Selective TEP opening on 144 MHz from the Caribbean to South America - 9th Feb 2022

9th February 2022: There was another TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation) opening on 144 MHz between the Caribbean and South America but this time, it was a bit unusual.

As the map above shows, nearly all of the signals shown on the PSK Reporter website were from Argentina to Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and the Dominican Republic. There was also some from Argentina to Puerto Rico. What was unusual was the lack of signals further east from Puerto Rico to the south of Brazil.

Usually there are two parallel TEP paths crossing the Geomagnetic Equator. For whatever reason, the eastern path to Brazil seems to have been mostly absent.

Spots on the DX Cluster show a small bit of activity from Puerto Rico to Brazil but it seems to have been at a very low level compared to the path further west.

Spotter  Freq.  DX  Time  Info  Country
NP4BM-@ 144180.0 LU2EPO 01:03 09 Feb tnks tep q65b qso Argentina
NP4BM-@ 144180.0 LW2DAF 01:01 09 Feb tnks tep q65b qso Argentina
PY5EK 144180.0 WP3DN 23:53 08 Feb Q65B -9 dB 994 Hz TNX TEP Puerto Rico

The path from PY5EK in Brazil to WP3DN in Puerto Rico was the only one I noticed on the PSK Reporter website.

As for why the western TEP path was better than the eastern TEP path???

144 MHz Report... Martin, PJ4MM in Bonaire reports working the following stations in Argentina...

2022-02-09,00:43:15,2022-02-09,00:46:31,LU2EPO,GF14FW,144.181550,Q65,+05,+03,1300,Q65 Sent: +05  Rcvd: +03,,TEP 
2022-02-09,00:47:15,2022-02-09,00:48:01,LU4DJC,GF05PO,144.181550,Q65,+06,+02,1300,Q65 Sent: +06  Rcvd: +02,,TEP
2022-02-09,00:48:30,2022-02-09,00:50:01,LU5CQC,GF05SK,144.181550,Q65,+04,+10,1300,Q65 Sent: +04  Rcvd: +10,,TEP
2022-02-09,00:51:45,2022-02-09,00:53:30,LU8EDA,GF05RJ,144.181550,Q65,-11,+05,1300,Q65 Sent: -11  Rcvd: +05,,TEP
2022-02-09,00:54:30,2022-02-09,00:55:01,LU2DPW,GF05GI,144.181550,Q65,-15,-09,1300,Q65 Sent: -15  Rcvd: -09,,TEP
2022-02-09,01:13:45,2022-02-09,01:14:31,LW2DAF,GF05RK,144.181550,Q65,+03,+00,1300,Q65 Sent: +03  Rcvd: +00,,TEP
2022-02-09,01:16:30,2022-02-09,01:21:01,LU9FVS,FF97NC,144.181550,Q65,-10,-01,1300,Q65 Sent: -10  Rcvd: -01,,TEP
2022-02-09,01:21:45,2022-02-09,01:24:01,LU5CQC,GF05SK,144.181550,Q65,+01,+03,1000,Q65 Sent: +01  Rcvd: +03,,TEP
2022-02-09,02:04:30,2022-02-09,02:07:00,LU8GMM,GG02MN,50.314400,FT8,+20,-14,35,FT8  Sent: +20  Rcvd: -14,,TEP

Most of these contacts were in the region of 5,000 kms.

For the TEP contacts with Argentina, PJ4MM was using 100-watts to a 13-element Tonna Yagi which is 13 metres above ground level.

Links...
1) More info about long distance 2m openings on my 144 MHz page.

PJ2BR completes 5461km contact on 144 MHz with just 10-watts - 7th Feb 2022

At the moment, there seems to be an TEP opening on the 144 MHz band every evening between South America and the Caribbean area. The evening of the 6th of February was no exception with an opening just after midnight UTC on the 7th (~8pm for the stations involved on the evening of the 6th).

Brett, PJ2BR in Curacao reports working stations in Argentina with just 10-watts into a 3-element Yagi!

PJ2BR writes... "This is an unusual evening. Was able to work @LU4DJC, @LU1FAM and @LU2EPO on 2m Q65. What makes this unusual is, made the contact with 10W and a 3 element Arrow yagi! My signal was also rx’ed in Uruguay. 5461 Km on 2m 10W!"

Many people will be familiar with the Arrow dual band antenna which is often used to work the satellites.

5,461 kms on 144 MHz with just 10-watts in to a 3 element Yagi is pretty amazing. Remember that this is via Trans-Equatorial Propagation and not via some satellite passing over. 

It is also a LOT further than the 3000kms or so across the North Atlantic from Newfoundland to Ireland which has never been bridged on 144 MHz.

To complete the contact, PJ2BR was using the Q65 digital mode...

In this screen shot, LU2EPO in Argentina was hearing PJ2BR at -16dB which is just below what is detectable by ear.

There are the spots from the DX-Cluster for the opening...

Spotter Freq. DX Time Info Country
PY2OAL 144180.0 FG8OJ 01:47 07 Feb TEP 4300 KM tnx Q65 Sent: -05 Guadeloupe
PY2SRB-@ 144180.0 FG8OJ 01:21 07 Feb Q65b CQ Guadeloupe 
PY2SRB-@ 144180.0 NP4BM 01:20 07 Feb Q65b CQ Puerto Rico
HI8GSP-@ 144180.0 LU2EPO 01:14 07 Feb Q65 TNX FOR THE CONTACT Argentina
PY5EK 144180.0 WP4KJJ 00:57 07 Feb Q65B +0 dB 1529 Hz TNX TEP Puerto Rico
PY2SRB 144180.0 WP4KJJ 00:53 07 Feb Q65B -1 dB 1555 Hz Puerto Rico
LU1FAM-@ 144180.0 PJ4GR 00:50 07 Feb Q65B Bonaire
LU1FAM-@ 144180.0 HI8CAF 00:49 07 Feb Q65b Dominican Republic
LU1FAM-@ 144180.0 PJ2BR/QRP 00:49 07 Feb q65b Curacao
WP4KJJ-@ 144180.0 PY5EK 00:49 07 Feb Brazil 
WP4KJJ-@ 144180.0 LU2EPO 00:48 07 Feb Argentina
LU4DJC-@ 144180.0 PJ2BR 00:41 07 Feb TEP Q65B Curacao
LU4DJC-@ 144180.0 HI8CAF 00:40 07 Feb TEP Q65B Dominican Republic
LU4DJC-@ 144180.0 HI3I 00:37 07 Feb  TEP Q65B Dominican Republic
PY2SRB-@ 144180.0 WP3DN 00:31 07 Feb Q65B -8 cq Puerto Rico

Links...

