Low band VHF tests by Tony Mann in Western Australia - 2023

 In a previous post, I looked at the Low Interference Potential Devices (LIPD) Class Licence in Australia and how it allowed individuals to transmit with very low power in parts of the low-band VHF spectrum.

Tony Mann is a radio experimenter in Perth, Western Australia and has over the last 12-months been operating four beacons in the low-VHF bands with each one running 100 milliwatts.

The frequencies were 30.8761 MHz , 36.6073 MHz, 39.1467 MHz and 40.6864 MHz.

In 2023, several stations heard the beacons and there are shown on the map above.

Short wave listener Hugh Cocks (HC02) is in the south of Portugal. Phil, EI9KP is located in the west of Ireland. Paul, G7PUV is located in the SE of England. All three are in the region of 15,000 kms.

Otto, VK4OTZ in Queensland, Australia is about 3,700kms to the east which is pretty much ideal for one F2 layer hop.

Tony informs me that he initially made a single frequency “beacon” on 36.860 MHz for the southern hemisphere F2 season in March-May 2023. It was simple crystal oscillator modulated by a PIN diode.

By July 2023, he had a second beacon on 30.876 MHz which was still heard in Sydney via F2 up until September 2023. By that time, Hugh Cocks in Portugal was interested in trying, so he ran 30 MHz after late Sept 2023, quickly added 36 MHz, then 39 MHz by 10 Oct and finally by 29 Oct had a 4th, 40 MHz beacon running.  

The 36.860 MHz frequency was changed to 36.607 to avoid DX radar interference in Europe. The 40 MHz beacon was never received as by mid-Nov 2023 conditions had deteriorated. 

Tony's antenna is shown below...

Tony uses two vertical dipoles: On the left is a single dipole for 30.9 MHz and on the right is a folded dipole for 36-41 MHz (which works adequately on 30.9 MHz).

The beacon signal is alternately switched on for 0.5 seconds, then off for 1.5 seconds. The cycle repeats every two seconds. There is a  0.5 second gap where no power is going out.

The screen grab above from Hugh, HC02 in Portugal shows what the 39.1467 MHz signal looked like on the 11th of March 2024.

Videos... This clip from Paul, G7PUV shows reception of the 30.876 MHz signal...  

The video clip below shows reception of the 36.860 MHz signal by VK4ATZ...

Current Status - March 2024: Tony is currently carrying out propagation tests as we're close to the equinox.

Tony writes... "I am ready to resume the 07-11 UTC tests for Europe in March 2024 and I anticipate adding 00-04 UTC for the autumn F2 season in Australia."

It would be interesting to see more reports of people hearing Tony Mann's beacons. Perth to North America? Perth to South America?

If you hear anything then you can leave a comment here.

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.

Results of the 32 MHz propagation tests by EI9KP - 27th Jan 2024

Phil, EI9KP is located in the north-west of Ireland and he carried out a propagation experiment on 32.013 MHz on Saturday 27th January 2024 from 09:00 to 17:00 UTC. He was running 5-watts into a vertical dipole and used FT8 and CW to ID.

And yes, before anyone asks, that's not a mistake. Radio amateurs in Ireland have permission to use 32 MHz.

Report from Phil, EI9KP... "I had my Low VHF antennas bent and broken in storm 'Isha' and am in the process of rebuilding.  A few days ago I resurrected my Low VHF Test Dipole.  Since there are now no coupled dipoles the test dipole was resonant on 31.600MHz.  I measured an SWR of 1.5 on 32.013MHz, it looked like a good opportunity to reconnect the beacon for a day.

I have received the following reception reports (PSKReporter, email, EI7GL blog):"

Europe... These are the stations in Europe that heard the signal...

Gintas, LY2YR in Lithuania (KO24OS) at 2188kms was probably F2 layer

Ari, OH5FI/OH5KUY in Finland (KP41DB) logged several FT8 signals and gave this report...

Fine copy at KP41db. 
Max: 240127_105300 22 -0.5 243 DE EI9KP IO54. 
Min: 240127_142815 -14 -0.3 242 DE EI9KP IO54
73 / OH5KUY

At 2316kms, the propagation mode was likely F2 again.

Costas, SV1XV in Athens, Greece (KM18UA) at 3045kms reports the following... "I can also receive EI9KP beacon on 32013.0 kHz CW, RST 559, giving loc IO54MB. Time 15:18 UTC, loc KM18." and " I can receive EI9KP beacon on 32013.2 kHz FT8, peaking at -11 dB. Time 15:10 UTC, loc KM18."

Alex, SV8QG in Greece (KM39GC) at 3133kms logged some FT8 signals from 10:52-11:01 UTC. Alex sent on the following decodes...

