Trans-Atlantic opening on the FM band (87-102 MHz) - 27th May 2024

On the 27th of May 2024, a little bit of radio history was made with the very first reception of a trans-Atlantic FM radio station in mainland Europe. The map above shows the radio stations that FMDXer Mauricio Molano  in Cáceres in the west of Spain managed  to log including CHCM-FM in Marystown, Newfoundland on 88.3 MHz.

Log...

UTC QRG ITU Station, location Details, remarks Distance km kW ERP

12:06 90.20 AZR R80 Rádio, Pico da Barrosa (smg) 1674kms 0.5kw

12:15 87.70 AZR RTP Antena 3, Pico da Barrosa (RDP) (smg) 1674kms  40kw

12:50 88.30 AZR Rádio Clube de Lajes do Pico, Pico do Geraldo 1896kms 0.05kw

14:25 88.30 CAN CHCM-FM, Marystown (NL) Openline with Paddy Daly. Special log: double hop. First Canadian station received from Spain! 3985kms  27kw

As can be seen from the log, CHCM-FM was heard at 14:25 UTC and it's likely that the propagation mode was double hop Sporadic-E.

Mauricio writes... "I have managed to fulfil another of my DX challenges!: to catch an FM station from the other side of the pond!. It was this afternoon, during the opening of Es, which had started around 1200Z and brought me several stations from the Azores Islands with good signals. A couple of hours later, our colleague Larry Horlick (Coley's Point, NL) began picking up Spanish and Portuguese stations. 

In the first minutes of the opening was when I caught the CHCM-FM (Marystown) signal on 88.3 with 

VOCM programming. On 88.5 I have another signal but very weak. I assume it is CBN-1-FM CBC-R1 

Saint John's, but it will be difficult for me to identify it 100%. Both frequencies are very difficult in my 

listening place (Aldea del Cano, Cáceres) due to the presence of semi-local stations on 88.2, 88.4 

and 88.6 MHz. This year the DX season has started late here, but it has started very, very well!."

Mauricio also notes that he has two receiver/antenna systems. The first one is a three element Yagi points to the Canary Islands (south-west) attached to a RSPDuo receiver. The second one is a 4-element Yagi pointing to Newfoundland and attached to a Perseus with the FM+ converter.

In this case,  the station from Canada was actually heard on the antenna pointing to the Canary Islands!

Just to clarify, this isn't the first trans-Atlantic FM stations have been heard in Europe but all of the previous reception reports were to the UK and Ireland. This is the first time of a trans-Atlantic reception report on the Iberian Peninsula and mainland Europe. 

Larry Horlick, VO1FOG in Newfoundland... Larry is a long time FMDXer and he caught an impressive haul of FM radio stations from Portugal and Spain in the same opening. Larry has the advantage of a quieter FM band on his side of the Atlantic.

One of the major advantages of modern SDR receivers is that an opening can now be recorded and then be later reviewed afterwards to see what was heard. 

Larry's log is shown below and it's worth remembering that these are FM radio stations from the other side of the North Atlantic.

The frequencies range from 87.6 MHz to 102.4 MHz and the distances range from 3632 kms to 4136 kms.

Larry says his catch of the day was SER, Estepa, Spain on 98.3 MHz which has an ERP of just 250-watts.

In conclusion... While there have been trans-Atlantic openings on the FM band before, it is still a remarkable occurrence and worth noting. Every year, we see multi-hop Sporadic-E across the North Atlantic on the 28 MHz and 50 MHz bands and while it's of interest to those involved, it's really nothing out of the ordinary.

Band 2 signals (88-108 MHz) are different though and it's always interesting to see FM radio stations from either side of the North Atlantic reach the other side. The question always remains as to how high does an opening reach? Can it get up into the aircraft band at 118 to 135 MHz? What about 144 MHz? Spain to Newfoundland on the 2m band? Is it possible? Is anyone trying?

Links...

1) See my 88-108 MHz my 88-108 MHz page for more examples of trans-Atlantic openings

2) Mauricio has his own SWL website here... https://moladx.blogspot.com/

3) FMList website... https://www.fmlist.org/

FM radio station on 91 MHz in Greenland is heard in Ireland - 19th May 2024

On the 19th of May 2024, FMDXer Paul Logan in the north-west of Ireland reported reception of a radio station in Greenland on 91.0 MHz.

Logbook 2024-05-19 
UTC QRG ITU Station, location Details Distance km kW ERP Pol
2044 91.00 GRL Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa, Niaqernaartik/KTYC (Kap Tycho Brahe) 2095 0.1 v

The radio is located on the east coast of Greenland, has an effective radiated power of just 100-watts and runs vertical polarisation. Paul logged it at 20:44 UTC.

A 52-second audio file from the reception can be heard HERE

The distance to Paul's location in Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh is 2095kms and the propagation mode was Sporadic-E (Sp-E). While the distance is well within the maximum for a single hop of Sporadic-E, it's always interesting when a FM station in Greenland is heard in Europe.

Greenland is technically part of North America and hints hopefully at maybe some very rare trans-Atlantic signals on the FM band in the weeks ahead.

Link...

1) More examples of long distance paths on my 88-108 MHz page.

FM radio stations in the Azores heard in Newfoundland - 14th May 2024

Now that we're well into the Summer Sporadic-E season, there have been plenty of reports of openings on the FM band going from 88 to 108 MHz. Most reports seem to be single hop Sporadic-E for now but this one caught my attention.

On the 14th of May 2024, Larry Horlicks (VO1FOG) recorded an opening from the Azore Islands to Newfoundland. As can be seen from the image above, the distances were in the region of 1894 to 2259 kms.

While the propagation mode was still one-hop Sporadic-E, any openings on the FM band across the North Atlantic are always of special interest. As we move into June and July, there should hopefully be some double hop Sporadic-E openings and reports of radio stations on the 88-108 MHz band being heard across the Atlantic.

Some examples of previous trans-Atlantic openings can be seen on my 88-108 MHz page.

4,200km opening at 88 MHz between Africa and Brazil - Nov 2023

George, PU7MAN  on his FM DX Brasil Twitter account reports a 4,200km opening recently on the FM Band 2 between Africa and Brazil.

