TEP openings on the 144 MHz band from St Helena Island to Europe - Oct 2024

Back at the end of September 2024, I had a post on the blog about the first TEP contact on the 144 MHz band between Spain and St Helena in the South Atlantic, a distance of about 6,100 kms - Post HERE.

Just after that, other stations in Spain and Portugal were making TEP contacts with St Helena so I waited for the end of October to do a proper report.

First of all, I must give credit to Gabriel, EA6VQ who collects a list of TEP openings on his website... https://www.dxmaps.com/

As with all data, it's hard to know from just raw information what is going on. So I took the information and generated the map that is shown above to give a better idea of what happened during the month of October 2024.

Some notes...

1) # of Days... Out of the 31 days of October 2024, there were 22 days where Trans-Equatorial Propagation on 144 MHz was reported between St Helena and the Iberian peninsula. As Garry, ZD7GWM is the only person active on 144 MHz from St Helena, any reported activity obviously depends on him being active. 

There were also a few days where TEP didn't seem possible due to geomagnetic disturbances. 

Still though, it's remarkable that there was a TEP path on 144 MHz to St Helena on two-thirds of the days of the month.

2) Mode... The initial contact with EA4I last month was with the FT4 digital mode. They are now using modes more suitable for TEP. For the first half of the month, the Q65-30B mode was used while the Q65-60D mode was used in the second half.

3) Right Angles... At 144 MHz, the TEP paths cross the geomagnetic equator close to 90-degrees. This is where the value of map becomes a reality because we can see the spread east and west of the stations involved.

Most of the stations at the northern end of the TEP circuit are in Portugal and the EA4 & EA7 regions of Spain. It's interesting to see EA3CJ in the NE of Spain is the outlier and well to the east of the rest. 

4) Missing signals?... Sometimes, it's the missing signals that are interesting. There were no reports from the EA1 area in the NW of Spain. Too far north? There were also no reports from the EA5 or EA6 areas. Too far east?

5) Distances... The longest distances are in the region of 6,300 to 6,400 kms. A total of 17 stations were involved at the northern end of the TEP path. Even UT1FG/MM on a ship to the west of the Straits of Gibraltar managed to get in on the action!

CT1EEB IN50qr 6315km

CT7ABA IN60GD 6246km

CT1FCX IM59LG

CT1APE IM59kj

CT1FFU IM59kk

CT1DIZ IM58kp

CT1CAD IM67GE 

UT1FG/MM IM55

EA3CJ JN01SE 6403km

EA4GDA IM68MV

EA4I  IM68MU

EA4LU IM68TV

EA4CYQ IM78CX

EA7/SM0KAK IM76mm

EA7BPO  IM76SR

EA7HLB IM76OP

EA7FDW  IM76WS

6) Times... As is typical with evening type TEP, most of the signals were around 8pm local time. The earliest report was at 19:38 UTC and the last report was 21:32 UTC.

7) ZD7GWM... As far as  I know, Garry, ZD7GWM on St Helena has a modest station with just 50-watts from a Yaesu FT-897 into a Diamond X700H vertical antenna.

Analysis... I've been following the TEP tests in 2024 and it has been pretty remarkable just how often the path is there on 144 MHz. I think a lot of people expected it to be more sporadic but it often seems like TEP at certain times of the year is almost a daily occurrence.

Looking at the map, I think a lot of people will be wondering just how far north could this TEP path reach? Is it possible to reach the north of Spain? Could another propagation mode take the TEP signal further north to the likes of Ireland, Wales & the SW of England?

Sporadic-E would be an obvious answer but it's very unlikely at 144 MHz at 8pm on an evening in October. A maritime duct from Ireland to the north of Spain is more likely but signals don't seem to get too far inland into Spain.

It's very likely that the TEP signals from St Helena are in the north of Morocco but there is no-one there to exploit it.

I have a previous post about Garry's set up HERE

For more information about other long distance openings on the 2m band, see my 144 MHz page.

6100km TEP contact on the 144 MHz band between Spain and St Helena - 25th Sept 2024

A little bit of history was made on Wednesday 25th September 2024 when EA4I in Spain and ZD7GWM on St Helena Island in the South Atlantic managed to complete a Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) contact on the 144 MHz (2m) band.