QRG 32,O12 USB REC IC-7200 ANT 4L@10m QTH KM39GC

105215 -2 -0.3 1201 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105300 1 -0.5 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105315 -7 -0.3 1201 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105400 -1 -0.5 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105415 -3 -0.4 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105500 -2 -0.5 1201 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105515 -7 -0.4 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105600 -1 -0.5 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105615 4 -0.4 1201 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105700 3 -0.5 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105715 5 -0.4 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105800 -7 -0.5 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105815 -8 -0.3 1201 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105900 -1 -0.5 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
105915 4 -0.4 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
110000 -1 -0.5 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
110015 -9 -0.4 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
110100 -4 -0.5 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54
110115 5 -0.4 1200 ~ DE EI9KP IO54

Phil, EI9KP continues... "The morning signals received in OH were extremely strong e.g. +22dB SNR, as was the report from Greece."

The signals to Greece at about 3000kms were almost F2 layer as well. As we look at western Europe, we move into the F2 skip zone.

Hugh, HC02 is a short wave listener in the south of Portugal in IM67BB (1892kms). Hugh writes... "Receiving the beacon - 16 to - 18dB in Portugal IM67 from an easterly direction at 0920 so must be backscatter."

 

EI9KP writes.. "Many thanks to Hugh for an all day reception report which I have represented in a graph above.  Scatter throughout the day with signals -15/-20 dB SNR with a 10 minute peak at around 12:28 UTC."

Paul, G7PUV / G9PUV in the south-east of England (JO00AU - 706kms) writes... "Two decodes here, both likely to be backscatter while I was beaming East.

----- 27.01.24 10:32:30 UTC ---------------

103215 -20 0.4 1140 ~ DE EI9KP IO54

----- 27.01.24 10:45:29 UTC ---------------

104515 -19 0.4 1140 ~ DE EI9KP IO54 "

EI7GL... This is my own report. I used an old HF radio tuned to 32.0124 MHz on USB with a vertical half-wave for 28 MHz. The distance from EI9KP to my location on the south coast of Ireland is 248kms.

The signal was very weak and the screenshot above is going from right to left.

At the bottom around 600 Hz, you can see the trace from the CW signal. I couldn't actually hear this by ear but I could see it on screen for most of the time. I didn't get that many FT8 decodes but the weak FT8 signal can be seen above around 800 Hz.

These are my FT8 decodes from the 8-hour period that I was monitoring the frequency...

090915 -20 -1.7  804 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

131115 -18 -2.1  813 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

133515 -20 -2.1  814 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

140615 -19 -2.2  815 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

161000 -20 -2.6  818 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

161100 -19 -2.6  818 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

165315 -18 -2.5  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

165515 -18 -2.5  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

165615 -18 -2.5  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

165715 -16 -2.5  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

165815 -15 -2.5  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

165915 -14 -2.5  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

170015 -16 -2.5  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

170115 -16 -2.5  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

170215 -16 -2.5  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

170315 -15 -2.5  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

170415 -15 -2.6  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

170515 -16 -2.6  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

170615 -16 -2.6  819 ~  DE EI9KP IO54

As for the propagation mode? At 248kms, it's hard to say. I'm close enough that the signal may have been direct but F2 backscatter can't be ruled out. I'd need to do the test at night to be sure if it was direct or not.

Whatever the propagation mode, I came to the conclusion that I'd need about a 10dB improvement in the signal for me to hear it properly.

North America... These are the reports from the USA and Canada...

Bernard, VA2CY in Quebec, Canada (FN46LW - 4321kms) reported reception at 13:57, 15:01 and 17:02 UTC. EI9KP writes... "Bernard VA2CY is using a 80-meter dipole oriented SW-NE. On 32 MHz this makes an antenna pattern having lobes off the ends."

Andrew, K8EL in Ohio (EN91EB - 5383kms) sends on the following screenshot...

Larry, VO1FOG in Newfoundland, Canada (GN37IN - 3146 kms) reports that the beacon was in from 1230 till switch-off at 1707 UTC.

Larry also took a nice video of the reception...

As heard here in GN37in at circa 0900 local... pic.twitter.com/axxTC2naVI

— VO1FOG (@VO1FOG) January 27, 2024

K8EL in Ohio EN91EB

EI9KP concludes... "It is worth noting that stations VA2CY and K8EL and on the same line viewed from IO54MB. Last reception reports from Europe were at 1520 (Greece) and 1707 (Canada)."

In conclusion... It's nice to see that one experimental transmission on an odd frequency in the low-band VHF region generated so much interest. It's unlikely we'll see any amateur radio activity from other countries at 32 MHz but that doesn't mean people can't experiment and try to listen.

No doubt Phil will be carrying out more experiments on 32 MHz in the future and we'll try and get the word out a few days earlier for the next one.

Link... I have the results of some previous 34 MHz propagation tests up on my 40 MHz page.