The station in question was the 8-Kilowatt transmitter of Radio Cote D'Ivoire near the capital Abidijan on 88.0 MHz. According to the FM DX Brasil account, the signal was heard at a remote receiving station at Nova Russas in the state of Ceará in the NE of Brazil.

The equipment used for the reception was an Airspy Mini SDR receiver with a 3-element Yagi for the FM band.

The signal was heard at 23:30 UTC. The Twitter post was on the 15th of November 2023 so it was perhaps at the same time as the reception?

Propagation Mode???... Nova Russas is located about 200kms or so from the Atlantic Ocean and isn't on the coast. I suspect it wasn't a form of tropo ducting as this is an area of low pressure systems at the equator and the distance was over 4000kms.

The propagation mode wasn't TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation) as the path ran almost parallel to the Geomagnetic Equator (E-W) and not across it (N-S).

There are some remarkable reception reports across South America on the FM band and some people attribute these to Spread-F. Was it that?

There is an audio clip embedded in this Twitter post...

RTI - 88.0 - Abidjan /COTE D'IVOIRE AFRICA
Airspy Mini
Yagi 3 elems / Remote Location / Nova Russas/Ce/ Brazil
23:30 UTC pic.twitter.com/flPUtKLHmc

— FM DX Brasil (@FMDXBrasil) November 15, 2023

At his home location in Sorbal, PU7MAN recorded this audio clip on the 14th of November 2023 after 23:00 UTC using a Kenwood BT3012u radio withe a Triax FM8s antenna...

Link...

1) For more examples of long range reception reports on the FM band, see my 88-108 MHz page.

FM radio station WMIA in Miami on 93.9 MHz is heard in Chile - 23rd Feb 2023

This reception report is from the 23rd of February 2023 when Pipe, CE3SX / CE3SAD in Santiago, Chile managed to receive the FM radio station WMIA in Miami, Florida on 93.9 MHz. 

The reception took place at 21:41 local time in Chile (22nd Feb) which is 00:41 UTC (23rd Feb). This is at the right time for an evening time Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) opening.

What makes this highly unusual is the distance. It might be normal during an evening TEP opening for  FM radio stations in the north of Columbia to be heard in Chile but this time, the FM radio station was in Florida which is about 2000kms further north. 

In a previous post, I reported on how CE3SX had managed to hear FM radio stations in Jamaica in February of 2022. Florida is an extra 1000kms.

Florida is usually considered to be too far north for TEP propagation so how was the range extended to just under 6,700kms?

The first option that springs to mind was that it was an evening type TEP opening coupling into a tropo duct to the north to extend the opening to Florida. The tropo map above from F5LEN shows some tropo in the area but with the island of Cuba in the way, it's not exactly conclusive.

Is the most southern tip of Florida just close enough for TEP?

Have there been reception reports like this in the past?

And if it's possible on 93.9 MHz, what about 144 MHz from Florida to Chile? Is anyone trying?

Lots of questions...

Link... For more long distance reception reports on the FM band, see my 88-108 MHz page.

FM radio stations from Jamaica heard on 89 MHz & 96 MHz in Chile via TEP

Pipe, CE3SX / CE3SAD in Chile writes to say that he managed to hear two FM radio stations on 89.9 MHz and 96.1 MHz from Jamaica during a TEP opening recently.

CE3SX writes... "Stylz FM 96.1 from Port Antonio and KLAS 89.9 from Kingston, Jamaica heard in Chicureo, Santiago, Chile FF46pr Via Trans-Equatorial Propagation

Date: January 31 and February 01, 2022. Hours: 21.46CEv 00.46 UTC and 22.03CEv 01.03 UTC

Maximum distance: 5,755 km"

As Pipe outlines, the distance is around 5,700kms and is approaching the maximum distance usually associated with Trans-Equatorial Propagation. 

A video clip of the reception is shown below...

Pipe also notes that regular reception TEP signals on the 88-108 MHz band from Columbia and he is using a 7-element Band 2 Yagi as designed by YU7EF.

CE3SX also notes that there are no 144 MHz stations in Columbia (HK) and Jamaica (6Y) to try on the 2m band.

As I outlined in a recent post, there are parallel paths from Brazil and Argentina to the Caribbean on 144 MHz during TEP openings and it's likely that similar paths are there further east from Chile to Columbia, Jamaica and Cuba on 2m.

Links...
1) For more examples of long distance reception reports on 88-108 MHz band, see my Band 2 page.

FM radio stations from Ghana are heard for the first time in Europe - 23rd July 2021

I only recently came across a report about how FM radio stations in Ghana on the 88-108 MHz band were heard for the first time in Europe on the 23rd of July 2021.

Mauricio Molano Sánchez is an active FM DXer in the west of Spain and on the 23rd of July 2021, he managed to log the following stations from Ghana in Africa...

88.3 MHz POTTERS FM Sunyani GHANA 3574 km 

88.5 MHz RADIO VISA  (AUDIO) Dunkwa-on-Offin GHANA 3734 km 

According to Mauricio, this was the first time that FM radio stations from Ghana have been heard in Europe.

He writes...."During a solid double hop sporadic-E opening towards Cape Verde, several weaker and more unstable signals appeared at 87.7, 88.1, 88.3 and 88.5 MHz. These last two stations are the ones that came a little stronger and for a longer time. It was possible to record identifications of both. The language used was English. After ruling out the Anglophone countries closest to CPV, the search ended in Ghana: the station at 88.5 was RADIO VISA from Dunkwa-on-Offin. 88.3 was POTTERS FM from Sunyani."

His full report can be found on his blog HERE

What I found of interest about this report was that someone in Spain managed to hear FM radio stations at a distance of about 3700kms. If we look at a map, this is what it looks like...

As you can see, the circle almost reaches Newfoundland. As far as I know, no-one in Spain or Portugal has ever heard a FM radio station from North America.

Back in June of 2021, Larry Horlick, VO1FOG in Newfoundland heard FM radio stations in Spain. At the time, some argued that it was not possible for anyone in Spain to heard North America because the band was too crowded. And yet, here we have an example of someone hearing double hop from Ghana in Africa.

