EI0SIX operating on 50 MHz (6m) will be added soon after.

Getting the EI1KNH 40 MHz and 60 MHz beacon back on air will take longer. The change of location will likely require a change of callsign and this must be applied for. Hardware considerations at the new site should mean that the 60 MHz (5m) beacon will appear first but the 40 MHz (8m) beacon may be more problematic.

As soon as there are any more developments, I'll post them on the blog.

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.

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...

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.

40 MHz reception report from Bill Smith, W1-7897 for April 2024

Thanks to short wave listener Bill Smith, W1-7897 for sending on his reception report for April 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.

40 MHz reception report from Bill Smith, W1-7897 for April 2024:

5th April 2024: PJ4MM (FK52) logged between 16:59 and 17:04 UTC calling CQ with no answers on 40.680 MHz in FT8. Signal strength -18 dB.

7th April 2024: PJ4MM called CQ from 19:53 UTC to 20:10 UTC with no answer and, then, from 21:02 to 21:22 UTC again with no answer on 40.680 MHz FT8. Signal strength ranged from -13 dB to -20 dB. My beam was pointed toward Australia which probably affected the signal strength. 

9th April 2024: PJ4MM (FK52) called CQ at 15:07 UTC, at 15:28 UTC, between 15:38 and 15:43, and between 17:20 - 18:33 with no answer.  Signal Strength varied from -3 dB to -20 dB.

29th April 2024: PJ4MM (FK52) logged calling CQ from 22:21 to 23:01 UTC on 40.680 MHz FT8. No Answers. Signal Strength ranged from -20 dB to -7dB on my 5 ele 6M Beam pointed towards South Africa,

30th April 2024: PJ4MM (FK52) logged between 22:17 and 22:41 UTC calling CQ on 40.680 MHz FT8. Signal strength ranged from -1 to -21dB. No answers to his CQ Calls.

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

Thanks for the report Bill!

Considering the distance of about 3300kms, the likely propagation mode was one F2 layer hop to the south.

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

8000km opening at 40 MHz from South Africa to Australia - 16th Apr 2024

As we move further into April, the F2 layer propagation in the northern hemisphere is getting worse on the higher HF bands but in contrast, things are improving in the southern hemisphere.

On the 16th of April 2024, short-wave listener Tony Mann in Perth, Western Australia reports reception of the ZS6WAB/B in South Africa on 40.675 MHz. The distance was in the region of 8320kms.

Tony writes... "To my surprise the 40.675 MHz ZS6WAB beacon was received here in Perth, W. Australia again this autumn, on 16 April 2024, from 0630 to 0750 UTC. I guess his antenna must be beaming eastwards to be audible in CW mode. IC-R75, broadbanded horizontal 6m dipole (s) at 5m agl."

While this beacon in South Africa has been heard recently in Europe over similar distances, what makes this one of interest is that it's more of an east-west path and is a sure sign of improving F2 layer conditions in the southern hemisphere.

Link...
1) See my 40 MHz page for more information on the 8m amateur band.

40 MHz reception report from Bill Smith, W1-7897 for March 2024

Thanks to short wave listener Bill Smith, W1-7897 for sending on his reception report for March 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.

40 MHz reception report from Bill Smith, W1-7897 for March 2024:

3rd March 2024: LX5JX(JO30) in Luxembourg logged from 1628 to 16:47 UTC on 40.680 MHz FT8 calling CQ. No answers, Signal Strength ranged from -19 to 0 dB.

6th March 2024: There was a large opening on the 50 MHz (6m) band from Europe into the south of Africa. ZS and V5 noted into Europe. Antenna was pointed to South Africa, but no stations heard on 40 MHz either in Africa or Europe. 

24th March 2024: ZF1EJ (EK99) in the Cayman Islands logged at 12:53 UTC with brief CQ on 40.680 MHz FT8 and then gone. Signal strength -17 dB. No further CQ and no answers. 

Thanks for the report Bill!

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

Activity on the 40 MHz band - 4th April 2024

On the 3rd of April 2024, it was announced that radio amateurs in Spain would be allowed access to the 40 MHz (8m) band with some restrictions... see post HERE. The image above shows some of the FT8 activity on the 4th of April.

There may be some errors in there like the one from Newfoundland which was probably from someone reporting the wrong band. However. the others are mostly correct and it shows plenty of activity from South Africa to Spain.

Spots from the DX-Cluster...

Spain opens up the 40 MHz (8m) amateur radio band with conditions - April 2024

Good news! The licencing authorities in Spain have decided to open up the 40 MHz (8m) amateur radio band with conditions.

The national association for radio amateurs in Spain is the URE and they released this notice... "After hard work by the URE before the administration, today the Resolution of the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure was published on the Amateur Radio website, which authorizes holders of Spanish amateur radio authorizations to make broadcasts. in the 40,650 – 40,750 MHz band, with a maximum peak envelope power (PEP) of 25 W, for a period of eighteen months.

Broadcasts will only be made from fixed stations that have the corresponding license. In addition, the radio amateur must inform the Provincial Telecommunications Inspection Headquarters of the province in which he or she resides about his intention to operate in this band before broadcasting for the first time on these frequencies."