Results of the Low Band VHF Propagation Tests - Sat 13th & Sun 14th May 2023

Over the last few months, Phil EI9KP in the west of Ireland has been carrying out some low-band VHF propagation tests. On the 13th & 14th of May 2023, he had a beacon action at 32 MHz, 34 MHz and 36 MHz.

This is his report...

Local reports: EI3GYB Michael in IO53OT (30kms) reports receiving the beacon on all three frequencies, signal strength from 5/1 to 5/3 for the CW component.  He was using an ICOM IC-7200 and a horizontal V antenna.

EI3IX Joe in IO53IU (40kms) reports receiving the beacon on all three frequencies.  He was using an Icom IC-7300 and an Antron-99 antenna. 

Both would be "over the hills" from my QTH, via diffracted ground wave.

Sporadic-E reports from Europe: SWL Hugh HC02 in IM67BB (1900kms), south Portugal, on all three frequencies, with FT8 SNR from -2dB to -20dB.  A total of 95 spots over a period of 3 hours and 22 minutes. He was using an AOR AR 8000 and a 2.4m sided square loop coupled into a tunable FET preamp.

PA3GHQ Kees in JO21LT (965kms), the Netherlands, on 32Mhz with FT8 SNR from -14dB to -19dB.  He was using an Elad FDM DUO SDR and a home made dipole.  A total of 8 spots over a period of 57 minutes.  Likely via Sporadic-E.

Both are for 13/05/2023.  No EU reports were received for 14/05/2023.

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

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

Jan 2023 results HERE

Feb 2023 results HERE

Apr 2023 results HERE

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

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

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

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

For this test there are three time slots:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The antenna is mounted on a fibreglass mast.

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

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

ZS6WAB 40 MHz beacon heard in Western Australia - 5th April 2023

Over the last few months, there have been plenty of long distance propagation paths reported on the 40 MHz band but nearly all involve at least one station in the northern hemisphere. In this post, we'll look at a recent East-West path in the southern hemisphere.

5th April 2023: Short wave listener Tony Mann in Perth, Australia reported reception of the ZS6WAB beacon in South Africa on 40.675 MHz. The distance was about 8320kms.

Tony Mann writes... "To my surprise the South African 8m beacon on 40.675 MHz, ZS6WAB, made an appearance here for over 2 hours after 0615 UTC. I am amazed it was detectable, and for so long here.

The receiver is an Icom IC-R75 with audio via usb mode. The beacon was first heard around 0615 UTC on a north facing 6m broadband dipole at 5m agl. When I rotated the dipole around to face east-west the signal was much stronger.  

The signal was audible for over an hour, peaked again 0645-0655 UTC and was visible on Spectrum Lab past 0800 UTC. The decoded morse revealed the callsign ZS6WAB and grid locator KG46RB. The great circle distance is 8320 km (5200 miles)."

Tony posted this video on his YouTube channel...

In response to this reception report, Willem ZS6WAB reports... "All my beacons from 40.675mhz /50.025mhz /70.025mhz /144.400mhz is beaming to Australia for the last month now. Ure report is the very first report since my antenna are turned to VK land."

I think there was a report of a VK8 station in the north of Australia hearing this beacon in the last 12-months but it wasn't really documented or reported on.

Analysis... While this opening was ongoing, Tony Mann took a screenshot from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology website which shows the predicted F2 layer critical frequency. This is the frequency that is returned from the F2 layer in the ionosphere when a signal is sent straight up.

The actual maximum usable frequency (MUF) is roughly three times the critical frequency i.e. a signal at perhaps an elevation of about 5 degrees above the horizon. The map suggests a MUF of maybe 3 x 11 MHz / 12 MHz = 33-36 MHz. It's not exact but it suggests that a path in the low VHF spectrum (30-40 MHz) might be possible.

The second thing to note from the graphic above is that conditions in the ionosphere are now better in the southern hemisphere now that we have passed the equinox. 

If we consider how many good east-west paths there were in the northern hemisphere in January to March then there should be similar east-west paths on the 40 MHz over the next few months from South Africa to Australia and South America and from Australia to South America.

It really is just a case of getting more people transmitting and listening.

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

Results of the Low-Band VHF Propagation tests by EI9KP - 1st & 2nd April 2023

In a previous post, I outlined how Phil, EI9KP was carrying out propagation tests on 32 MHz to 36 MHz on the 1st & 2nd of April 2023.

Phil, EI9KP send on the following report... "I ran the time slot beacon test 32...36 MHz over the weekend of 1-2 April 2023, unfortunately few reports.  

F2 propagation favoured a north/south path, mainly a zone across north Africa (simulation).  SFI (Solar Flux Index) was in a trough at 125 and MUF over Ireland was very low at 25MHz, touching 28MHz by late afternoon.

I have N3IZN in California and K9MY in Illinois reporting they were listening but nothing heard. 

Michael EI3GYB reported on your blog that he could receive the beacon on all frequencies, from his QTH it would have been a diffracted ground wave.