If FM radio stations from Spain can be heard in North America then North American FM radio stations can be heard in Spain or Portugal. It's not a case of IF but WHEN will they be heard.

See my 88-108 MHz page for more examples of long distance reports.

FM radio stations from the Azores (87-93 MHz) are heard in Newfoundland - 23rd July 2021

Friday 23rd July 2021: Larry Horlick, VO1FOG in Newfoundland reports that he heard FM radio stations from the Azores on frequencies ranging from 87 to 93 MHz. The opening lasted one hour.

* * *

UTC QRG ITU Station, location Details, remarks Distance km Received by/in kW ERP Pol

22:30 UTC 90.50 MHZ AZR RTP Antena 1, Serra de Santa Bárbara (tce) Live Stream, 2309kms 35 h

21:51 UTC 92.70 MHz AZR RTP Antena 1, Pico Bartolomeu (smg) Presumed, reference to Ponta Degada, 2524kms 0.5 m

21:14 UTC 87.70 MHz AZR RTP Antena 3, Pico da Barrosa (RDP) (smg) Live stream, 2501kms 40 v

* * *

It's interesting to see that Larry also heard the Azores two days earlier on the 21st of July.

Propagation Mode: It's almost certainly single hop Sporadic-E with a possible small tropo extension near the Azores. 

In a message, Larry VO1FOG notes that during this reception of Band 2 signals up around 88 MHz, the 6-metre band at 50 MHz appeared closed. It's very likely that there was a good single hop Sporadic-E opening from Newfoundland to the East but there is nothing out there in the mid-Atlantic.

As Larry notes, it's wrong to assume that just because there is nothing on 50 MHz, the higher bands will be closed. 

Analysis: Even though reports of FM radio stations from the Azores being heard in Newfoundland were only documented for the first time in 2021, it's likely that this 2300-2500km path is open every year. What is different this year is that there is someone activity logging these stations from the Newfoundland end.

While single hop Sporadic-E openings on Band 2 are nothing special, I would suggest that the ones between the Azores and Newfoundland are. Not in terms that they actually happen but in terms of what times they happen.

The more Newfoundland to Azores reception reports that are logged then we might be able to see a pattern of what is the most likely time of day that these openings happen. 

If the maximum usable frequency gets up to 88-108 MHz on a regular basis then there may be times that it goes up as far as 144 MHz. Add in a tropo duct at the eastern end and a trans-Atlantic path from Newfoundland to Spain or Portugal might be possible.

Links...
1) VO1FOG's reception log on the FMLIST website
2) More examples of Band 2 reception reports on my 88-108 MHz page

FM radio stations in Maine heard across the Atlantic in the north of Ireland - 22nd July 2021

Thursday 22nd July 2021: Openings on the FM band (88-108 MHz) between North America and Europe are very rare and it's always interesting to hear about these very high frequencies crossing the North Atlantic.

On the 22nd, Paul Logan in Lisnaskea in Co.Fermanagh in the north of Ireland managed to catch a short 5-minute opening to the state of Maine in the NE of the USA. 

* * *

UTC QRG ITU Station, location Details, remarks Distance km Received by/in kW ERP Pol

14:06 UTC 89.70 MHz USA WMED, Calais (ME) Weak. End of wx report. Start of "On point" show. Fits with online edition. Brief. 4294kms 30kW m

14:06 UTC 92.90 MHz USA WEZQ, Bangor (ME) Sports talk, same time as 88.5 4390kms 20kW m

14:05 UTC 88.50 MHz USA WHCF, Bangor (ME) Religious show, Scottish preacher // web 4353kms  35kW m

* * *

As the log from the FMLIST website shows above, Paul managed to log three separate stations at the bottom of Band 2 with frequencies in the range of 88 to 93 MHz.

To put this opening in perspective, this was only the 9th trans-Atlantic Band 2 opening for Paul Logan in a period of about 20 years.

For the reception, Paul was using a ELAD FDM S2 SDR receiver with a Band 2 9-element Yagi 8m above ground level.

Propagation Mode: As can be seen from the log, the distances were in the region of 4300kms. It's likely that the mode of propagation was double hop Sporadic-E i.e. 2 x 2150km hops.

For more examples of long distance reception reports on Band 2, visit my 88-108 MHz page.

FM radio stations on the Azores are heard again in N America - 21st July 2021

 

Wednesday 21st July 2021: At the start of July, FM radio stations on the Azores were heard in the USA. On the 21st, the North Atlantic path opened again with FM stations being heard in Newfoundland and Cape Cod, MA.

This is a log of what was heard by Larry Horlick (VO1FOG) in Newfoundland and Bryce Foster in the US...

* * *

UTC QRG ITU Station, location Details, remarks Distance km Received by/in kW ERP Pol

19:32 88.90 MHz AZR RTP Antena 1, Horta/Cabeço Gordo (fai) Recording verified by Paul Logan,  2218kms by Larry Horlick, Coley's Point (CAN) 9.1 c

19:36 90.50 MHz AZR RTP Antena 1, Serra de Santa Bárbara (tce) Recording verified by Paul Logan 2309kms by Larry Horlick, Coley's Point (CAN) 35 h

19:44 87.70 MHz AZR RTP Antena 3, Pico da Barrosa (RDP) (smg) Antena tres, Recording verified by Paul Logan  2501kms by Larry Horlick, Coley's Point (CAN) 40 v

21:33 88.50 MHz AZR Rádio Atlântida, Pico da Barrosa (smg) // webstream,  3830kms  in Mashpee, MA (USA) 3 m

21:33 87.70 MHz AZR RTP Antena 3, Pico da Barrosa (RDP) (smg) Antena 3 ID, // stream,  3830kms in Mashpee, MA (USA) 40 v

* * *

Propagation Mode: It looks very likely that this was a case of single and double hop Sporadic-E again.

The distance from the Azores to Newfoundland is in the region of 2200-2500kms and this was most likely one hop Sporadic-E with a small tropo extension.

The distance from the Azores to Cape Cod in the US is 3830kms and this was very likely to be double hop Sporadic-E.