This is as far as I know the very first TEP contact on the 144 MHz band between these two countries.

José, EA4I in the west of Spain was running 700 watts into an array of 4 x 17-element Yagi antennas. As far as I know, the polarization was horizontal.

Garry, ZD7GWM on St Helena had a much more modest station with just 50-watts from a Yaesu FT-897 into a Diamond X700H vertical antenna.

While many other TEP contacts are made with the Q65 mode due to the TEP spreading and distortion, this particular contact was made with the FT4 mode.

Andy, EA7KBX reports... "A new record was set tonight between EA4I Jose and ZD7GWM Garry - a small group of us have been running TEP tests from Spain to St Helena Island on 2m / 144Mhz the QSO was completed using FT4 at 6,094.22Km !! 

Jose using 4x 17 element beams and 700w while Garry was using a Diamond vertical and FT- 897 with just 50w !! Amazing contact for the record books"

Analysis... 2024 has been a pretty remarkable year for Trans-Equatorial Propagation on the 144 MHz band. For the last few years, there have been many reports of TEP openings from Argentina & Brazil in South America to the Caribbean area.

Some were claiming that it wouldn't be replicated in other parts of the world because the Geomagnetic Equator was too far north but that hasn't turned out to be the case. We've seen regular 144 MHz TEP openings this year from Namibia to Europe, the Middle East to the Indian Ocean and from Japan to Australia.

As long as both stations are roughly equidistant from the geomagnetic equator and the signal crosses the geomagnetic equator at about 90-degrees then a path is possible.

The biggest obstacle is getting someone active at either end of the TEP path. In this case, Garry, ZD7GWM is the only person active at the southern end of this circuit.

I'm sure if the antenna was upgraded to something modest like a 9-element Yagi fixed in a northerly direction then even more 2m TEP contacts with Europe should be possible.

I wonder if there are any VHF DX groups that help out DX stations with modest antennas?

I have a previous post about Garry's set up HERE

For more information about other long distance openings on the 2m band, see my 144 MHz page.

Video: Long-haul Ionospheric Propagation on 50 MHz - Roger Harrison, VK2ZRH

On the 14th of May 2024, Roger Harrison, VK2ZRH have a very detailed presentation titled 'Long-haul Ionospheric Propagation on 50 MHz' to the Madison DX Club.

In the video, Roger goes into quite a bit of depth about Sporadic-E propagation, Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) and the complexities of both.

I think anyone who has an interest in propagation at 50 MHz or even in the low VHF region will find this presentation of interest.

The presentation is about 70 minutes in length and is shown below...

Link... See my 50 MHz page for other presentations and posts about some long distance paths on 50 MHz.

TEP signals on the 28 MHz band - 7th May 2024

On the 8th of May 2024, I noticed a distorted QRSS signal on the 28 MHz band. The signal was from FR1GZ on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, a distance of about 10,200 kms from my location.

The image above shows the distorted signal with the carrier spread out over about 6 Hz. Underneath it, I have an image captured a few weeks ago which shows what the normal signal should look like it via F2 layer propagation.

I usually hear Reunion Island on 10m in the morning or afternoon. It was unusual to hear it at 17:50 UTC in the evening time. Evening TEP signals usually peak around 8pm local time. If it was about 18:00 UTC my time and you move further east and add 2-3 hours then the time over some place like Ethiopia is about right.

Considering the timing of the signal and the distortion, I suspect I was hearing the FR1GZ signal via TEP - Trans-Equatorial Propagation.

Normally, evening TEP signals at say 144 MHz cross the Geomagnetic Equator at right angles. However as you go lower in frequency, the requirement for a right angle lessens. By the time we get to 28 MHz, the angles can be close to 45 degrees as shown above.

I suspect that it wasn't 100% TEP either. There was likely some Sporadic-E over Europe for the TEP signal to complete the journey from the Mediterranean area to my location on the south coast of Ireland.

For me, there are two takeaway messages from this...

1) I think the whole TEP zone has a huge impact on signals on 28 MHz and the lower HF bands. TEP is main contributor to propagation on the HF bands and people don't realise it is TEP.