1) For more examples of long distance openings on the 2m band, see my 144 MHz page.

Another TEP opening on 144 MHz between S America & the Caribbean - 2nd Feb 2022

Wednesday 2nd February 2022: Another day, another big Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) opening on 144 MHz between South America and the Caribbean. The map above shows the parallel paths from Argentina to Bonaire, Curacao & the Dominican Republic and from Brazil to Puerto Rico, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Trinidad.

The parallel paths are due to the fact that at 144 MHz, TEP signals must cross the Geomagnetic Equator close to right angles. At lower frequencies like 50 MHz and 28 MHz, the angle can be much wider.

I have included a list of the spots from the DX Cluster at the bottom of the post.

Video: Brett, PJ2BR in Curacao has a nice video clip of a LW2DAF on 144.300 MHz SSB.

This was the SSB contact with Diego @LW2DAF Slightly over 5.000 Km away. pic.twitter.com/oeHCTVQG3r

— Brett Ruiz (@pj2br) February 2, 2022

This second video clip is of Diego, LW2DAF in Argentina having an SSB contact with HI8GSP in the Dominican Republic on 144 MHz, a distance of about 6000 kms.

LW2DAF <> @HI8GSP TEP 6000km yesterday night. pic.twitter.com/BUptrTtiPF

— Diego Alejandro Feil (@LW2DAF) February 3, 2022

Caribbean: This is a map in closer detail of the stations in the Caribbean...

The reason I include this is that it shows the usual stations and countries in the Caribbean that are taking part in these TEP openings on 144 MHz. The map also shows all of the other countries where there doesn't seem to be much if any 2m activity.

The map just got me thinking... could more people in the Caribbean get active on 2m?

Chile? Cuba? Columbia? Central America?... In other previous posts, I've looked at TEP openings on the 88-108 MHz band between Chile and Columbia. 

Q. Do these reach 144 MHz as well? Is the lack of contacts just because there are no stations from some of these countries on 144 MHz?

CO8LY was mentioned on the DX cluster but I couldn't see any record of a path on the PSK Reporter website.

432 MHz??? Lots of questions today! 

Q. If there is a really good TEP opening on 144 MHz in South America, can it reach 432 MHz? It's been done before between Zimbabwe and Greece.

Q. Is anyone trying to make a 70cms contact via TEP at the moment? 

Q. Is it only possible at the peak of the solar cycle?

DX Cluster spots from the opening...

Spotter Freq. DX Time Info Country
PY2TC 144300.0 FM8QR 01:50 02 Feb TEP - TKS QSO. 73 Martinique
PY2SRB-@ 144175.5 9Y4D 01:33 02 Feb FT8 Trinidad & Tobago
PY2SRB-@ 144175.5 FM8QR 01:28 02 Feb FT8 Martinique
LU7DW-@ 144300.0 HI8GSP 00:48 02 Feb GF05<TEP>FK58 Dominican Republic
LU2DPW-@ 144300.0 HI8GSP 00:42 02 Feb GRS TEP SSB QSO Dominican Republic
LU4DJC-@ 144175.0 CO8LY 00:42 02 Feb cq jt65 Cuba
LU4DJC-@ 144300.0 HI8GSP 00:37 02 Feb TEP USB Dominican Republic
LU4DJC-@ 144300.0 PJ4BR 00:33 02 Feb TEP USB Bonaire
LU7DW-@ 144300.0 PJ2BR 00:28 02 Feb GF05<>FK52 Curacao 
PY5EK 144180.0 WP4G 00:28 02 Feb Q65B -11 dB 1214 Hz TNX TEP Puerto Rico
LU4DJC-@ 144180.0 PJ2BR 00:23 02 Feb TEP Q65B Curacao
LU2DPW-@ 144180.0 PJ4MM 00:17 02 Feb TKS Q65B QSO 73 Bonaire
PY5EK 144180.0 WP3DN 00:03 02 Feb Q65B -8 dB 843 Hz TNX TEP Puerto Rico
PY5EK 144180.0 NP4BM 00:01 02 Feb Q65B -16 dB 839 Hz TNX TEP Puerto Rico
LU4DJC-@ 144180.0 HI8DL 23:57 01 Feb TEP Q65B Dominican Republic
LU4DJC-@ 144180.0 PJ4MM 23:53 01 Feb TEP Q65B Bonaire
LU4DJC-@ 144180.0 HI8GSP 23:50 01 Feb TEP Q65B Dominican Republic

FM8QR 144300.0 PY2TC 02:12 02 Feb TEP Brazil
FM8QR 144300.0 PY2OAL 02:11 02 Feb TEP Brazil
PJ4MM 144180.0 LU5CQC 00:53 02 Feb tep Argentina
HI8GSP-@ 144300.0 LU2DPW 00:50 02 Feb USB 73S por gracias el contacto Argentina
HI8GSP-@ 144300.0 LU4DJC 00:49 02 Feb USB gracias por el contacto 73 Argentina
HI8GSP-@ 144300.0 LW2DAF 00:48 02 Feb USB GRACIAS POR EL CONTACTO Argentina 
PJ2BR 144300.0 LU4DJC 00:35 02 Feb Gracias por la SSb contacto! Argentina
PJ2BR 144300.0 LW2DAF 00:35 02 Feb great qso on ssb! Argentina
PJ4MM 144180.0 LU2DPW 00:19 02 Feb tep Argentina
PJ4MM 144180.0 LU7JMS 00:08 02 Feb tep Argentina
NP4BM-@ 144180.0 PY5EK 00:01 02 Feb tnks q65b qso Brazil

Big TEP opening on 144 MHz between South America & the Caribbean - 1st Feb 2022

Tuesday 1st February 2022: The impressive looking map above is from the PSK Reporter website and it shows some of the paths that were open on 144 MHz on the the 1st of February between South America and the Caribbean.