The beacon software, hardware, dipole and band pass filter all performed without any problem.

I am planning a repeat test in about 4 to 6 weeks, hoping for higher SFE and perhaps sporadic-E."

*****

Michael, EI3GYB is located about 30kms to the south-east of EI9KP and sends on the following report... "I monitored the beacon on both days during several hours of the days at my QTH in locator io53ot.

I used two transceivers- an ICOM IC-7200 and a YAESU FT857D. Both TRX had Windom antennas for reception.

I copied the signals on all 5 frequencies with both TRX. The signals on the Yaesu were a bit weaker than on the ICOM. The signal meter showed no bar on the Yaesu- while on the ICOM I had at least one bar, sometimes two.

33,34,35 and 36 MHz all had the same signal strengths- I'll give it a 51 on the Yaesu and a 52 on the ICOM. The signal on 32 MHz was weaker- on both TRX. I'll give it a 31 on the Yaesu and a 41 on the ICOM.

There was a noticeable fading on all 5 frequencies. Slow QSB, not too deep though."

Larry, VO1FOG in Newfoundland reports listening on both days on CW and hearing nothing. Over the last few days, I have heard the WSPR signal on 28 MHz from VE1VDM in Nova Scotia many times but this was often after 19:00 UTC. Perhaps the test beacon at 32-36 MHz was turned off a little early for the path to North America?

Paul, MI3LDO in the north-west of Ireland reports that the last decent trans-Atlantic opening at 34 MHz in his location was back on the 21st of March so perhaps the test was a little too late in the season for good east-west F2 layer propagation.

Analysis... As we're now in April, F2 layer propagation in the northern hemisphere is getting noticeably worse as we head towards the Summer. While there was plenty of propagation on 28 MHz over the weekend, it did seem to struggle to get up into the low band VHF region especially on east-west paths.

It seems like the test period was a bit late for F2 propagation and too early for the summer Sporadic-E season. Hopefully that will have changed for the next test in May when there should be plenty of Sporadic-E to Europe.

It was interesting to note that EI3GYB was getting slow fading over a short 30km path.

EI9KP to carry out Low-Band VHF Propagation Tests on Sat 1st & Sun 2nd Apr 2023

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

Jan 2023 results HERE

Feb 2023 results HERE

On Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd April 2023, EI9KP will be carrying out more propagation tests but this time on five frequencies from 32 MHz to  36 MHz. 

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

EI9KP writes... "The test beacon is now a time slot beacon and can run a different frequency for each time slot, from 32MHz to 36MHz. There are 5 time slots available, being minutes [00], [01], [02], [03] and [04].  Each time slot will have the sequence: 2*FT8, 2*CW followed by a short carrier.  The time slots repeat at 5, 10, 15, etc., minutes.

The time slots and frequencies are:

TS     Frequency   USB dial (kHz)
[00]  32013         32012.200
[01]  33013         33012.200
[02]  34013         34012.200
[03]  35013         35012.200
[04]  36013         36012.200

The CW and carrier should appear at 800Hz on the waterfall and the FT8 signal a little higher.  The beacon frequency is synchronised to GPS and should have an accuracy of 1Hz or better.  The antenna is a dipole in vertical polarisation, beacon power is still 1W."

Coverage Area: Considering that the tests will be done at the very start of April, there should be some F2-layer propagation still about. If my 28 MHz WSPR reception reports are anything to go by then a key target will be the eastern half of the USA.

The key difference between this test and the previous ones is of course the lower frequency of 32 MHz. Not only is that more likely to be propagated by the F2 layer in the ionosphere but it's also likely that a lot of people may be listening with antennas designed for the 28 MHz (10m) band and they might perform better at 32 MHz as opposed to 34 MHz.

As noted earlier, the Sporadic-E season in the northern hemisphere should be starting in April and there is a possibility of some Sp-E to Europe during the tests.

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

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

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

The antenna is mounted on a fibreglass mast.

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

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

Results of the 34 MHz Propagation Tests - Sat 25th & Sun 26th Feb 2023

On Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of February 2023, Phil EI9KP conducted some propagation tests on the 9m band in the low-VHF part of the spectrum. He operated a supervised beacon on 34.013 MHz for most of the daylight hours running 1-watt into a vertical dipole with capacitive loading.

This was the second weekend of tests on the 34 MHz band and the results of the January 2023 tests can be seen HERE

EI9KP reports... "I have collated the below information from my 34MHz beacon test on 25/26 February 2023.  The beacon 1W transmitter and the dipole in vertical polarisation worked without technical problems.

On Saturday, I got a few reception reports from the USA.  On Sunday, propagation conditions were generally poor with maximum usable frequency (MUF) reaching only 26 MHz by late afternoon, and I received no reception reports. There was an absence of tropo over Ireland and the UK and no Sporadic-E was reported.