2) The TEP distortion can result in digital signals not being decoded. I think many people fall into the trap of thinking if there are no FT8 signals being decoded then the band in that direction must be closed. It could well be that distorted CW or SSB signals will get through.

That's the beauty of QRSS signals. You can actually 'see' the signal and it gives more clues as to what is happening to the signals on the band.

5000km+ TEP opening on the 432 MHz band in the Indian Ocean - 23rd Apr 2024

 Back on the 8th of April 2024, I reported on the very first Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) opening on the 144 MHz band from UAE to Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Since then, this has been pretty much a daily occurence and I have been keep a record of the openings.

On the 23rd of April 2024, A65BR in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reports that his 432 MHz signal was heard in Reunion by FR4OO via TEP. The distance was in the region of 5160kms.

Reports of TEP openings on the 70cms are incredibly rare and it's really interesting to hear about this new report. In this case, it was only a reception report but it shows the potential of the path at 432 MHz.

The composite image above shows reception of the Q65 signal at -17dB as heard by FR4OO.

TEP at 144 MHz is common enough for stations in the right location but stations using 432 MHz are really pushing the limits at what's possible. There are many different propagation modes on 70cms but surely one that allows 432 MHz signals to propagated by the ionosphere must be one of the more unusual ones.

It would be good to see more stations experimenting with TEP at 432 MHz and seeing what it possible.

Link...
1) For more examples of long distance openings on the 70cms band, see my 432 MHz page.

Interference during the recent Namibia to Europe TEP tests - Apr 2024

There have been many remarkable Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) openings recently on the 144 MHz band from Namibia to Europe. This all started off when a group was established on WhatsApp where individuals in Europe and Africa exchanged messages to try and co-ordinate the tests.

The problem with evening type TEP is that the signals are often very distorted at 144 MHz and modes like FT8 often don't work. To address this issue, the group decided to try the Q65 mode which has been a huge success. They picked the frequency of 144.190 MHz to carry out these TEP tests.

The choice of frequency is important because it was just a frequency chosen to carry out TEP tests, it's NOT the official Q65 frequency.

The problem now is that as news of the TEP contacts has spread, European stations are starting to work each other on 144.190 MHz with Q65. The problem here is that they are blocking the weak TEP signals from Africa.

The organisers of the TEP tests moved the frequency to 144.192 MHz to avoid the interference from EU to EU contacts but the central message is that the area around 144.190 MHz should be left clear for only TEP contacts from Europe to Africa.

In terms of sequence, Africa always transmits first, Europe always second.

First TEP contact at 144 MHz made from Mauritius - 9th Apr 2024

On the 9th of April 2024, 3B8FA in Mauritius made the first Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) contact on the 144 MHz band from that country when he completed a contact with A65BR in the UAE. As the screen grab shows above, there was also a path to A71XX in Qatar.

This screen capture below from Oleg, A65BR shows the contact on the Q65 mode.

FR4OO on Reunion Island also had the same TEP as the previous day to A65BR, A71XX and 9K2GS.

Just to keep the report as complete as possible, there was also a path from FR5DN to Qatar...

Looking at the maps, there is almost certainly a TEP path from Madagascar (5R) north to Kuwait but it just needs someone to be active from that country.

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

Day 9: TEP opening on 144 MHz from Namibia to Europe - 8th Apr 2024

The Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) openings from Namibia to Europe on the 144 MHz continued on the 8th of April 2024. The reports from the PSK Reporter website are shown above.

As can be seen from the list, this was quite a good opening and the one big change was the path to SV1DH near Athens in Greece. The horizontal spread of stations at the northern end of the circuit was in the region of 800kms.

At 144 MHz, the signals need to cross the Geomagnetic Equator at nearly 90 degrees for TEP and it gets a lot more difficult the further the station gets from 90 degrees. That's why it is interesting to see SV1DH listed.

The optimal TEP path from Athens is probably down to Zimbabwe but there are no stations active there on 144 MHz.

These are the spots from the DX Cluster...
IZ8FFA 144192.0 V51WW 19:09 08 Apr TNX Namibia
IT9XDJ 144192.0 V51WW 18:54 08 Apr Q65B -12 dB 1225 Hz  Namibia

Alex, SV1NZX reports... "V51JH heard SV1 and a smattering of other stations; ZD7GWM was cqing on 144.300 but sadly no copy from EA stations. SV1DH worked V51WW quite easily."