And yes, that's 144 MHz! ...the VHF band that is supposed to be 'line of sight' as we're often told.

Most of the contacts were between 3,700 and 6,000 kms.

The opening which was around 01:00 UTC or 20:00 local time was due of course to TEP - Trans-Equatorial Propagation. Most of the paths on 144 MHz were at right angles relative to the Geomagnetic Equator.

Most of the contacts seem to with the Q65 mode with a few on FT & SSB.

Here are the 144 MHz spots on the DX-Cluster from Brazil & Argentina...

 Spotter Freq. DX Time Info Country
PY2SRB-@ 144174.0 FM5CS 01:37 01 Feb FT8 Martinique
LU4DJC-@ 144180.0 PJ4GR 01:23 01 Feb TEP Q65B Bonaire
PY5AM 144174.0 FM5CS 01:21 01 Feb FT8 +1 dB 1362 Hz Martinique
LU4DJC-@ 144180.0 PJ4MM 01:20 01 Feb TEP Q65B Bonaire
LU4DJC-@ 144180.0 PJ2BR 01:19 01 Feb TEP Q65B Curacao
LU4DJC-@ 144180.0 HI8GSP 01:18 01 Feb TEP Q65B Dominican Republic
LU2DPW-@ 144180.0 HI8GSP 01:15 01 Feb TKS Q65B QSO 73 Dominican Republic
LU1FAM-@ 144180.0 HI8DL 01:11 01 Feb Dominican Republic
LU1FAM-@ 144180.0 HI8GSP 01:06 01 Feb Dominican Republic 
PY2SRB-@ 144180.0 9Y4D 00:41 01 Feb Q65B 15s CQ Trinidad & Tobago
PY2SRB-@ 144180.0 WP3DN 00:34 01 Feb Q65B 15s CQ Puerto Rico
PY2SRB-@ 144180.0 NP4BM 00:26 01 Feb q65b tu Puerto Rico
PY5EK 144181.0 WP4G 00:25 01 Feb Q65B -1 dB 1236 Hz tnx tep Puerto Rico
PY2SRB-@ 144180.0 WP4G 00:25 01 Feb q65b tu Puerto Rico
PY5EK 144300.0 NP4BM 00:12 01 Feb TNX 55 IN GG43 Puerto Rico
PY2SRB-@ 144180.0 WP4KJJ 00:08 01 Feb q65b 15s -1 Puerto Rico
PY5EK 144180.0 WP4KJJ 00:02 01 Feb Q65B +5 dB 1543 Hz TNX TEP Puerto Rico

Link...

1) Some other examples of long distance paths on 2m can be found on my 144 MHz page.

ZP9HTL in Paraguay reports on 5000km TEP opening on 144 MHz to Puerto Rico - Jan 2022

Juan, ZP9HTL in Paraguay sent on some interesting information to me about his experience with Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) on 144 MHz.

With TEP propagation, signals on the 144 MHz band usually cross the Geomagnetic Equator close to 90 degrees i.e. a right angle. This means that openings tend to happen to the exact same area when the band is open.

This can be seen as the TEP pipeline from Buenos Aires in Argentina to Bonaire, Curacao, Aruba & the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. Likewise, stations in the south of Brazil have a pipeline to Puerto Rico & Guadeloupe.

For ZP9HTL, his pipeline from Paraguay is to Puerto Rico where he is often heard on SSB on 144.300 MHz.

Video... The following clip was sent to me by Juan. 

It shows that what a TEP signal on SSB can sound like. Note the distortion and the very rapid flutter.

Remember, this is a signal on 144 MHz over a 5000km path!

Antenna... On 144 MHz, Juan is using an 11-element LFA Yagi.

DX-Cluster Spots... I have included below the DX Cluster spots for ZP9HTL from the Caribbean. As you can see, they are all from Puerto Rico and they range from the start of the TEP season in September 2021 to now, mid January 2022.

It's interesting to see that the TEP openings happen at pretty much the same time i.e. 00:00 UTC which is about 8pm local time in the evening for the stations concerned.

From these spots, the earliest time is 23:45 UTC and the latest time is 00:39 UTC, a window of about one hour.

DX-Spots...

Spotter Freq. DX Time Info Country

WP4KJJ-@ 144300 ZP9HTL 23:54 21 Jan 22 59 Paraguay
NP4BM-@ 144300 ZP9HTL 23:54 21 Jan 22 59 tnks tep qso Juan Paraguay
NP4BM-@ 144300 ZP9HTL 00:06 14 Jan 22 59 tks qso Juan Paraguay
WP4G 144300 ZP9HTL 00:39 13 Jan 22 55 in FK68 Paraguay
NP4BM-@ 144300 ZP9HTL 00:30 13 Jan 22 still 59 Paraguay
WP4KJJ-@ 144300 ZP9HTL 00:19 13 Jan 22 Paraguay 
KP4EIT-@ 144300 ZP9HTL 00:10 13 Jan 22 5/2 swl Paraguay
NP4BM-@ 144300 ZP9HTL 00:05 13 Jan 22 58 tks tep qso Paraguay

6000km+ TEP opening on 144 MHz from the Caribbean to S America - 19th Jan 2022

19th January 2022: It was interesting to see that that there was a TEP (Trans-Equitorial Propagation) opening on 144 MHz between the Caribbean and South America. While the opening happened at 01:00 UTC on the 19th, the time for the stations concerned was about 8pm on the evening of the 18th.

The maps above shows the opening on 144 MHz with distances in the region of 4,400 to 6,143 kms being recorded. To put that in context, the distance across the North Atlantic from Ireland to Newfoundland is about 3000kms so the longest contact from Buenos Aires to the Dominican Republic is over twice that distance.