This is huge news for those interested in the 40 MHz band and Spain is the first 'big country' to allow radio amateurs access to the 8m band.

Analysis... In terms of propagation, Spain is in an ideal spot. 

F2... For F2 layer propagation, there will be plenty of openings from Spain to the Caribbean (PJ4MM) and the signals should be clearly heard in the USA and Canada as well. The north-south paths will be especially good and the 40 MHz signals will be heard all over South America and TEP openings to the radio amateurs in South Africa should be a regular occurrence.

Conditions from EA8 (Canary Islands) should be amazing while the southern EA5, EA6, EA7 stations will be a bit better than those further north.

Sporadic-E... The workhorse over the Summer months of May to July will be Sporadic-E with typical distances in the region of 1000 to 2200 kms.

For EI stations in Ireland... Expect EA5, EA6 and EA7 to be the most common. EA1 and EA2 will be harder.

ON stations in Belgium... Expect EA7 to be the most common with EA3 the hardest.

S5 stations in Slovenia... Expect EA1 and EA7 to be the easiest with EA3 and EA6 the hardest.

SV stations in Greece... EA1 might be difficult as it's close to the maximum one hop Sporadic-E distance. The rest of Spain should be easy.

In conclusion... One of the big problems with the 40 MHz band is the lack of activity. For those that are using the band, it soon gets to a stage where there is no-one new to work. With Spain joining the party, that should hopefully change.

As we're at the peak of the solar cycle, now is the time to explore the 8m band before the conditions drop away.

Links...

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

2) URE News item... https://www.ure.es/autorizada-la-banda-de-40650-40750-mhz/

3) The official notice in Spanish posted 2nd April 2024... https://avancedigital.mineco.gob.es/espectro/radioaficionados/autorizaciones/Documents/RESOLUCION_40_MHz.pdf

Addendum... This is the official document via Google Translate...

EI1CAH 40MHz beacon heard in California - 9th Feb 2024

Chris, N3IZN near San Diego in California reports reception of the Irish EI1CAB beacon on 40.016 MHz on Friday 9th of February 2024. Chris was able to decode the PI4 signal from the 8m beacon and as it shows in the graphic above, the signal level was down at -22dB which is well below what is audible to the human ear.

The EI1CAH beacon is located on the west of Ireland and it's 25-watt signal is often heard across the Atlantic in the eastern part of the United States. This isn't all that unusual now that we're near the peak of the sunspot cycle. 

The more northern path to California is much more difficult and it's interesting to see a signal at 40 MHz complete the 8,124km path.

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

40 MHz reception report from Bill Smith, W1-7897 for Jan 2024

Thanks to short wave listener Bill Smith, W1-7897 for sending on his reception report for January 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.

40 MHz reception report from Bill Smith, W1-7897 for January 2024:

3rd Jan 2024 - EI2IP in Ireland, Grid IO52QP heard on 40.680 FT8 calling CQ from 1338 to 1356 UTC. No Answers. Signal strength ranged between -20 and -10 DB.

10th Jan 2024 - EI2IP (IO52) called CQ from 1547 UTC to 1603 UTC. Signal strength ranged from -14 to -20 DB. At 1604 UTC ZF1EJ in the Cayman Islands (EK99) called EI2IP and a QSO resulted with EI2IP at -6db and ZF1EJ at -9db. ZF1EJ then (1606 UTC) worked G9PUV who was not heard here. ZF1EJ then called CQ until 1612 without an answer.

11th Jan 2024 - ZF1EJ(EK99) logged between 1337 and 1341 UTC Calling CQ with no answers. Signal Strength -14 to -18DB.

12th Jan 2024 - ZF1EJ (EK99) called CQ from 1444 UTC to 1518 UTC on 40 MHz FT8 on Jan. 12, 2024. No one answered. Signals ranged from -21DB to +23 DB.

 

13th Jan 2024 - EI2IP (IO52) logged calling CQ between 1403 and 1411 UTC on 40.680 MHz FT8. No answers. Signal strength -4 to -18 DB.

14th Jan 2024 - EI2IP (IO52) logged between 1624 and 1638 UTC calling CQ. No answers. Signal Strength ranged from -17 DB to 3DB on 40.680 FT8.

15th Jan 2024 - ZF1EJ (EK99) called SV1DH in Greece (KM27) at 1457 UTC with no contact. SV1DH not heard here. ZF1EJ then worked G9PUV (JO00). G9PUV not heard here. ZF1EJ was -18DB.  EI2IP (IO52) called  CQ from 1610 to 1628 with  strength ranging from -20 to 2 DB. EI2IP then worked VA2CYX in Quebec, Canada (FN46). VA2CYX not heard here. EI2IP Worked S59F in Slovenia at 1639 UTC, and 9A5CW in Croatia at 1644 UTC. Unfortunately, I was not at home to shift antenna toward southern Europe so did not hear either station.