It's interesting to see that the path from Newfoundland to Bermuda was open at 21:00 UTC which suggests the location of one of the Sporadic-E clouds.

For earlier trans-Atlantic reception reports, see my 88-108 MHz page.

Links...

1) FMLIST website log for the 21st of July 2021

FM radio station in Iceland on 88 MHz is heard in the USA (3900kms) - 8th July 2021

Thurs 8th July 2021: Over the last few weeks, there have been some remarkable openings on the FM band in the North Atlantic. Links to post HERE

On the 8th of July, there was yet another opening in the North Atlantic when a FM radio station on 88 MHz in Iceland was heard by four individuals in the USA. Three in the state of Massachusetts and one in New Jersey.

21:53 UTC 88.00 MHz RÚV Rás 1, Stykkishólmsbær/Stykkishólmur-símstöð (3,945 kms) 18kW (Bryce Foster (K4NBF), Mashpee, MA, USA)

22:06 UTC  88.00 MHz RÚV Rás 1, Stykkishólmsbær/Stykkishólmur-símstöð (3,921 kms) 18 kW (Jeff Lehmann, Rockland, MA, USA)

The individuals concerned were... Bryce Foster, K4NBF (MA), Jeff ?? (MA), Keith McGinnis (MA) and Nick Langan (NJ).

As can be seen above, the distance was just over 3,900 kms. The likely propagation mode was double hop Sporadic-E (1950 kms x 2). 

However, that part of the Mesosphere where Noctilucent Clouds are found has been shown to reflect radio signals and that can't be ruled out.

One hop Sporadic-E reception on Band 2 over southern latitudes for example in Europe or the USA is really nothing special. When we start getting up into the Arctic regions, it's less obvious what the cause is for long distance VHF signals and that's why these reports are of interest.

FM radio stations from Spain & Portugal heard in Canada again - 7th July 2021

Back on the 21st of June 2021, there was a remarkable opening across the North Atlantic when a FM radio station in Spain was heard by Larry Horlick, VO1FOG in Canada for the first time. Post HERE

On the 7th of July 2021, there was another trans-Atlantic opening when Larry Horlick heard five FM radio stations in Spain & Portugal on frequencies ranging from 88 to 93 MHz.

UTC MHz Station, location (Distance km) kW ERP 

13:18 87.90 RTP Antena 1, Serra da Lousã/Trevim, Portugal, (3,657 kms) 34 kW

13:52 89.90 Los 40 Classic, Segovia, Spain, (3,916 kms) 2 kW

13:53 90.00 Cadena 100, Salamanca, Spain, (3,799 kms) 6 kW

14:08 93.10 RNE Radio Clásica, Valladolid/Cerro de San Cristóbal, Spain, (3,838 kms) 30 kW

14:15 88.20 Los 40, León/Las Lomas (CAL-LE), Spain, (3,728 kms)  4 kW

Larry reports that the opening started at 12:54 UTC and lasted until about 14:27 UTC (~90 mins). Some of the Spanish stations were really strong and nothing was heard above 93.1 MHz.

During the opening, Larry tried three different antenna types on receive.... a half-wave dipole (retuned from lo Band TV to  FM BC), a new 10 el K6STI Yagi, and  a discone. 

The Yagi was superior all the time even though it had to be pointed to a beam heading of 45 degrees to prevent overload and intermod from the local FM radio stations in St.Johns. (Spain is 084 deg)

Even being outside the 3 dB beam width, Larry reports that signals were MUCH stronger on the Yagi than on the dipole. The discone antenna was useless.

Credits: I must thank Paul Logan in Ireland and Jorge Garzon in Spain for confirming that these recordings. Both are very experienced FMDXers and it's great to have their expertise to call on to make sure there was no mistake.

Propagation Mode: It looks likely that it's a case of double hop Sporadic-E again with perhaps two 1900km hops.

The weather map for the day shows an interesting kink in the Jet Stream in the middle of the North Atlantic and these features have been associated with Sproadic-E regions overhead.

Questions...

Considering that this is the second time a Spanish FM radio station has been heard in Newfoundland in 3 weeks, it raises some questions...

I really wonder if this opening is exceptional or does this trans-Atlantic path on the 88-108 MHz band open a lot of the time? Do FM radio stations in Spain & Portugal cross the Atlantic on a regular basis?

And if FM radio stations from Spain are reaching Newfoundland then FM radio stations in Canada must be reaching Spain. Is anyone listening? Who will be the first person on the Iberian Peninsula to hear a FM radio station from North America?

Links...

1) Larry's log on FM list for the 7th of July 2021

105.9 MHz signal crosses the North Atlantic from Newfoundland to Ireland - 1st July 2021

1st July 2021: This was one of those remarkable days for VHF signals going across the North Atlantic. In an earlier post, I reported how someone in Cape Cod, MA in the USA managed to hear a FM radio station from the Azores Islands on 87.7 MHz. Later in the day, there was a remarkable opening on Band 2 from Newfoundland to Ireland.

Paul Logan in Lisnaskea in Co.Fermanagh in the north of Ireland managed to catch an extensive opening to St.John's, Newfoundland and logged no fewer than eight FM radio stations going from 88.5 MHz to 105.9 MHz. The distance was just over 3200kms.

The most significant of these loggings was that of CBAF-FM on 105.9 MHz as this is now the highest trans-Atlantic signal that has ever been recorded.

Here are the stations that Paul Logan heard...

* * *
88.50 MHz / 20:45 UTC / CBN-1-FM / PI logged: B202 PS logged: CBC_____ RADIO_1_ / 3.6 kW
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbbj6-0T-pI
* * *
94.70 MHz / 20:45 UTC / CHOZ-FM PI logged: C557 PS logged: __OZFM__ 3203km / 100 kW
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS2ybV3T6cg
* * *
96.70 MHz / 20:45 UTC / VOAR-FM / local interference / 100 kW
* * *
97.50 MHz / 20:43 UTC / VOCM-FM / PI logged: 79E0 / 100 kW
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJX3AtONQ0k
* * *
99.10 MHz / 20:43 UTC / CKIX-FM / 100 kW
* * *
101.10 MHz / 20:45 UTC / CKSJ-FM / difficult against local / 20 kW
* * *
101.90 MHz / 20:44 UTC / CBAX-FM-2 / PI logged: B205 PS logged: ICI_____ Musique_ / 90 kW
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7hvMWLKY50
* * *
105.90 MHz / 20:44 CAN / CBAF-FM-17 / 46 kW
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgz263usLQU

For the reception, Paul was using a ELAD FDM S2 SDR receiver with a Band 2 9-element Yagi 8m above ground level.