LW2DAF: Diego, LW2DAF in Buenos Aires, Argentina reports that his contact with HI3I in the Domican Republic was a personal distance record. Diego was using the Q65B mode and the log from PSK Reporter is shown below...

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
LW2DAF HI3I 2m Q65 6143 km 00:32:17
HI3I LW2DAF 2m Q65B 6143 km 00:30:34
PJ4EL LW2DAF 2m Q65B 5299 km 01:05:44
LW2DAF PJ4EL 2m Q65 5299 km 00:13:28
PJ4GR LW2DAF 2m Q65B 5294 km 01:44:18
LW2DAF PJ4GR 2m Q65 5294 km 00:23:29

WP4KJJ on Puerto Rico heard two stations from Brazil.
Txmtr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
PY5EK 2m Q65 5198 km 01:04:13
PY2OAL 2m Q65 4914 km 01:19:58

FG4SU on Guadeloupe seems to have had a good path into Brazil and was using FT8 instead.
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
PU4JLV FG4SU 2m FT8 4189 km 01:35:44
FG4SU PU4JLV 2m FT8 4189 km 01:34:11
FG4SU PY2TC 2m FT8 4287 km 01:33:44
PY2TC FG4SU 2m FT8 4287 km 01:04:44
PY2SRB FG4SU 2m FT8 4386 km 01:07:44
FG4SU PY2SRB 2m FT8 4386 km 00:59:02
PU2MBY FG4SU 2m FT8 4421 km 01:02:14
FG4SU PU2MBY 2m FT8 4421 km 01:00:29
PY2OAL FG4SU 2m FT8 4566 km 01:14:14
PY2WLM FG4SU 2m FT8 4725 km 01:32:29

You'll notice from the map above that the TEP signals at 144 MHz tend to stay close to 90 degrees relative to the Geomagnetic equator. The paths tend to run parallel to each other with stations in the Dominican Republic & Curacao working Argentina and Puerto Rico & Guadeloupe working Brazil.

These are the spots from the DX Cluster...

Spotter Freq. DX Time  Info Country
PU4JLV 144174 FG4SU 01:36 19 Jan 22 FT8 -10 dB 1584 Hz Guadeloupe
PU4JLV 144174.8 FG4SU 01:07 19 Jan 22 FT8 -18 dB 1589 Hz Guadeloupe
PY5EK 144180 WP3DN 00:49 19 Jan 22 Q65B -11 dB 901 Hz tnx tep Puerto Rico

While TEP openings are normally associated with the equinox period, it's interesting to see one an opening on 144 MHz in mid-January.

Links...

1) For more examples of long distance openings on 144 MHz, see my 144 MHz page HERE

South African 40 MHz beacon heard in Rome, Italy - 16th Jan 2022

16th January 2022: Emilio, IK0OKY reports that there was a nice opening on the 40 MHz band on the 16th of January when several amateur radio stations in & near Rome reported reception of the ZS6WAB/B beacon in South Africa.

Emilio writes..." Today, there was a 40 MHz opening from Rome area towards South Africa ZS. The ZS6WAB beacon on 40.675 MHz was heard in JN61 square from 11.15 UTC until 12.30 UTC.

The beacon was heard first from IK0FTA Sergio and then also from some other locals (IW0FFK Marco , IK0SMG Pino and myself).

I received it up to 559 on a cubical quad fractal antenna for 6m. Unfortunately no 6m QSO took place during the period that the beacon was in."

Grazie Emilio.

DX-Cluster spots...

Date & time Spotter QRG Mode DX km Prop. Comments
2022-01-16 12:28:24 IK0OKY (JN61ES) 40.675 CW ZS6WAB/B (KG46RC) 7508 JN61ES<TEP>KG46RC 319 now 
2022-01-16 12:06:59 IK0OKY (JN61ES) 40.675 CW ZS6WAB/B (KG46RC) 7508 JN61ES<TEP>KG46RC still in 
2022-01-16 11:48:38 IK0OKY (JN61ES) 40.675 CW ZS6WAB/B (KG46RC) 7508 JN61ES<TEP>KG46RC 559
2022-01-16 11:16:44 IK0FTA (JN61GV) 40.675 CW ZS6WAB/B (KG46RB) 7522 599 in jn61

Propagation: The solar flux on the day was 116 with an A index of 22 and a K index of 2-3. Considering that the beacon and the stations in Rome are equidistant from the geomagnetic equator, I presume the primary mode of propagation was TEP - Trans-Equatorial Propagation. It's probably no accident that the opening was just after local noon.

Early warming... This report I think shows the real value of the 40 MHz band as an early warning system. There is a huge gap between 28 MHz and 50 MHz bands and the 10m band will be open many many times without the propagation ever reaching 6m.

The 40 MHz band helps bridge this gap and this will become even more important as the solar flux begins to rise and the MUF goes above the 28 MHz band and into the low-VHF spectrum.

On this occasion, there was no opening on the 50 MHz band but that won't always be the case. In the future, there will be times when the reception of a 40 MHz beacon will alert VHF operators to get ready on 50 MHz and to have their beams pointing in the right direction.

Links...
1) As always, I have plenty of info on my 40 MHz page.

6000km opening on 144 MHz between the Caribbean & S America - 20th Dec 2021

Trans-Equatorial Propagation - TEP: There was a very good opening on 144 MHz on the 20th of December 2021 between the Caribbean area and South America with distances in the region of 5000 to 6000kms.

While TEP openings like this are a regular occurrence, what I found interesting was the fact that it happened almost at the Summer solstice for the southern hemisphere.

I suspect the fact that the Geomagnetic Equator is well to the south of the real equator in South America might be a factor here. TEP openings are supposed to be at their best near the equinoxes but that may be for areas of the world where the geomagnetic and real equators are at the same point.

PJ2BR: The map above shows the contacts made by Brett, PJ2BR on the island of Curacao with the Q65 mode and the stations are listed below.