Also, there were no reception reports from the east, conditions were not right. It was positive that HAMs and SWLs were listening out, I have a few new names in the log."

Report: As compiled by Phil with a few additions from myself ...

Saturday 25th February 2023: SF-index: 164  A-index: 6  Kp-index: 2

Absence of tropo conditions over EI/GB/Europe.
Beacon on at 0712, beacon off at 1843.
 
13:47 UTC. Reception report from SWL W1-7897 Bill in Douglas, MA, USA. He was using a 5 element beam for the 50 MHz band and a Yaesu FT-847 transceiver.
 
17:30 UTC. SWL David in Indian River City, FL, USA. He was using an Airspy R2 with a non-resonant OmniX airband antenna on the side of Rohn tower 14 metres above ground level.
 
17:31 UTC. K5YT Ed in Texas, USA, reported that he received the FT8 at -17dB SNR but could not hear the CW part.  He was using a 2 el. tribander Hygain TH2-MK3 and an Icom IC-7300.
 

Edward Johnson, K5YT writes... "I copied EI9KP on 02/25/2023 for 4 decodes using a Hygain TH2-MK3 @ 100’ and a IC7300 de K5YT EM22"

The following were listening but nothing received:

DJ0MEW Bert in Germany - JN68IE. He was using an ICOM IC-7300 and an OCF dipole 40m long.

EI8DJ Don south of Cork city on the south coast of Ireland - IO51UT.

EI7GL - Just to add I live a few kms from EI8DJ and I also heard nothing via tropo or F2 backscatter. EI9KP is about 250kms from my location.

Franz van Velzen, OE3FVU in Austria writes... "I am monitoring here (since 7.30 UTC) with 3 receivers and antennas: IC7300 with tuned SteppIr; IC-R8600 with 3 ele 6m beam and FT-847 with Gap Titan plus Tuner. Not ideal, but perhaps I copy on one of them. All report to PSK reporter: with OE3FVU/3, OE3FVU/RX and OE3FVU respectively. At this moment (08:35 UTC) no signal has been received yet."

Kees Smit in the Netherlands writes... "I am also monitoring with 3 radio’s. Elad FDM DUO SDR with HM dipole for 40 Mhz. 8 mtr. in the attic. Yaesu FT991A with Hyendfed short version 15,6 mtr. for 10/20/40 & 80 mtr. Directional west. Kenwood TS690SAT with Wellbrook ALA1530 LNP in the garden below sea level. 2 fake decoded and nothing else at the moment but still waiting on a signal."

Sunday 26th February 2023: SF-index: 152  A-index: 10  Kp-index: 3

Absence of tropo conditions over EI/GB/Europe.
Beacon on at 0730, beacon off at 1814. No reception reports.
All morning a 'wedge' in the MUF over Ireland, England to France.  Low MUF at 18-21MHz. 

The following were listening but nothing received: 

DB6LL Ham in JO43VP (near Hamburg), he was using a Yaesu FTDX101MP and a non-resonant 5/8 lambda vertical antenna for 10 metres. Decoding was on JTDX.

K5YT Ed in TX, USA.

Analysis: In contrast to the January tests, conditions for the February 2023 tests were very much subdued. The was a large aurora later on the evening of the 26th of February which shows how disturbed conditions were. 

Most of the stations listening in Europe were well inside the F2-layer skip zone and it's possible that a repeat of the test during the summer Sporadic-E season would yield much better results. 

The path to the stations in the USA was likely due to two or more hops off the F2 layer in the ionosphere.

Link: For more information tests on the 34 MHz (9m) band, check out my 40 MHz page.

EI9KP to carry out 34 MHz Propagation Tests on Sat 25th & Sun 26th Feb 2023

On the 21st & 22nd of January 2023, Phil EI9KP carried out some propagation tests on the 34 MHz band - Results HERE

Now one month later, EI9KP will be carrying out test transmissions on the 34 MHz band (9m) band on Saturday the 25th & Sunday the 26th of February 2023. The beacon will operate from sunrise (07:34 UTC) to sunset (18:04 UTC) on both days. The purpose of these tests is to investigate F2 layer propagation.

EI9KP will be transmitting on 34.013 MHz. The sequence of the beacon will be 2 x FT8, 2 x CW ID & Locator, short carrier.  The 2 x CW part is to help SWL's who do not use digital modes and also help during QSB cycles.

The beacon will be GPS disciplined with an output power of 1-watt. The antenna last time was a horizontal dipole with capacity hat loading. This time, he will be using vertical polarisation with the antenna on an insulated mast and should have a clean omni-directional pattern. 

To listen for this beacon, try 34.013 MHz CW or 34.0122 MHz USB.

Predicted Coverage Areas...

The map above shows the predicted coverage area at 12:00 UTC for a 1-watt FT8 transmitter operating at 30 MHz. It's not quite 34 MHz but it's close.