Propagation Mode: First off, let's have a look at the tropo forecast...

The prediction certainly suggests that tropo ducting probably didn't play much of a role in this trans-Atlantic opening. Considering the distance was around 3200kms, it looks likely that it was probably double-hop Sporadic-E.

However, there are plenty of reports of Noctilucent Clouds at present and this region at about 80-90 kms above the Earth can reflect radio signals. Is the opening strictly Sporadic-E (1600kms X 2) or is the top of mesosphere region where the Noctilucent Clouds are involved as well?

In Conclusion: To put this opening in perspective, this was only the 8th trans-Atlantic Band 2 opening for Paul Logan in a period of about 20 years and the highest yet in terms of frequency. I can't help wondering how high did the trans-Atlantic maximum usable frequency go? 

Did it extend into the air band around 120 MHz? 

Is there any chance it might have reached 144 MHz?

Azores FM radio station on 87.7 MHz heard in the USA - 1st July 2021

There was another remarkable opening on Band 2 across the North Atlantic on the 1st of July when Bryce Foster, K4NBF near Cape Cod in Massachusetts in the USA heard RTP Antena 3 on the Azores Islands on 87.7 MHz.

The distance was in the region of 3,830kms and it is I believe the very first reception report of a Band 2 signal from the Azores in the USA.

From what I understand, the reception happened at 14:15 UTC and it lasted for about 35-minutes.

The FM radio transmitter had a power of 30 kW and was located at the Pico da Barrosa site which is about 900m above sea level on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores.

Propagation Mode: The map below shows the predicted tropo conditions on the North Atlantic path...

It would seem that the most likely propagation mode was double-hop Sporadic-E with perhaps TWO x 1900km hops. 

Around the same time as this trans-Atlantic opening, Larry Horlick, VO1FOG in Newfoundland heard a Band 2 FM radio station in Bermuda. This would suggest that there was an active Sporadic-E region in the western part of the N Atlantic capable of supporting propagation on Band 2.

The tropo map above shows a bit of tropo to the west of the Azores but I don't think it's enough to account for the additional 1500kms that is required to be added on to one Sp-E hop of 2300kms.

In Conclusion: Back on the 21st of June 2021, there was a remarkable trans-Atlantic opening on the 88-108 MHz band between Europe and Canada. See links to posts on this page.

Now just over a week later, we have another opening across the North Atlantic and the first reception report from the USA of the Azores.

I suspect this more southern path opens on Band 2 a lot more than we suspect and it will hopefully encourage more people the NE of the USA to listen for trans-Atlantic signals.

Second Spanish station identified on 95.8 MHz in Trans-Atlantic opening on the 21st of June 2021

As outlined in a previous post, Larry Horlick VO1FOG in Newfoundland heard a trans-Atlantic Spanish radio station on 88.8 MHz on the 21st of June 2021. Thanks to recordings that Larry has sent on to me, another Spanish radio station has now been identified.

This one was RNE Radio 3 on 95.8 MHz from the 100 kW transmitter at Navacerrada near Madrid.

The distance to Newfoundland is in the region of 3940 kms and it was very likely to have been due to double hop Sporadic-E as outlined in the previous post.

As well as the distance being 200 kms or so longer, it's interesting to note that the maximum usable frequency (MUF) for this double hop trans-Atlantic path was 7 MHz higher and well into the Band 2 broadcast band.

This is a recording of the signal on 95.8 MHz as it was heard in Newfoundland...

John, EI7GL · 2021 - Jun - 21 12 03 43 95point8

This matches the podcast for the RNE Radio 3 programme on the day. Link HERE

Credit: Thanks to FM DXer Paul Logan in the north of Ireland who helped identify this station and who also heard a FM radio station in Quebec during the same opening.

Sporadic-E footprint: It's interesting to see how the path from Madrid to Newfoundland is almost exactly in line with the other reception of the RNE R5 station on 88.8 MHz near Zamora. 

Sporadic-E openings on the 88-108 MHz band are often like this with the stations heard stretched out in a straight line.

In Conclusion: I have covered the likely propagation mode in the earlier post which is HERE. As well as the distance and frequency of this second report, I am also struck by it's symbolism. 

If a FM transmitter on 95.8 MHz serving Madrid, the capital of Spain can be heard across the North Atlantic in Newfoundland then what can FM Dxers and other radio enthusiasts in the Iberian Peninsula hear from North America?

And on a final note. Larry observes that there were MANY other radio stations in Spanish during this opening. We were able to identify just two from the audio recordings.

Mystery Station: There is a third and final recording but it's just a song. 

It is the song 'Black Velvet' from Alannah Myles and it was heard from 11:55 UTC to 11:59 UTC on 89.9 MHz. Station? Location?

* * *

Update - 27th June 2021: The mystery third station has now been identified as Los 40 Classic. A visitor to the blog (FinnDX) saw the comment above about the mystery station and then used this website to check back through the playlist of stations for the last week... https://onlineradiobox.com/

This is a composite of a screen capture that I took before it disappeared. The website seems to be showing what the time was in my location which is an hour ahead of UTC during the Summer months.

12:54 Irish time = 11:54 UTC.

This is a 2kW transmitter located at Segovia which is just to the north-west of Madrid.

Spanish radio station on 88.8 MHz heard across the Atlantic in Newfoundland, Canada - 21st June 2021

Back on the 21st of June 2021, Paul Logan in the north of Ireland confirmed that he had heard a FM radio station across the Atlantic near Quebec City in Canada on 90.7 MHz.

I can now confirm that Larry Horlick, VO1FOG in Newfoundland, Canada managed to hear RNE-R5 Todo Noticias in the north-west of Spain on 88.8 MHz on the same day!