16th Jan 2024 - ZF1EJ (EK99) called CQ once at 1426 UTC. No answer. Strength -17 DB; EI2IP (IO52) called CQ at 1805-1807 with no answer; strength -17DB; LX5JX  in Luxembourg (JO30) called CQ from 1808-1811 and worked VA2CYX (FN46) at 1812. Strength -3 DB. After both calling CQ between 1813 and 1817, EI2IP and LX5JX worked at 1829 UTC. LX5JX was strength 1 DB. LX5JX called CQ until 1855 UTC with no further answers.

19th Jan 2024 - ZF1EJ (EK99) calling CQ from 1543 to 1546 UTC on 48.680 MHz FT8. No answers. Signal ranged from -7 to 19 DB.

21st Jan 2024 - EI2IP (IO52) called CQ at 1423 UTC Signal Strength -18 DB; at 1517 UTC EI4GEB (IO52) called CQ, strength -14 DB.

29th Jan 2024 - ZF1EJ (EK99) called CQ from 1823 UTC to 1827 with no answer. At 1828 called PJ4MM with no reply. PJ4MM in Bonaire (FK52) was not heard here. ZF1EJ then called CQ until 1839. No answers. ZF1EJ signal strength ranged from -14 to -18 DB. 

***

In summary... As can be seen from the map above, the path to the stations in Europe was about 5000-6000kms and was most likely two F2 layer hops. ZF1EJ in the Cayman Islands was about 2700kms to the south and was likely one F2 layer hop. VA2CYX in Quebec, Canada is about 500kms to the north and is too close for F2 layer propagation.

Thanks for the report Bill!

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

Low VHF Band LIPD Licence in Australia

A lot of countries allow the use of low power transmitters at certain frequencies without the need of a licence. In this post, we'll look at the low VHF frequencies available in Australia with the LIPD (Low Interference Potential Devices) Class Licence.

Why Low VHF? With the annual Summer Sporadic-E season and at the peak of the 11-year sunspot cycle, these very low power transmitters have the potential to be heard over many thousands of kilometres.

Frequency Range - Width of band - Maximum Power - My notes

29.700 to 29.720 MHz - 20 kHz - 100mW or -10dBW EIRP* - This starts just above the 10m amateur radio band

30.000 to 30.0625 MHz - 62.5 kHz - 100mW or -10dBW EIRP* -

30.3125 to 31.000 MHz - 687.5 kHz - 100mW or -10dBW EIRP* -

36.600 to 37.000 MHz - 400 kHz - 100mW or -10dBW EIRP* -

39.000 to 39.7625 MHz - 762.5 kHz - 100mW or -10dBW EIRP* -

40.250 to 40.660 MHz - 410 kHz - 100mW or -10dBW EIRP* -

40.660 to 41.000 MHz - 340 kHz - 1W or 0dBW EIRP* - 1) Note the higher power 2) This overlaps with the ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) band of 40.660 to 40.700 MHz which is implemented in most countries.

54.000 to 56.000 MHz - 2 MHz - 2.5mW  or -26dBW EIRP* - 

70.000 to 70.24375 MHz - 243.75 kHz - 100mW or -10dBW EIRP* - Note that this overlaps with the 4m amateur radio band

77.29375 to 77.49375 MHz - 20 kHz - 100mW or -10dBW EIRP* -

*EIRP - EIRP means equivalent isotropically radiated power. This is the radiated power from a theoretical point source with the radiation pattern shown as a sphere.

A worked example might be as follows...

Example 1: The antenna is a half-wave dipole with a gain of about 2.1dBi. The coax loss is 1dB. The radio transmitter would need to be limited to about 750 milliwatts to comply with the 1-watt EIRP limit. If the limit is 100-milliwatts then the power should be kept at 75-milliwatts.

Example 2: If a long length of coax was used to feed the antenna and the loss was 2.1dB. This would cancel out the antenna gain and the transmitter can be used at 1-watt or 100 milliwatts depending on the frequency.

Restrictions: Other than the EIRP, there are a few restrictions such as avoiding radio astronomy sites. The licence clause also states... "The transmitter, whether on its own or in operation with one or more other transmitters, must not cause interference to the operation of radiocommunications services" and "A receiver tuned to the transmitter will not be afforded protection from interference caused by other radiocommunications devices."

Experiments: In January of 2023, I had a post up about how radio experimenters were using very low power transmitters on the 40 MHz band and how a 5-milliwatt transmitter reached almost 6000kms. See post HERE

Links: 1) There is a small Facebook group called LIPD class licence beacons in Australia if you want to join.... https://www.facebook.com/groups/1269404663238415

2) If I come across any more low band VHF experiments, I'll keep a list of the posts on my 40 MHz page.

40 MHz report from Bill Smith, W1-7897 for Dec 2023

Thanks to short wave listener Bill Smith, W1-7897 for sending on his reception report for December 2023.

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.

Bill reports slim pickings on the 40 MHz band of late but did manage to log Jack, LX5JX in Luxembourg on the 27th of December 2023 calling CQ from 13:34 to 13:39 UTC. Bill reports that the FT8 signal strength was from -9dB to -17dB on 40.680 MHz.

As can be seen from the map above, the path was about 5,800 kms and was most likely two F2 layer hops.

Thanks for the report Bill!

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