It clearly shows the first F2 hop going from Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece... to the far south of Italy and perhaps the far south of Spain and Portugal. The path to the Canary Islands looks particularly good.

It's possible the second F2 payer hop might reach parts of the Caribbean and the SE of the USA.

The image above shows the likely coverage area at 17:00 UTC. It seems good in the SE of the USA and during the January tests, the signal was heard in Florida and Texas. 

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

Note that it may be possible for stations in western Europe to hear the signal via backscatter. Leave your radio on 34.0122 MHz USB and see if you can get a decode of the FT8 signal.

4X1BG from Israel appears on the 40 MHz band - 15th Feb 2023

15th February 2023: I think most people were surprised when Nimrod, 4X1BG in Israel popped up on the 40 MHz (8m) band. Israel is about 4000kms from the UK and Ireland and is the ideal distance for F2 layer propagation. 4X1BG was using 100-watts into a Stepp-IR antenna.

The map above shows the paths on FT8 from 4X1BG and as you can see, two stations in the USA managed to decode the FT8 signals as well on 40.680 MHz. The distance to the US stations was just over 10,000kms.

The full list of FT8 decodes is shown at the end of this post and they show that 4X1BG decoded a lot of FT8 signals as well.

Robbie, EI2IP in the SW of Ireland completed a SSB contact on 40.670 MHz...

Full list of FT8 decodes in order of distance...

13,318km opening on the 40 MHz band from the Caribbean to New Zealand - 10th Feb 2023

10th Feb 2023: This was another good day on the 40 MHz (8m) band as shown from the map above showing the FT8 paths from Martin, PJ4MM on the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean.

The 8m signal from PJ4MM went well into Europe and reached as far as Poland and Greece. The one path that caught my attention was the opening across the Pacific to New Zealand. I believe this is the first time a 40 MHz signal from the Caribbean has been heard in New Zealand.

These are the FT8 reports for PJ4MM in order of distance.

 Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
PJ4MM ZL1RS 8m FT8 13318 km 22:51:41
PJ4MM SV8CS 8m FT8 9094 km 15:43:44
PJ4MM SR4DON 8m FT8 8830 km 14:26:30
PJ4MM SP9TTG 8m FT8 8755 km 14:35:11
PJ4MM 9H1TX 8m FT8 8563 km 15:39:44
PJ4MM DG0OPK 8m FT8 8173 km 14:51:12
PJ4MM DK8NE 8m FT8 8136 km 14:50:14
PJ4MM G9PUV 8m FT8 7438 km 14:52:44
PJ4MM EI4GNB 8m FT8 7083 km 14:28:14
WM2XCC PJ4MM 8m FT8 5485 km 19:00:56
PJ4MM CE3SX 8m FT8 5080 km 20:24:43
PJ4MM WB0DBQ 8m FT8 4453 km 18:04:41
PJ4MM VO1SIX 8m FT8 4072 km 15:05:41
PJ4MM VE2BI 8m FT8 4025 km 15:59:11
PJ4MM XE2OR 8m FT8 3826 km 18:04:44
PJ4MM WW1L 8m FT8 3595 km 15:08:44
PJ4MM K5YT 8m FT8 3557 km 18:01:44
PJ4MM K2ZD 8m FT8 3348 km 14:51:11
PJ4MM N4WLO/3 8m FT8 2901 km 20:52:11
PJ4MM PJ4GR 8m FT8 10 km 22:43:41

Bob, ZL1RS mentions that his 8m Yagi is permanently fixed at about 70 degrees.  With just 3 elements, the -3dB beam width is about 70 degrees (+/-35 deg).  So it covers 040 to 110 degrees quite well. PJ4MM is at 96 degrees.

Just for reference, the solar flux on the 10th of February was back over 200.

Bob confirms that there many decodes of PJ4MM on the day and he has kindly sent on a list of decodes to me. I have them listed below for reference.

Good conditions on the 40 MHz band - Mon 6th Feb 2023

Several stations have reported good conditions on the 40 MHz band on the 6th of February 2023.

These are the FT8 paths for Paul, G9PUV / G7PUV in the SE of England.

Robbie, EI2IP in the SW of Ireland experienced similar conditions.

Martin, PJ4MM was heard by quite a number of stations across the Atlantic on the 40 MHz band. This makes a pleasant change from just a year or two ago when the number of stations listening on the band was a lot lower.

PJ4MM writes... "Today's reports 8m, everybody thanks for the reports! All ft8 except 9a5cw

Results of the 34 MHz Propagation Tests - Sat 21st & Sun 22nd Jan 2023

On Saturday the 21st and Sunday the 22nd of January 2023, Phil EI9KP conducted some propagation tests on the 9m band in the low-VHF part of the spectrum. He operated a supervised beacon on 34.013 MHz for most of the daylight hours running 1-watt into a horizontal dipole with capacitive loading.