This is I believe the very first reception of a European FM station station on the 88-108 MHz band in North America.

It looks as if the signal came from the 80 kW transmitter near Zamora in Spain and the distance was in the region of 3780 kms.

I have two recordings which Larry very kindly sent on. The first one is at 11:46 UTC...

John, EI7GL · 2021 - Jun - 21 11 46 12 88point8

In the above recording, the cities of Zamora, Segovia and Burgos are mentioned. It would seem as if this is from the Castilla y Léon regional news bulletin which runs from 13:10 to 14:00 Spanish time.

This is the second audio recording at 11:50 UTC...

John, EI7GL · 2021 - Jun - 21 11 50 26 88point8

This one is a bit more noisy but the distinctive little 'jingle' between the news items can be heard.

Credits: I must thank Paul Logan in Ireland and Jorge Garzon in Spain for confirming that these were  indeed recordings of the RNE-R5 Todo Noticias radio station and that the transmitter site was near Zamora. Both are very experienced FMDXers and it's great to have their expertise to call on to make sure there was no mistake.

Newfoundland: On the receive side, Larry Horlick was using an ICOM IC-R8500 receiver with a centre-fed vertical dipole at 18m above ground level, cut for the lower end of the VHF LO TV band (essentially, non-resonant on Band 2).

Larry has only been listening seriously on the 88-108 MHz bands for a few weeks and he has already managed an incredible reception report. As well as being in a relatively quiet location (FM wise), he does have the advantage of being at the most eastern pat of Canada. 

It also helps that anything that Larry hears on the 88-108 MHz band is likely to be in English or French so any other language really stands out.

Propagation Mode: It seems very likely that this was a case of double hop Sporadic-E at 88.8 MHz.

The above diagram shows the signals 'bouncing' off Sporadic-E clouds at about 110kms above ground level and being reflected off the ocean at the mid way point. It's possible that this was also chordal hop with the signal going directly between the two Sporadic-E clouds without hitting off the Earth.

Note that the angles and height of the Sp-E cloud in the above diagram are greatly exaggerated. In reality, the angles are very shallow and are probably just a few degrees above the horizon.

This is another diagram showing the suggested path and the two Sporadic-E regions.

Paul Logan in the north of Ireland reports that he was hearing FM radio station from the Azores Islands for about five hours that day which he says was highly unusual. The MUF went up as high as 104 MHz.

It's likely that the Sporadic-E region responsible for the Azores to Ireland path was also responsible for the eastern first hop of the trans-Atlantic path between Spain and Newfoundland.

It's seems as if this eastern Sp-E region was present for several hours and it just required one Sp-E path at the right spot on the western part of the path to complete the 2 x 1890 km circuit.

In Conclusion: This really is an amazing reception report and is part of radio history in that it is the first proven reception of a European FM station on Band 2 in North America.

It also raises some interesting questions...

1) If someone in Newfoundland can hear a FM radio station in Spain then why can't FM radio stations in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Maine be heard in Spain and Partugal?

2) If a Sporadic-E cloud in the western part of Atlantic can support a signal at 88.8 MHz then can it reach 144 MHz at times? And if so, could it couple into a tropo duct of say 1500 kms to complete the path to Spain or Portugal?

A double hop Sporadic-E trans-Atlantic path at 144 MHz is highly unlikely but a mixed Sp-E / Tropo propagation mode is much more likely.

The best thing about this trans-Atlantic reception report is that it now 'opens the door' on what might be possible. My hope is that it now raises awareness and more people will now listen for trans-Atlantic signals on the 88-108 MHz and 144 MHz bands.

Larry, VO1FOG informs me that he is building a 10 el K6STI Yagi for 88-108 MHz so hopefully we will get to hear of some more trans-Atlantic signals.

Addendum: This is a photo of the vertical Band 1 dipole that was used for the reception.

FM radio station on 90.7 MHz near Quebec is heard across the Atlantic in Ireland - 21st June 2021

21st June 2021: This was a remarkable day for VHF propagation with a very rare trans-Atlantic opening on the 88-108 MHz FM band.

As outlined in a previous post, Paul Logan in the north of Ireland managed to hear a radio station from Greenland on 88.5 MHz from roughly 13:00 to 14:00 UTC on the 21st of June.

Near the end of this opening, Paul also managed to hear a radio station near Quebec in Canada, a distance of approximately 4,270 kms !

The radio station in question was the 100 kilowatt transmitter of CBRX-FM-3 ICI MUSIQUE which is located at Riviére-du-Loup just to the east of Quebec City in Canada.

A short audio clip from Paul is embedded below...

John, EI7GL · 21 - Jun - 2021 13h50m12sZ, 90.7 MHz - Music

This second clip which is very noisy is of weak music and a woman speaking in French.

John, EI7GL · 21 - Jun - 2021 14h00m25sZ, 90.7 MHz, BFM CA

Paul was able to listen later to the podcast version of the show online and it matches what he heard on the radio.

Additional info: Paul Logan near Enniskillen in the north of Ireland is an avid DX-er and has logged hundreds of radio stations on the 88-108 MHz FM band over a period of 20+ years. For the reception, Paul was using a ELAD FDM S2 SDR receiver with a Band 2 9-element Yagi 8m above ground level.

Analysis: With the opening to Greenland and now the 4270 km opening to Quebec, it looks as if this was a very rare Band 2 double hop Sporadic-E opening across the North Atlantic. 

While it it quite common for signals on say the 50 MHz band to cross the North Atlantic, the maximum usable frequency rarely reaches as high as the 88-108 MHz FM broadcast band.

Paul Logan has logged more of these trans-Atlantic Band 2 VHF openings than anyone else and this was only his 7th opening to North America in 20 plus years of listening.

As of 2021, not one single person in North America has heard a Band 2 radio station from Europe. Why?

FM radio station on 88.5 MHz in Greenland is heard in Ireland - 21st June 2021

Monday 21st June 2021: This was an exceptional day for Sporadic-E propagation with FM radio stations on the 88-108 MHz band in Greenland and Canada being heard across the North Atlantic in Ireland.

In this post, we'll look at the reception of the Greenlandic station.