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)

PJ2BR LU5BE 2m Q65B 5312 km 01:14:58
PJ2BR LU8EDA 2m Q65 5311 km 01:14:59
LU8EDA PJ2BR 2m Q65 5311 km 01:10:44
PJ2BR LU5CQC 2m Q65 5308 km 01:14:59
LU5CQC PJ2BR 2m Q65 5308 km 01:14:14
PJ2BR LW2DAF 2m Q65B 5306 km 01:15:05
LW2DAF PJ2BR 2m Q65 5306 km 00:53:59
LU2DPW PJ2BR 2m Q65 5296 km 01:33:29
PJ2BR LU2DPW 2m Q65B 5296 km 00:55:15
PJ2BR LU4DJC 2m Q65 5284 km 01:08:44
LU7JMS PJ2BR 2m Q65 5087 km 00:59:59

It wasn't all digital though with many making contacts on SSB as well. Note the very rapid flutter in the audio...

The band opened with a relaxed, arm chair copy, with LW2DAF. Then it got wild afterwards. #LW2DAF Thanks Diego y feliz navidad pic.twitter.com/YGXcpbJjgv

— Brett Ruiz (@pj2br) December 21, 2021

Dominican Republic (HI8) & Puerto Rico (WP4): The TEP opening from South America extended further north as well with distances of just over 6000kms being achieved. Again, lots with the Q65 mode as opposed to FT8.

Signal reports for LW2DAF in Argentina...

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
HI8JSG LW2DAF 2m Q65B 6020 km 00:51:20
LW2DAF HI8JSG 2m Q65 6020 km 00:44:00
HI8DL LW2DAF 2m Q65B 6020 km 00:43:49
LW2DAF HI8DL 2m Q65 6020 km 00:39:58
HI8T LW2DAF 2m Q65B 6015 km 00:41:18
LW2DAF HI8T 2m Q65 6015 km 00:39:58
LW2DAF WP3DN 2m Q65 5946 km 00:43:59
PJ2BR LW2DAF 2m Q65B 5306 km 01:15:05
LW2DAF PJ2BR 2m Q65 5306 km 00:53:59
PJ4EL LW2DAF 2m Q65B 5299 km 01:08:35
LW2DAF PJ4EL 2m Q65 5299 km 00:06:59
LW2DAF PJ4GR 2m Q65 5294 km 00:51:59
PJ4GR LW2DAF 2m Q65B 5294 km 00:51:18

Signal reports for WP3DN...
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
LW2DAF WP3DN 2m Q65 5946 km 00:43:59
LU7JMS WP3DN 2m Q65 5721 km 00:59:59
WP3DN LU7JMS 2m Q65 3556 miles 00:59:19
WP3DN PY5EK 2m Q65B 3246 miles 00:58:15
PY5EK WP3DN 2m Q65 5223 km 23:33:14

DX-Cluster: Spots on the cluster show plenty of SSB contacts.

LU5BE 144305.0 PJ2BR 00:35 21 Dec Curacao

LU2DPW-@ 144305.0 PJ2BR 00:30 21 Dec TKS SSB QSO 73 Curacao

CX1DDO 144300.0 PJ2GR 00:27 21 Dec GF15XD<>FK52 53 -5.5 SSB Curacao

LU7DW-@ 144305.0 PJ2BR 00:22 21 Dec Curacao 

LU7DW-@ 144300.0 PJ2BR 00:08 21 Dec GF05<<TEP>FK52 loud ! Curacao

PY5EK 144180.0 WP4KJJ 23:35 20 Dec Q65B +0 dB 1302 Hz tnx tep Puerto Rico

LU7DW-@ 144300.0 NP4BM 00:44 20 Dec Puerto Rico

WP4KJJ-@ 144180.0 LU7JMS 01:01 21 Dec Argentina

PJ2BR 144300.0 LW2DAF 00:48 21 Dec So loud!! tnx QSO Argentina

WP4KJJ-@ 144300.0 PU2MBY 00:11 21 Dec 5/2 Brazil

WP4KJJ-@ 144300.0 PY5EK 23:41 20 Dec 57 pick Brazil

KP4EIT-@ 144300.0 PY5EK 23:40 20 Dec NOW 57 SWL Brazil

KP4EIT-@ 144300.0 PY5EK 23:37 20 Dec 5/5 SWL LOUD Brazil

It should be noted that all of the times are in UTC. This opening was around 8pm local time on the 20th of December for the stations involved.

Links...

1) For more examples of long distance contacts on 2m, see my 144 MHz page.

Skewed propagation path on 28 MHz between Australia & South America - Dec 2021

Recently, Scott VK4CZ reported a skewed path on 28 MHz between Australia and South America.

The image above shows what happened. The direct and shortest path from VK4CZ to CE2SV is 11,800kms and is shown in Green. The beam heading from eastern Australia is 142 degrees.

VK4CZ however found that the FT8 signals from CE2SV peaked at about 70 degrees, a skewed path that was about 70 degrees off the direct path.

Scott mentions that the skewed path opening was from 21:00 - 22:00 UTC and I believe at that time period, the sun was directly over the centre of the Pacific.

VK4CZ was using an ICOM IC-7600 with a 5-element monoband Yagi for 28 MHz at 20 metres above ground level.

Scott, VK4CZ writes... "It's been amazing to see the scatter path to South America out of the North Pacific available again on 10m yesterday and again this morning. This path was a consistent feature through the peak of last cycle, and with digital modes it's becoming available now!

Worked/seen this morning were HK (Columbia), LU (Argentina) and CE (Chile) all peaking at a QTF of 70. Direct QTF for CE 145... so well off a direct path.

It's an interesting propagation mode that I regularly observe across the Pacific. As I understand, it's trans-equatorial scatter.

The same path should be available to Africa in the afternoon/evenings from here.

The likelihood of it also being available at 50MHz is high.... we'll just need the cycle to progress towards the peak to be sure.

A couple of cycles back, I heard Peter PY5CC in Brazil on 6m CW using the same path (albeit late afternoon when TEP peaked to KH6 / Hawaii)."

Analysis... This is my understanding of what happened and I'm open to correction. Directly under the sun near the equator, the solar radiation is at it's highest and the F layer of the ionosphere is highly ionized with a high maximum usable frequency (MUF).