This is a report on who heard his signal over the two days.

Phil, EI9KP writes... "This 34MHz beacon experiment got people interested in listening and I am pleased to have received the reception reports below.  Also I'd like to express my thanks to Paul Logan in Co Fermanagh for twittering his followers.

Two reception reports from EI, two from Europe and to my delight a few from the USA. 

YO9FTR in Romania at 2795km received the signals on both days.  He suggested that start earlier on Day 2, in fact propagation was waiting when I switched on and he decoded the first 15 seconds of the beacon's FT8 sequence.

N2OTO in Florida is near enough twice the distance than VO1FOG in Newfoundland, on the same great circle line.

 K5YT at 6864km / 4265 miles was the greatest distance. Edward, K5YT in Texas was using a Hygain TH2-MK3 tribander @ 30m (100’) as a receive antenna.

FT8 signal received by K5YT in Texas

The USA reports suggest F2 propagation, but how many hops to FL or TX?  What about the one from CT?

YO9FTR made a long observation of the signal/SNR. This wasn't pre-arranged, however, I am thankful for the data and realised there was some pattern in it.  The resulting graph shows signal/SNR over several hours, really a nice observation of propagation.

So, I enjoyed the experiment, there's always something new to learn.

 73, Phil EI9KP"

 ~~

The map at the top of the post shows the stations in the USA that heard EI9KP on the 9m band. The map below shows the stations in Europe.

EI9KP's report... Information about reception reports collated from email, 8m Groups.io, VHFSKIP groups.io, Ei7GL blog.

21.01.2023

Beacon 34.013MHz 1W Dipole active from 10:05 till 17:15 UTC

Reception reports:

YO9FTR in the east of Romania, locator KN35XG, from 10:51 till 10:57 UTC, SNR -15 to +14 dB

N2OTO in locator EL96WI, Florida, from 13:12 till 13:19 UTC, SNR -16 to -13 dB

W1IG in locator FN31LN, Connecticut in the USA at 16:08 UTC

N4EF in locator EL98HP, Florida in the USA at 16:10 UTC using an ICOM IC-7610 with a dipole in the attic.

HB9TMC in Switzerland in locator JN46LJ, from 16:53 till 17:01 UTC

EI3GYB in locator IO53OT, over several hours during the afternoon 

Spots from PSK Reporter...
21st Jan
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
EI9KP N4EF 9m FT8 6350 km 16:10:14
EI9KP W1IG 9m FT8 4805 km 16:08:14
EI9KP HB9TMC 9m FT8 1526 km 16:53:26
EI9KP N2OTO 9m FT8 6457 km 13:12:15

22.01.2023

Beacon 34.013MHz 1W Dipole active from 08:43 till 17:15 UTC

Reception reports:

YO9FTR in the east of Romania, locator KN35XG, from 08:43 till 11:42 UTC, SNR -21 to +14 dB

K5YT in locator EM22NV, Texas, from 15:03  till 15:11 UTC, SNR from -18 to -7 dB.

N4EF in locator EL98HP, Florida in the USA using an ICOM IC-7610 with a dipole in the attic. FT8 reports from 14:48 to 15:13 UTC and also reports hearing the CW a few times at strength 329.

EI5IN in locator IO63HM, at 15:01 UTC, SNR -21 dB

Spots from PSK Reporter...
22nd Jan 

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
EI9KP EI5IN 9m FT8 120 km 15:04:29
EI9KP K5YT 9m FT8 6855 km 15:49:14

If I missed any reports then let me know.

Analysis... It should be noted that the reports above are from a beacon running just 1-watt which is pretty amazing. It just goes to show how far a signal can travel via F2 layer propagation with relatively low attenuation.

Let's have a look at a propagation map.

The map above shows the predicted coverage for a 1-watt operating at 30 MHz. It's not quite 34 MHz but it's close. The solar flux was just around 200-210 for the test.

YO9FTR... For most of the daylight hours, Romania is in the ideal spot for F2 layer propagation and reception of the beacon. The reception chart from YO9FTR further up this post shows reception of the 34 MHz signal from 08:43 to 11:41 UTC.

In the 'old days' when listening just by ear, it would have appeared that the signal was in and out, missing for long periods and then strong for a while. With a weak signal mode like FT8, we can see that the signal was actually there all of the time for three hours. The software was able to decode the FT8  signal when it was buried in the noise.

HB9TMC... It's hard to know for sure what propagation mode was responsible for the reception of the beacon signal in Switzerland. It's seems a bit too close for F2 layer. Was it Sporadic-E? Backscatter? Paul, MI3LDO heard French roads control traffic on 35/36 MHz on Saturday afternoon and thinks it was almost certainly Sporadic-E.

USA... Florida seems to be in the perfect spot for reception. It's the most southerly path and it's in the right area for the second F2 hop. Texas would seem to be at the edge of the footprint.