Felice, IZ8FFA reports working V51WW with 100W to a 12-element home made LFA Yagi on a 7m book.

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

First ever TEP contacts made at 144 MHz in the Indian Ocean - 8th Apr 2024

On the 8th of April 2024, a little bit of amateur radio history was made with the first ever TEP contacts on the 144 MHz band in the Indian Ocean.

Over the last few decades, Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) contacts on the 144 MHz (2m) band have been reported from South America to the Caribbean area, from the southern part of Africa to the Mediterranean area and from the north of Australia to Japan. This is as far as I know, a first for the Indian Ocean.

Inspired by the recent TEP contacts from Namibia to the south of Europe, other radio amateurs are trying other potential TEP paths. On the 7th of April 2024, A65BR in the UAE reported reception of the signal of FR4OO on Reunion Island... see previous post. On the 8th of April, three successful contacts were made as shown above.

The contacts are similar to other recent TEP contacts... made in the late evening, approx 5200km north-south path, equidistant from the Geomagnetic Equator and using Q65 to handle the distortion and weak signals.

The first contact was made by Oleg, A65BR around 16:30 UTC...

Oleg, A65BR writes... "Today TEP to FR on 2m was amazing. Q65 QSO with FR4OO done. Never try before, looks like we have permanent channel via TEP on 2m. Signals are huge, CW can be easy."

Oleg continues... "Today a QSO took place without any problems, the opening lasted 2.5 hours, the signal rose to -2 dB, FR4OO also worked 9K2GS and A71XX. Tomorrow 3B8FA will join their side, I hope it will grow together. It all started at 16.20 utc, (20.20 local Umm Al Quwain) and until 23 pm. It’s interesting to try at 70 cm.

According to the terrain - FR4OO sees the ocean, but I don’t - I have 1000 km to the ocean and the Omani hills on almost the entire route. However, it doesn't hurt!"

Alex, SV1NZX reports... "FR4OO completes with 9K2GS, A65BR and A71XX on 2m. FR5DN hears A71XX for one period. Congratulations to all stations!!"

As Alex mentions, the signal from a second Reunion Island station (FR5DN) was also heard in Qatar (A7).

These are the spots from the DX Cluster...

A71XX 144192.0 FR4OO 16:56 08 Apr FT8 LL55rw - LG79rc Reunion Island
9K2GS 144192.0 FR4OO 16:53 08 Apr  Reunion Island

Analysis... If the recent TEP openings to Europe are anything to go by, these openings in the Indian Ocean should be almost a daily occurrence for the few weeks around the equinox. This path is probably there year after year but it just takes someone at either end of the circuit to try it.

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

Day 8: TEP opening on 144 MHz from Namibia to Europe - 7th Apr 2024

The Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) openings from Namibia to Europe on the 144 MHz continued on the 7th of April 2024. The reports from the PSK Reporter website are shown above.

Interest is growing is these long distance TEP paths and more people are getting involved. In a previous post, I had details of how A65BR in the United Arab Emirates managed to hear FR4OO on Reunion Island via TEP on the 7th of April.

These are the spots from the DX Cluster...
IK7EOT 144190 V51WW 19:09 07 Apr 24 Q65B -18 Namibia
SV2DCD 144190 V51WW 18:27 07 Apr 24 CQ Q65B -15db TEP Namibia
SV8PEX 144190 V51WW 18:23 07 Apr 24 -09 q65b hrd in JM99 Namibia

Also on the 7th of April, the PSK Reporter website shows that IK7EZN in Italy reported reception of V51NH, the second station in Namibia. IZ7EZN is the only station reporting this so I'd be always wary of just one station reporting as someone may have made a mistake reporting the incorrect band.

It is also reported that ZD7GWM on St Helena is trying the TEP north to Spain (EA) & Portugal (CT). Stations in South Africa (ZS) are also beaming north.