This is usually split into two zones of high electron density either side of the geomagnetic equator but in December, the southern one is much larger.

This can be thought to be like a tube like structure that is stretched out east-west.

The above graphic is a bit rough but you can get the general idea of the signal hitting the F layer from the side.

Skewed paths are a fascinating subject and are allow serious DXers and contesters to exploit paths when the direct path isn't possible. This is especially true on the higher HF bands like 28 MHz where the shortest east-west paths are often closed.

I suspect these skewed paths happen a lot more often than we realise especially now that so many people are using weak signal modes like FT8.

Example of TEP on 40 MHz between South Africa & Spain - 30th Oct 2021

Back on the 30th of October 2021, there was a nice TEP opening on the new 40 MHz band between South Africa and Spain.

Joan, EA3ERE reports that he heard the ZS6WAB beacon on 40.675 MHz using an ICOM IC-7300 and a dipole for the HF bands. The distance was almost 8000kms.

Joan kindly sent on a video of the reception and it's shown below...

FM radio station in Colombia on 93.1 MHz heard in Chile via TEP opening - 21st Nov 2021

21st November 2021: Back in October, I had intended to publish a post about reception of a FM radio station on 93.1 MHz in Columbia by Alejandro, CE3VRT in Santiago, Chile. The distance was 5000kms and the propagation mode was TEP - Trans-Equatorial Propagation.

I was so busy, I forgot to publish it and it remained as a draft! The post is now shown below for the 20th of October 2021. 

What reminded me of this was that CE3VRT heard the same radio station again on 93.1 MHz but this time the TEP signals were so strong, he was able to hear them with just the telescopic whip on his TecSun PL398.

Yesterday was a strong FMDX opening vía TEP, I picked "La mega" with a Tecsun PL398 and only it's telescopic antenna. Almost ~5000km from Barranquilla, Colombia to Santiago, Chile. pic.twitter.com/2xSKLuXaBu

— Alejandro (@NautilusCL) November 22, 2021

Back in October, Alejandro was using a log periodic directional antenna outdoors on a mast to hear the signals but to hear FM radio signals on 93.1 MHz on the VHF FM band from 5000kms away with just a telescopic whip is really amazing.

20th October 2021:  Recepción FM DX via TEP (muy fuerte) "La Mega" 93.1Mhz Colombia, desde Stgo, Chile. Reception of 'La Mega' radio station in Colombia on 93.1 MHz by CE3VRT in Chile

Propagation mode: TEP
Distance: Approx 5000kms

"TEP opening (trans-equatorial propagation) very strong and somewhat short. The station tuned is "La Mega" from Barranquilla, Colombia, reception in the southern zone of Santiago de Chile (~ 5000km) using an Airspy HF + dual port and a logarithmic directional antenna for TV / FM."

Reception on Wednesday, October 20, starting at 21:30 PM local time (Oct 21 - 00:30 UTC)

6000km opening on 144 MHz between South America & the Caribbean - 3rd Nov 2021

Wednesday 3rd November 2021: The TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation) season seems to be in full swing at the moment with stations in South America and the Caribbean making contacts on the 144 MHz band.

The map above for HI8DL in the Dominican Republic and WP4KJJ in Puerto Rico shows some of the contacts that were made.

Most of the contacts were made with the Q65 digital mode as opposed to the usual FT8. The spots below from the DX Cluster shows some activity on CW as well.

 Spotter  Freq.  DX  Time  Info  Country
LU2DPW-@ 144180.0 HI8DL 00:45 03 Nov TKS Q65B QSO Dominican Republic
LU5CQC 144180.0 WP4KJJ 00:20 03 Nov Q65 15S SUB B TEP Puerto Rico
LU5CQC 144180.0 HI8DL 00:19 03 Nov Q65 15S SUB B TEP Dominican Republic
PY5EK 144180.0 WP4KJJ 23:42 02 Nov Q65B -3 dB 1362 Hz TNX TEP Puerto Rico
LW2DAF 144180.0 WP4KJJ 23:41 02 Nov CQ Q65B 15s Puerto Rico
LU7DW-@ 144300.0 HI8DL 23:36 02 Nov GF05sh<TEP>FK58al CW Dominican Republic

Diego, LW2DAF near Buenos Aires in Argentina reports working Puerto Rico for the first time on 144 MHz... "My first contact with Puerto Rico on 144MHz via TEP.......TEP doesn't cross between LU and KP4. Q65B 15s mode. LW2DAF<>WP4KJJ"

Diego writes to say that while there have been contacts between LU and KP4 in the past, there haven't been many in recent years.

Analysis... For TEP signals at 144 MHz, they need to cross the Geomagnetic Equator at or very close to 90 degrees.

What this usually means is that stations in the Dominican Republic (HI) normally work stations near Buenos Aires in Argentina while stations in Puerto Rico (WP4) normally work stations in the far south of Brazil.

It seems as if signals that were slightly further away from 90 degrees got through this time.

Reports... Christian, LU5CQC in Argentina also reports working Puerto Rico for the first time on 144 MHz.

Joe, WP4KJJ in Puerto Rico reports that a ZP station in Paraguay was active on SSB on 144.300 MHz during the opening and he was worked them many times.

These are some of the reports from the PSK Reporter website showing distances in the region of 5000-6000 kms.

LW2DAF
Txmtr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
HI8DL 2m Q65B 6020 km 01:24:34
WP4KJJ 2m Q65B 5923 km 00:32:34
PJ2BR 2m Q65B 5306 km 00:30:25
PJ4GR 2m Q65B 5294 km 00:07:59

Big opening on 50 MHz between South Africa & Europe - 23rd Oct 2021

Saturday 23rd October 2021: I was first alerted to this big opening on the 50 MHz band between Europe and South Africa when Tom, SP5XMU posted the map on the left on Twitter and tagged me.

This is a snapshot of FT8 signals on the 50 MHz over a short period but it clearly shows an opening in progress.

As well as posting the photo, Tom writes... "First solid Trans-Equatorial Propagation #TEP on 50 MHz in Solar Cycle 25 from south Europe to South Africa"

In this post, we'll look at the opening and keep a record of how extensive the opening was.