Overall an interesting test and a very successful one considering the relatively small number of people that would have known about the transmissions. It's also worth noting that very few people have antennas for 34 MHz and most are listening on antennas tuned for other bands.

Ireland is the only country in the world as far as I know where radio amateurs can transmit at 34 MHz (9m band). It lies pretty much half way between the 10m band (28 MHz) and the experimental 8m band at 40 MHz.

For more information about other 34 MHz tests, I'll keep the posts on my 40 MHz page HERE

Trans-Atlantic opening at 34 MHz - 16th Jan 2023

Radio amateurs in Ireland have permission to use large portions of the low-VHF spectrum for experiments and Phil, EI9KP has been carrying out tests at 34 MHz which is the 9-metre band.

Phil conducted some tests during the Quadrantids meteor shower at the start of January 2023 and the results can be seen HERE.

With the rise in solar flux to over 230 and the rise in the maximum usable frequency (MUF) into the low-VHF spectrum, Phil conducted some tests on the 16th of January 2023 and his 1-watt beacon was heard across the North Atlantic in Newfoundland!

EI9KP writes... " I am delighted that the 1W beacon was received at 13:27UTC by VO1FOG in Newfoundland, Canada, a distance of 3145km/1995mi.  A first report from across the Atlantic, likely F2 propagation.  Thank you Larry for the report and sound clip.

Given high SFI next few days and possibility of F2 type propagation I will turn on the beacon again tomorrow Tuesday 17/01/2023 from 11:00 till 17:00 UTC. "

EI9KP's 1-watt beacon on 34.013 MHz is based on a RF Zero board with GPS stabilisation. The beacon is self contained in a die cast aluminium box with a 2x16 char. LCD display and a few status LEDs. The sequence was 3 x FT8 transmissions, then a CW ID and then a carrier.

The beacon antenna is also an experiment in that it is a shortened (capacitive hat) dipole with sliding end tubes that can adjust for frequencies from 32MHz to 60MHz.

More info in this previous post.

Update 17th Jan: VO1FOG also heard the test signal from EI9KP on the 17th of January 2023. The audio recording below shows the CW and FT8 signal.

EI9KP/b on 34.013 received today and yesterday. Tx pwr is 1 watt. pic.twitter.com/Wc1FWw1qn5

— VO1FOG (@VO1FOG) January 17, 2023

Results of the 34 MHz Propagation Tests - 4th Jan 2023

On the 4th of January 2022, Phil EI9KP carried out a series of test transmissions on the 34 MHz band. This coincided with the peak of the Quadrantids meteor shower. See previous post.

The map on the left shows the reception reports.

Phil writes... "The following reception reports have been received by email:
 
Stations that were listening but "nothing received":
EI8DJ IO51UT
EI9JA IO53GT
SWL F-10255 Stephane IN87NP
 
Stations who sent me a report:
M0TXN Kev IO83ML 02:32 FT8 -17dB
EI7GL John IO51TU 01:02 FT8 -10dB
PB8DX Flo JO21DU 08:20 FT8 -16dB
SWL EA7-3173 Juan IM76GC 11:40 FT8 -19dB
SWL PA-11605 Jan JO22NU 01:13 FT8 -12dB
SWL WESSEXSDR Martin IO80QR 13:12 FT8 -8dB"

It's likely that the close in reports (<1000kms) were probably due to meteor scatter and not Sporadic-E although at the peak of the shower, it might not be possible to tell the two propagation modes apart.

I managed to get one successful FT8 decode but it was only one over the space of 12-hours. If the propagation mode was tropo or aircraft scatter then I'd expect a lot more decodes. I think I probably caught a large meteor burst at 01:02 UTC.

There were no F2 propagation reports but the 34 MHz signal will almost certainly cross the Atlantic when the conditions are good. 

EI9KP's 1-watt beacon on 34.013 MHz is based on a RF Zero board with GPS stabilisation. The beacon is self contained in a die cast aluminium box with a 2x16 char. LCD display and a few status LEDs. The sequence was 3 x FT8 transmissions, then a CW ID and then a carrier.

The beacon antenna is also an experiment in that it is a shortened (capacitive hat) dipole with sliding end tubes that can adjust for frequencies from 32MHz to 60MHz.

Other Tests... Phil reports... "I have been testing on 34MHz on and off during 2022. On 12/06/2022, I  had a 2-way QSO (FT8) with EI4GNB Tim in IO63 and on 2-4/12/2022, I was testing 34MHz propagation with LY2YR, but no reception his side.

On New Year's Day listener Paul Logan in Lisnaskey, Co. Fermanagh received the beacon signal at 12:03 and with a Delta Airlines jet passing over the signal, the beacon signal jumped suddenly from 0dB to +11dB for one over.  He heard it fluttering up.  So a groundwave (note: Cuilcagh sits prominently in the path) plus aircraft scatter?