SV1NZX in Greece reports... "Lots of TEP action tonight - V51WW seen/worked in at least 7 PSK-enabled stations, more saw him, reported via group chat, A65BR heard FR4OO, ZD7GWM was CQing dir EA. Overall 2xV5, a few from ZS (various areas) and ZD7 vs over 80 EU and AS stations

V Important.  AF stations are CQing 1st and EU 2nd. We implore that 144.190 is kept free of tropo QSOs and attempts for EU->EU on 1st period. Tomorrow, 9K2GS and A65BR will be testing with FR at 1630z, V5/ZS-EU from 1800z and ZD7GWM will be cqing .300U/301cw from 1930z dir EA"

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

5160km TEP opening at 144 MHz in the Indian Ocean from Reunion to UAE - 7th Apr 2024

With the success of the now almost daily TEP openings on the 144 MHz band from Namibia to Europe, it has encouraged others to try similar possible TEP paths.

On the 7th of April, Olen A65BR in the United Arab Emirates reported reception of the 144 MHz signal  from FR4OO on Reunion Island. The distance is around 5,160kms.

The screen grab above from A65BR shows several decodes of the Q65 signal. As far as I know, it was a one way reception report and a two way contact did not take place.

This is as far as I know a new TEP path and hasn't been reported before. Hopefully, it might encourage others to try some tests on the 144 MHz band.

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

Day 7: TEP opening on 144 MHz from Namibia to Europe - 6th Apr 2024

The Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) openings from Namibia to Europe on the 144 MHz continued on the 6th of April 2024 and again to the same geographical area. The reports from the PSK Reporter website are shown above.

SV8ALQ in Greece reports... "Today was a very good opening between Greece and Namibia. I made contact with V51WW mode Q65b at 144.190 at 18.47. Best I heard him was -12dB"

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

Day 6: TEP opening on 144 MHz from Namibia to Europe - 5th Apr 2024

 

The Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) openings from Namibia to Europe on the 144 MHz continued on the 5th of April 2024 and again to the same geographical area. The reports from the PSK Reporter website are shown above.

There was an earlier report in the day at 12:32 UTC from Albania but this was almost certainly an error with someone reporting the 6m decodes as 2m.

DX-Cluster spots...
IT9GSF 144190.0 V51WW 20:13 05 Apr LONG TEP 18:26 till 19:35 Namibia
IK7EOT 144190.0 V51WW 18:50 05 Apr Q65B Namibia
IZ8EDJ 144290.0 V51WW 18:48 05 Apr JN70-TEP-JH81 Namibia
9H1TX 144191.2 V51WW 18:46 05 Apr JM75FU<TEP>JH81OC Q65 tnx agai Namibia

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

Day 5: TEP opening on 144 MHz from Namibia to Europe - 4th Apr 2024

The Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) openings from Namibia to Europe on the 144 MHz continued on the 4th of April 2024 but to the same geographical area. The reports from the PSK Reporter website are shown above.

Alex, SV1NZX reports... "V51WW is currently the only station being heard from Africa but working IK7UXY, SV2DCD, SV8PEX, IT9GSF, IK7EZW and 9H1PA, amongst others. Same geography and area but slightly stronger signals tonight, initially

Interestingly, also, ZS4TX was tx-ing North too, although nothing was received and FR5DN was beaming to A6/TA/9K where stations are located. No luck as of yet but conditions are not ideal, to be fair."

From SV2DVD

Spots from the DX-Cluster...

IT9GSF 144190.0 V51WW 20:56 04 Apr JM67-TEP-JH81 6314Km @18:38 Namibia
IK7EOT 144190.0 V51WW 19:01 04 Apr Q65B -21 Namibia
SV8PEX 144190.0 V51WW 18:42 04 Apr Q65B first -13 nice via TEP Namibia
IK7EZN 144190.0 V51WW 18:39 04 Apr TEP 6550 KM Namibia
IV3KKW 144190.0 V51WW 18:38 04 Apr Q65 wkg Med Namibia

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

TEP opening on 144 MHz band from Japan to Australia - 3rd Apr 2024

In addition to the recent Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) openings at 144 MHz from Namibia to Europe, there have also been similar openings from the far south of Japan to the north of Australia.

The map above shows the paths reported on the PSK Reporter website for the 3rd of April 2024.

In fact, there have been almost daily openings reported from at last the start of March. Here are a few of the spots from the DX-Cluster...