Paul Logan near Enniskillen in the north of Ireland is an avid DX-er and has logged hundreds of radio stations on the 88-108 MHz FM band over a period of 20+ years.

On the 21st of June, he managed to hear the KNR radio station from Greenland on 88.5 MHz for the best part of an hour from 13:00 to 14:00 UTC. An audio recording is shown below...

Paul also listened to the online feed and it matched what he was hearing.

For the reception, Paul was using a ELAD FDM S2 SDR receiver with a Band 2 9-element Yagi 8m above ground level.

At the moment, Paul is trying to ascertain where the exact location of the transmitter in Greenland.

Analysis: It's very likely that this reception was via one hop Sporadic-E as the map at the top of the post suggests. The maximum distance for a single Sporadic-E hop is in the region of 2300kms and the southern part of Greenland seems to be just about within range of Paul Logan's location.

What is highly unusual about this reception report is getting Sporadic-E at 88.5 MHz from so far north in the North Atlantic.

It raises the question: If an 88 MHz signal can get from Greenland to Ireland then could a 144 MHz on a more southerly path head from say the south of Ireland the UK / NW France across towards Newfoundland and Nova Scotia?? 

Could one Sporadic-E hop with a tropo extension reach across the North Atlantic on 144 MHz???

Analysis of Paul Logan's Band 2 FMDX log for 2020: Pt 1 - Tropo

In this three part series of posts, I am going to look at the 2020 logs of a very active Band 2 DXer and what they might suggest about propagation on the 88 to 108 MHz FM band. The posts are broken up into three parts... 1) Tropospheric Propagation, 2) Sporadic-E & 3) Meteor Scatter.

First off, a big thank you to Paul Logan who very kindly shared his 2020 Band 2 logbook with me and answered numerous questions that I had. Outside of his usual 'local' FM radio stations which he can hear under flat conditions, he logged and identified roughly 5,500 long distance signals on Band 2 in the year 2020.

Profile of Paul Logan... Paul is a very active listener of Band 2 radio (88-108 MHz) signals and has been logging stations that he has heard for about 30 years. He lives in Lisnaskea in Co.Fermanagh in Ireland and his location is shown in the map below.

Paul's location is far from ideal for listening to distant VHF signals. He has some local hills to the east as well as the hills and mountains in Scotland, England and Wales as a further obstruction.  

Equipment... For the 2020 logs, Paul used an SDRPlay RSP1 & RSP1A.

In recent years, software defined receivers have transformed FMDX listening as signals can now be seen on a computer screen as well as being heard. This allows a user to visually check for any unusual signals and can then go investigate it. One of the most impressive features is the ability to record sections of the spectrum and a user can then go back later to listen for anything unusual.

For an antenna, Paul is using a Korner FM9 from Antennenland in Germany.

This antenna which is mounted 8 metres above ground level is highly regarded by many FMDXers in Europe.

2020 Tropo Log... During the year 2020, Paul heard and identified around 86 signals that were heard via tropospheric propagation. This mode of propagation occurs when signals are bent over the horizon by sharp changes between air layers with different temperatures and moisture content.

I have picked out 5 groups of signals of note which I have marked from A to E. Refer to the map below and then the horizon profile further down.

A - This group of signals from the north-west corner of Spain are in the region of 1200 to 1300 kms. The sea path from the south coast of Ireland to the north coast of Spain is very good for VHF propagation with marine ducting happening several times a year. These sea paths are usually the best for very long paths in excess of 500kms and sometimes the signals can be amazingly strong.

In the video below, Paul shows how he was able to hear a Spanish radio station on a small portable radio when the opening was at its strongest. With his main directional antenna, he was able to hear the Spanish signals for most of the day.

In the horizon plot below, you can see that the path to NW Spain at Paul's location is largely unobstructed with only a 1 degree elevation. This allows very low angle signals to arrive at his location.

B - This path to Brittany and Cornwall is similar in that the sea path helps and the hills on the horizon are quite low at about 1 degree elevation.

C - This interesting batch of signals came from Norfolk in the east of England, a distance of 600kms. These signals had a few obstacles to overcome including Paul's local hills as well as the Pennines running down the centre of England.

With the signals arriving at least 3.5 degrees above the horizon, the means of propagation may have been via an elevated duct in the region of 500m to 2000m above the earth's surface. While higher frequency VHF & UHF signals tend to propagate better inside of ducts, it went as low as 89.7 MHz in this example.

D - This cluster of signals from the Netherlands and Germany were interesting for a number of reasons. First off is the sheer distance... about 1000kms which is unusual for Band 2 tropo. I suspect that the sea path over the North Sea may have helped for a large part of the journey.

If you examine the horizon plot below, you'll notice that there is a gap in the hills due east (90 degrees) where the horizon has an elevation of about 2.5 degrees.

What's really interesting is that the paths from the four transmission sites fit exactly in the gap. The signal from the most northerly German transmitter is exactly at the left hand side of the gap. The signal from the most southerly Dutch transmitter is exactly at the right hand side of the gap. The four signals fit exactly like a glove which suggests that they are coming in just barely above 2.5 degrees above the horizon.

E - These signals from the Newcastle area were at a distance of about 370kms and again are coming in from an obstructed path. This one has the highest angle as it had to clear a local hill that was 4 degrees on the horizon.

Outside of the five examples shown above, most of the other signals were in the region of 150 to 300kms which is pretty typical for tropospheric propagation on Band 2.

What's also interesting are the signals that weren't heard. For example, there was no tropo from Scotland which Paul confirms is a very difficult direction for him. As can be seen from the horizon plot above, the local hill in that direction is 5 degrees and that has the effect of blocking tropo signals.

In conclusion... I hope this short analysis highlights the importance of having a low unobstructed horizon for hearing signals on Band 2 (88-108 MHz). 

Having obstructions under 1 degree is best, under 2 degrees is acceptable but beyond that, the signals and paths get rarer.

Any local hill that is at 5 degrees or above is a show stopper for VHF tropo propagation.

The examples above would also apply to say the VHF aircraft band (118-136 MHz), the 2-metre amateur band (144 MHz) and the VHF marine band (156 MHz). 

