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.
On the 26th of August 2021, the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) said that all FM radio stations will stop transmitting on December 31, 2024. At the end of 2020, they had announced that they hoped to do it earlier and have it completed by January 2023 but this has now been delayed by almost two years to allow consumers more time to change over to the newer digital format.
In December 2017, Norway became the first country to switch off its analogue FM radio stations on 88-108 MHz as they moved to a digital DAB+ system. Switzerland now intends to do likewise.
A 2020 survey by GfK Switzerland showed that use of digital radio has risen by 22% since 2015 while at the same time, FM usage has dropped by 22% to 29 percent. By June 2020, only 13 percent of the Swiss population were using analogue FM radio only.
A survey also found that only 13 percent of the Swiss population listened exclusively to analogue VHF radio in June 2020.
In the car, DAB+ is now the most popular way of receiving radio programs. Radio usage via DAB+ and Internet radio together now make up 55 percent of total usage in the car. All new cars are now sold with DAB+ fitted as standard.
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."
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Around the time of the equinox every year, there are long distance VHF contacts made across the equator by means of Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP).
This year is no exception and on the evening of the 22nd of March 2021 (early morning on the 23rd in terms of UTC time), the 144 MHz band was open between Brazil and the Caribbean.
The map above shows the FT8 signals heard by WP4KJJ in Puerto Rico.
As can be seen from the chart, most of the distances are in the region of 4700 to 5200 kms.
It's worth pointing out that while the times for these TEP openings are around 00:00 UTC, that is about 8pm local time in Puerto Rico.
The TEP opening was also evident on the lower bands like 50 MHz with spots on the DX-Cluster showing paths from Brazil, Argentina and Chile across the equator to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.
The Band 2 FM band was also open as reported by the FM DX Brasil account on Twitter.
The map shows the TEP opening at 00:00 UTC with a FM radio station on 103.7 MHz FM on Puerto Rico being heard 5289 kms away in the south of Brazil.
I haven't seen any reports of 144 MHz openings across the equator in Africa and the Pacific. Is it just a lack of stations in the suitable locations? Are stations in the south of Spain and Portugal listening for the 144 MHz beacon on St. Helena???
One of my interests is listening for long distance radio signals on the 88 to 108 MHz band which is otherwise known as Band 2 or as simply the FM band to the general public. I recently came across this impressive antenna array from Bernd, DL7APV in Germany.
He is using an array of eight bayed 9-element Band 2 beams mounted on a rotatable base which is normally used for moon bounce on the higher VHF & UHF bands.
According to DL7APV, the antenna array has an impressive gain about about 14 to 15 dBd with a beam width of about 10 degrees.
The individual antennas are the 9-element 3H-FM-9M19 - Modell 2019 from Antennenland which retail at €109 each.
Despite the fact that the antenna has 9 elements, a lot of them are used to make the antenna broadband. It seems to have the same gain as say a narrowband 4 to 5-element Yagi.
Very long distance openings on the VHF bands are always of interest and one such instance happened back on the 7th of January 2021 when Leigh, VK2KRR in New South Wales in Australia managed to log and record several FM Band 2 radio stations from Indonesia.
Normally with Sporadic-E propagation, the maximum distance is around 2300 kms. In this case, VK2KRR heard FM radio stations on the 88 to 108 MHz band from Indonesia, a distance of about 4000 to 5000 kms!
While a number of Indonesian stations were recorded, it looks as if it was difficult to get a positive ID on the exact location for each one. There was however a positive ID of RADIO FBI on the island of Bali on 91.8 MHz and at a distance of 4380 kms.
It's likely that the propagation mode was double hop or chordal hop Sporadic-E. While this is pretty common on lower frequencies like 50 MHz, it is much rarer at the Band 2 frequencies of 88 to 108 MHz.
A full list of videos from the opening on the 7th of January can be viewed HERE.
In December 2017, Norway became the first country to switch off its analogue FM radio stations on 88-108 MHz as they moved to a digital DAB+ system. Switzerland has now announced its intention to do likewise.
The Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) said that members of the radio associations and the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR have agreed to migrate to digital broadcasting via DAB+ in 2022 and 2023. The SRG SSR will decommission its FM transmitters in August 2022 to make it easier for commercial operators to switch over. The private radio stations will deactivate their FM transmitters in January 2023.
A recent survey by GfK Switzerland showed that use of digital radio has risen by 22% since 2015 while at the same time, FM usage has dropped by 22% to 29 percent. By June 2020, only 13 percent of the Swiss population were using analogue FM radio only.
A survey also found that only 13 percent of the Swiss population listened exclusively to analogue VHF radio in June 2020.
In the car, DAB+ is now the most popular way of receiving radio programs. Radio usage via DAB+ and Internet radio together now make up 55 percent of total usage in the car.
All new cars are now sold with DAB+ fitted as standard.
Over the last month or so, I've had several posts up on the blog about recent Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) openings on 144 MHz between Brazil / Argentina and the Caribbean. Most of these contacts have been in the range of 4500 to 6000kms. See my 144 MHz page.
Today, I came across a post on a forum about a commercial FM radio station on Band 2 (88-108 MHz) in Columbia being heard in Chile, a distance of some 4580 kms.
Radio Rumba is a radio station in the city of Caucasia in Columbia in South America. It's FM transmitter is on 93.1 MHz and it has as far as I can tell an output power of 5 kW.
On the evening of the 20th of November 2020, Mauricio Toro in the town of Villa Alemana near Santiago, Chile heard Radio Rumba on 93.1 MHz, a distance of some 4580 kms.
Considering that both the radio station and Mauricio were both equidistant from the Geomagnetic Equator, were at right angles to it and the local time was 21:30, the most likely mode of propagation was Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP).
Mauricio was using a SONY XDR-S10HDIP receiver with a 7-element horizontally polarised Log Yagi.
Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP)
With Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP), zones of high ionization occur either side of the geomagnetic equator in the F layer of the ionosphere. What makes the mode so interesting is that it can allow propagation on the VHF bands from 50 MHz to 144 MHz. As the zones of ionization is roughly 400kms above ground level, the propagation paths achieved are in the region of 4000 to 5000 kms, much greater than what might be usual with Sporadic-E.
