In what was probably the best tropo opening to Cape Verde Islands to date, Ian White GM3SEK in Scotland managed to work D41CV on the Cape Verde Islands on FT8 to set a new IARU Region-1 tropo record for 144 MHz. The contact was made on the 28th of December 2019 and the distance was estimated to be in the region of 4565 kms which is about 130 kms further than the previous record which was set by D41CV and G3SMT in September of 2018.
GM3SEK used 400 watts into an 11-element beam to complete the record contact.
A number of other stations in England, Wales, Ireland and the Isle of Man managed to complete contacts with D41CV as well.
To put the opening into context, the stations that heard D41CV on FT8 on Saturday the 28th of December 2019 are shown below. Also shown is the limit of the previous record.
What really stands out is the number of stations that heard the signal from D41CV and were further than the old record.
Of these, GD3YEO and GD6ICR both managed to complete a contact for what were probably the first ever contacts between Cape Verde Islands and the Isle of Man on 144 MHz.
John, MW1CFN on the Isle of Anglesey did not make a contact but managed to hear D41CV with a small 3-element yagi!
MI0XZZ to the north of Belfast managed to hear D41CV despite the fact that the signal had to travel over the island of Ireland.
Possibly the most interesting reception report was that of 2M0TNM in the far west of Scotland. The distance was an impressive 4,710 kms and was almost completely a sea path. If anyone is likely to break the new record then it's likely to be from there.
432 MHz... Amazingly, GM3SEK also managed to work D41CV on 432 MHz for a new world record distance for tropo. That report is in a separate post HERE.
Mode of propagation... As you'll notice, it's those with a sea path that were able to avail of the opening. It was likely to have been the usual maritime ducting.
The tropo prediction map below from Pascal, F5LEN shows the path from Cape Verde to the UK and Ireland.
Links...
1) F5LEN tropo prediction website
2) Excellent end of year tropo opening results in new world record 432 MHz contact of 4562 kms