FT8: As per usual, FT8 was the dominant mode for the opening and the list below shows how many European stations were heard by each of the African stations.

Call - # of stns heard

ZS6NJ - 86 (10 DXCC)

ZS6NK - 79

ZS6WAB - 53

ZS6AF - 44

ZS6OB - 23

ZS6JGL - 18

V51WC - 16

ZS6BOS - 15

ZS4TX - 6

ZS6AYE - 5

ZS6NK: While ZS6NK was the second highest in terms of stations heard, it was interesting to see that the path for him extended beyond the usual TEP zone.

You can see the line of stations in the south of Europe that ZS6NK heard but it goes up to the UK and Germany as well.

Here is the map of Europe in more detail...

FT8 reports from Germany & England...

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)

ZS6NK G0BNR 6m FT8 8965 km 14:45:26

ZS6NK DK8NE 6m FT8 8489 km 15:34:59

ZS6NK DL1YM 6m FT8 8370 km 15:34:59

It's likely that there was some Sporadic-E which allowed the TEP signals from Africa reach further north into Europe.

Sometimes, the locations where there are no signals can be interesting as well. For example, there was no path for ZS6NK to Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. Likewise in South Africa, it was the stations in the north of the country that were enjoying the TEP opening and there was no sign of the stations further south near Cape Town.

Namibia: V51WC in Namibia was also active and his FT8 is shown below...

Like the stations near in the north of South Africa, he is far enough north to avail of the TEP opening.

SSB & CW: Looking at the DX Cluster, there was some activity on SSB and CW as well. See below...

The DX cluster spots for V51 & ZS on the day are shown below. Non-FT8 are in bold...

TEP opening on 144 MHz between Argentina & the Caribbean - 20th Oct 2021

Wednesday 20th October 2021: It's interesting to see that the TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation) openings are continuing on 144 MHz in South America.

This is a sample of the TEP spots from the DX-Cluster with distances in the region of 5300 to 6000kms...

 Spotter Freq. DX Time Info Country
LW2DAF 144180.0 HI8DL 00:12 20 Oct CQ CQ Q65B 15s Dominican Republic
LU5BE 144180.0 HI8DL 00:11 20 Oct Q65B -4 dB 961 Hz Dominican Republic
LU5CQC 144290.0 HI8DL 00:04 20 Oct USB PHONE S5 A 6022 KM Dominican Republic
LU5CQC 144180.0 HI8DL 23:52 19 Oct Q65 DX 6022KM TEP Dominican Republic
LW2DAF 144310.0 HI8DL 23:42 19 Oct 55 IN GF05rk Dominican Republic
LU7DW-@ 144290.0 HI8DL 23:38 19 Oct Dominican Republic

 Spotter Freq. DX Time Info Country
LU5CQC 144180.0 PJ2BR 00:11 20 Oct Q65 DX 5300 KM TEP Curacao
LW2DAF 144180.0 PJ2BR 00:11 20 Oct CQ CQ Q65B 15s Curacao 
LU5BE 144180.0 PJ2BR 00:11 20 Oct Q65B -3 dB 1395 Hz Curacao
LU5BE-@ 144300.0 PJ2BR 23:48 19 Oct cq CQ Curacao
LW2DAF 144300.0 PJ2BR 23:44 19 Oct CQ CQ 55 in GF05rk Curacao

It's nice to see that a lot of the reports for the opening were on SSB...

In the video, LW2DAF near Buenos Aires is working HI8DL in the Dominican Republic. Note the distortion due to TEP.

pic.twitter.com/PHcp0mpzxT

— Diego Alejandro Feil (@LW2DAF) October 20, 2021

In the second video clip, LW2DAF is working PJ2BR in Curacao and the distortion is even worse.

This is actually a very good reminder to all of those stations who stay all of the time on FT8 that they might be missing some good openings. If the TEP signals are too distorted then FT8 doesn't work.

It's all about using the appropriate mode for the conditions at the time.

Update: As the frequency gets higher then only signals that are at right angles to the Geomagnetic Equator are propagated. This means that signals at say 28 MHz can arrive at a wide range of angles but 144 MHz signals need to be close to 90 degrees. 

The result at 144 MHz is that stations in Argentina are working Curacao, Aruba and Dominican Republic, stations in the south of Brazil are working Guadeloupe and Martinique.

This is a video of PY2AOL working FM5CS on the 20th of October...

4800km+ opening on the Band 2 VHF band between Chile and Columbia - Sept 2021

In some recent posts, I noted how there was openings on 144 MHz between the Caribbean and Brazil via TEP - Trans-Equatorial Propagation. The distances were in the region of 4600kms.

As can be seen from the graphic above, there was also an interesting TEP opening further west with Band 2 FM signals at 102.7 MHz in the north of Columbia being heard in Chile in early September, a distance of just over 4800kms.

The recording below is from Felip, CE3SAD in Chile who is an avid FM DX-er.

144 MHz TEP openings from Brazil to the Caribbean continue - 23rd Sept 2021

Following up on my previous post, the TEP openings on 144 MHz from the Caribbean to Brazil are still happening. On the 23rd of September 2021, there was a modest opening from FG4SU in Guadeloupe, FM5CS in Martinique and 8P6ET in Barbados to the south of Brazil.

Signals on FT8...

 Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
PY2EDY FG4SU 2m FT8 4742 km 00:23:12
FG4SU PY2BL 2m FT8 4649 km 00:23:27
FG4SU PY2OAL 2m FT8 4566 km 00:21:59
FG4SU PY5EW 2m FT8 4558 km 00:16:29

8P6ET
Txmtr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
PY2DPM 2m FT8 4365 km 01:34:56

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
FM5CS PY2BL 2m FT8 4450 km 00:26:26

The distances were all in the region of 4500 to 4700kms which is typical for Trans-Equatorial Propagation.

12,400km+ Opening on 50 MHz from Ireland to the Falklands - 21st April 2021

As this Sporadic-E and TEP seasons overlap, it allows for some remarkable contacts to take place on the VHF bands. This is a report from Mark, EI3KD near the south coast of Ireland who managed a contact with the Falkland Islands on the 21st of April 2021.