Normally the best advice is to have your antenna mounted as high as possible on the VHF bands so that the amount of obstruction on your horizon is reduced to a minimum. 

Band 2 is a bit of an paradox in that the higher you put your antenna, the 'local' signals get stronger which in turn can mask the DX signals. It's really a case of finding out what height works best for your location.

Links...

1) Paul Logan's Tropo log for 2020 on the FM List website.

2) Paul's YouTube Channel

3) Paul's radio website

4) Paul's AM/FM DX Twitter account

How to check your horizon for HF & VHF propagation

If you're interested in the upper HF bands or any of the VHF and UHF bands then your horizon is all important. On bands like 144 MHz and above, the vast majority of signals are coming in from the horizon and just above it.

On bands like 28 MHz, 50 MHz & 70 MHz, the signals may be coming in at a slightly higher angle with Sporadic-E but they are still very close to the horizon. Whether you're operating from home or thinking or going portable then knowing your horizon can help explain what's going on.

First off, the website for checking your horizon is https://www.heywhatsthat.com/

In this post, we'll look at how to use it and some tips on getting them most out of it. To help explain it, I am going to do a profile of Paul Logan's location in Lisnaskea in Co.Fermanagh, Ireland. Paul is an avid listener to the Band 2 FM band from 88 to 108 MHz and logs hundreds of radio stations from all over Europe every year.

Getting started...

After going to the HeyWhatsThat site, click on the 'New panorama', zoom in to find your own location on the map and then click on it. 

I have done this in the example above for Paul's location and them zoomed back out. On the left side of the screen, your latitude and longitude will be automatically filled in after you click on the map. You can also select the height above ground so I selected 8-metres which is the height of Paul's antenna.

Note that the site uses the general topography to calculate your horizon, it doesn't take buildings or trees into account.

Also make sure to select 'Metric' at the bottom of the screen to use proper measurements.

Then click 'Submit request'.

Using the results...

After a short while, a map is generated. I clicked on the 'Visibility cloak' to show the areas that are visible from Paul's location. The Red triangles are distant peaks and I clicked on 'Contours' to highlight the topography.

This is that the horizon looks like for Paul...

I have exaggerated the vertical scale and added some numbers to make it clearer.

There is a large hill with an elevation of about 5 degrees to the north-east of Paul's location (45 deg bearing) and this is clearly shown on the image above. This would have a major impact on all signals at 144 MHz and above. As Paul notes himself, he finds it very difficult to get distant stations on Band 2 in that direction. 

That hill would also impact on all long distance single hop Sporadic-E coming from that direction on all bands from 28 MHz to 144 MHz. Short skip arriving at a higher angles on say 28 MHz or 50 MHz would probably clear the hill.

Due east at 90 degrees, there is an interesting gap which might might allow some distant Band 2 tropo or Sporadic-E through.

From 100 to 140 is another impediment to low angle signals but it gets much better after 150 degrees or so. Paul has a very good take off at about 190 degrees towards the Canary Islands and even those distant line of sight peaks around 270 degrees are so low that there are unlikely to be much of a problem. As a result, his location will be wide open to say the USA on 28 MHz once the sunspot numbers increase.

Example 1: Poor tropo path to Scotland.

In this example, I have shown what the path is like to Scotland and how the hill is in the way. If you are trying this from your location, then just click on any location of interest and the site will show you the path and where it is on your horizon.

Example 2: Good tropo  path to Spain

As can be seen from the horizon profile, Paul has a good path to the south and this can allow him to gain access to the marine duct that sometimes occurs between Ireland and Spain. The distance shown is about 1200kms which is really good for Band 2 tropo.

Example 3: Sporadic-E footprints...

Using the 'Up in the air' button, I was able to simulate what the limit for one hop Sporadic-E from Paul's location might be. One the left above is the approximate range if Paul had a completely flat horizon. The one on the right is the reality.

For Italy, the local hill restricts signals further south than Rome.

For Poland, signals from the east of the country should be easy to hear except the local hill makes things more difficult. Belarus and the west of Ukraine are also more difficult. Notice that that little gap at 90 degrees is reflected in the Sporadic-E footprint.

For the Baltic states and Finland, they should be well within Sporadic-E range but again, the local hill makes things difficult.

It's possible in many cases that some local tropo conditions will extend the footprint further east but overall, the local hills make hearing these areas more challenging.

Example 4: F2 propagation...

As the sunspots increase, there will be weak F2 openings on 28 MHz. Towards the west, Paul should have no problems reaching Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in Canada. With the help of a more southerly second hop, he is well placed to hear signals from well into the USA.

Towards the eastern Mediterranean, the local hill will block some of those signals when the band is just open. Ironically, it may actually be easier to hear signals further away in places like the Arabian peninsula once there is a second hop.

'Up in the air' Values... 

For your own propagation footprint maps, try 360000 for Sporadic-E and 1300000 for F2.

Example 5: Line of sight paths...

The HeyWhatsThat site can also be used to examine line of site paths. The map above shows the path from Paul's location to Clermont Carn in Co.Louth, about 75kms away. This is a major transmitter site for Irish radio stations.

Let's say for example, Paul wanted to get a line of sight path for a contact on the microwave bands. The profile below shows the local hill in the way but there is a location 7kms away that is line of sight to Clermont Carn.

It's not hard to imagine how it might be used for finding suitable paths on the microwave bands or even if someone was just curious if a distant mountain was visible or not.

Other uses... Here's a few...

Portable operation, DX-peditions, Summits on the Air (SOTA) activations, contesting ... are there obstructions in the way? Is your 'perfect' contest location blocked at a low angle on the upper HF bands say to the USA?

In summary... This is a very useful utility to have and the more you use it, you tend to think of other uses.

For the bands like 28 MHz and 50 MHz, short skip can hide the shortcomings you may have in a certain directions. Your horizon profile should make you aware of these and you're looking for no more than 2 degrees.

For the higher bands like 70 MHz, 88 to 108 MHz, 144 MHz and above, tropo becomes a more important propagation mode. This time, you're looking for a very low horizon and the lower the better.

There's a very good reason why people put antennas up as high as possible on the VHF and UHF bands.

Link...
1) HeyWhatsThat website