Mark, EI3KD writes... "50MHz TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation) was very good on the 21st of April, mostly at latitudes closer to the geomagnetic equator than Ireland. However, we did have a brief opening here; I was lucky enough to complete a QSO with VP8A in the Falkland Islands (GD18BH) at about 12,464kms. 

I always look for TEP, especially after solar events, but I wasn't expecting that at all! VP8A was in/out here between 17:33z and 17:45z, peaking -14dB on FT8, and also seen working CE8, PY5, LU6 and EA7 (nothing from any of those here). 

Apart from him, the only other signal I decoded was one sequence from PY3KN, GF49, after VP8A had faded, at 17:54z. The "Magic Band", indeed! 73, Mark EI3KD IO51vw"

For this contact, Mark was using a 6-element LFA2 Yagi 15-metres above ground level.

Analysis: As Mark notes, Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) was the main reason for this remarkable contact but it doesn't fully explain the 12,400+km contact. It would seem likely that there was a Sporadic-E hop at the northern end of the path to Ireland and possibly also at the southern end for the final jump to the Falklands.

Prior to the use of digital modes like FT8, there were probably openings like this in the past but with signals down around -14dB, they would hand gone largely unnoticed on SSB or CW as the signals would be buried in the noise.

Good opening on 50 MHz as propagation modes overlap - 20th Apr 2021

Tuesday 20th April 2021: This was a really good day for DX on the 6-metre band with distances of 9000 to 12000 kms being worked on North-South paths.

The map above shows the FT8 reports for Diego, LW2DAF in Buenos Aires, Argentina in South America. As can be seen, there were a substantial number of 50 MHz signals reaching way up into the eastern half of the USA as well as some really interesting paths to the SW of Europe and the Middle East.

There has been numerous reports on social media of people reporting TEP openings on 6m. While this was true, it doesn't fully explain what might have been going on.

Analysis... On the map above, I have shown where the Geomagnetic Equator is. For TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation), the normal range for LW2DAF might be from say his location to the Caribbean. You can see a line of stations above going from the Dominican Republic to Mexico. These were likely to be 100% TEP.

Radio amateurs in the northern US states are well outside the range for TEP just like stations in northern Europe are. It's likely there was a Sporadic-E (Sp-E) opening on 50 MHz at the same time as the TEP opening and this resulted in a signal from Argentina reaching well into the USA.

What we are likely seeing is an overlap of the TEP and Sp-E seasons. The TEP season is around the equinox and is still going in April. The Sporadic-E season kicks off properly at the end of April with openings on 28 MHz and 50 MHz.

Now, it's possible that the openings were due to just multi-hop Sp-E but considering the season is is just starting, a combination of TEP + Sp-E is the more likely scenario.

What to do???.... This overlap of propagation modes won't last much longer so stations should be beaming North and South now to make the most of it. For example, someone in the NE of the USA should beam south and listen for a Sp-E opening to the Caribbean area. If that path is open then there is a chance it might link to some TEP to Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.

Good luck!

144 MHz beacon on the US Virgin Islands to investigate 6000km TEP path to South America

The 2m NP2X beacon is now operational from St.Croix in the US Virgin Islands and its primary purpose is to investigate the TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation) path to South America.

The beacon is on 144.291 MHz and sends its ID in CW. It runs 100-watts into a 15-element Yagi antenna. The beam heading is 170 degrees as the primary target area is Uruguay (CX), the south of Brazil (PY) and Argentina (LU).

The beam width of a 15-element is about 30 degrees i.e. +/-15 deg. The map above shows the direction for the main beam heading as well as the -3dB points. The photo below shows the antenna and the sea path to the coast of South America.

Details...
Location: St. Croix, US Virgin Islands
Elevation: 91 metres above sea level
Transceiver: Kenwood TR-751A
Amplifier: RF Concepts 160 watt, reduced to 100 watts for beacon operation
Antenna: 15 element Yagi @ beam heading (QTH) of 170 degrees (Uruguay)
Frequency: 144.291 MHz

Grid / Locator: FK77pr

QRZ page: https://www.qrz.com/db/NP2X

Analysis...

This 144 MHz beacon is well placed to investigate the 6000km TEP path to Uruguay and Argentina considering its power, antenna and location. It's likely that the possible paths at 144 MHz will be perpendicular to the Geomagnetic Equator (Uruguay & Buenos Aires) and the paths at say the -3dB points of the beam width are less likely on 2m.

It's really important that stations in South America monitor the SSB and CW part of the 2m band for possible openings. If everyone sits on the FT8 frequency then many TEP openings may go unreported as digital signals like FT8 are often distorted by TEP.

If you are in South America and you do hear the beacon, please report it on the DX Cluster.

Thanks to Fred, NP2X for the above information.

Link...

1) DX Maps TEP Propagation page

Addendum:

Additional report from Colossi, PY3DU in Brazil.... "My 144 MHz TEP VHF in October 2011, with NP2X, happened exactly after my old friend @Rafael_Haag , PY3FF,listened to NP2X/B and warned me over the phone, to be listening to USA in two meters. I was having dinner, which I didn't finish.. KKKK..., there were several days of openings."

5000km TEP opening on 144 MHz from Puerto Rico to Brazil - 23rd March 2021

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.

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
WP4KJJ PY5EK 2m FT8 5198 km 01:20:59
PY5EK WP4KJJ 2m FT8 5198 km 00:24:44
WP4KJJ PU2MBY 2m FT8 4760 km 01:24:29
WP4KJJ PU9DCB 2m FT8 4702 km 00:25:29
WP4KJJ PU9GTA 2m FT8 4672 km 01:21:29
WP4KJJ PT9FD 2m FT8 4666 km 01:51:29
PT9FD WP4KJJ 2m FT8 4666 km 01:28:44
PT9AL WP4KJJ 2m FT8 4660 km 00:23:44
WP4KJJ PT9AL 2m FT8 4660 km 00:23:30

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???