JA6DJS 144460 VK8VTX 11:51 02 Apr 24 FT8 CQ Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8AW 12:26 01 Apr 24 FT8 CQ Australia
JA6DJS 144150 VK8ZMX 12:55 31 Mar 24 SSB TNX! Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8AW 12:49 22 Mar 24 FT8 -03dB Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8VTX 11:39 20 Mar 24 FT8 CQ Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8VTX 12:59 19 Mar 24 FT8 CQ Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8VTX 1:17 18 Mar 24 FT8 CQ Australia
JA6DJS 144150 VK8AW 12:34 17 Mar 24 SSB Australia
JA6DJS 144150 VK8DNT 13:04 16 Mar 24 SB TNX QSO! Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8VTX 12:01 12 Mar 24 FT8 CQ -10dB Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8VTX 12:13 11 Mar 24 FT8 CQ Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8VTX 12:09 10 Mar 24 FT8 CQ Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8AW 11:27 08 Mar 24 FT8 CQ Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8NAH 11:27 08 Mar 24 FT8 CQ Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8AW 11:41 06 Mar 24 FT8 Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8AW 12:04 05 Mar 24 FT8 TNX QSO! Australia
JA6DJS 144460 VK8AW 12:21 04 Mar 24 FT8 TNX QSO! Australia

Most of the signals are FT8 with no mention of the Q65 mode. There have been a few SSB contacts as well.

The distances are in the region of 4,900kms and the southern end of the path seems to be determined by the fact that most radio amateurs in that region are clustered around the city of Darwin.

There seems to be very little activity from Japan despite the sea path to the south with possible tropo extensions. I wonder if VHF stations in Japan are aware of these TEP openings to the south?

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

Day 4: TEP opening on 144 MHz from Namibia to Europe - 3rd Apr 2024

Day 4: This was the 4th day in a row that there was a Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) opening on 144 MHz from Namibia to Europe. It's very likely that this path was open for most of March as well but there was no-one testing the path.

The paths from the PSK Reporter website are shown above and this time, the signals reached further north in Italy.

Here are some spots from the DX Cluster...

SV2DCD 144190.0 V51WW 18:35 03 Apr -15db Q65B via TEP tnx Namibia
SV8PEX 144190.0 V51WW 18:33 03 Apr JH81 Q65B only RX tonight, wea Namibia

It's interesting to note how the maximum spread of the TEP footprint at the northern end is about 750kms. The TEP signal needs to cross the Geomagnetic Equator close to 90 degrees and the question is how far from 90 degrees can the path be before there is no propagation at 144 MHz?

Alex, SV1NZX notes that he has heard no signals from V51WW with a 9-element yagi at his location near Athens (KM17) which suggests he is too far to the east. He writes... "SV2DCD was using a 4 x 17 array to hear / work EME-level signals from V51WW. On the other hand, SV8PEX and IZ8/IT9/9H have had the lion's share of signal strength, hence the SSB QSO's."

I know the TEP posts can be a bit repetitive but I think it's important to keep a record of the information and maps. This is the most important VHF news in Europe at the moment.

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

New 144 MHz TEP beacon in South Africa - April 2024

Bernie, ZS4TX reports that a new 144 MHz beacon has started in South Africa to investigate the possibility of Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) to the Mediterranean and Europe.

Bernie, ZS4TX writes... "New ZS Beacon for 2M TEP tests in April from KG33XU. ZS6RVC has started a 25W beacon on 2M with a 14 element yagi 20M high on a mountain site with a clear shot to EU.

The frequencies to listen on according to my IC910H is as follows:
144.449.2 CW 600Hz tone
144.448.6 USB 600Hz tone

Please monitor this frequency as well between 16Z and 21Z and send any reports to me. It sends ZS6RVC /B KG33XU in CW ~ 12 WPM"

Analysis... As the 144 MHz signals are likely to cross the Geomagnetic Equator at right angles (90 deg), the most likely area for reception of this beacon is probably going to be the eastern half of the Mediterranean.

Back in 1981, there was a TEP opening on 144 MHz from this part of South Africa to the Athens area in Greece so it may be possible again.

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

Day 3: SSB contacts made on 144 MHz during TEP opening from Namibia to Europe - 2nd Apr 2024

The most significant VHF amateur radio news at the moment in Europe is without doubt the TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation) openings on 144 MHz to Namibia. See 1st April.

Tuesday the 2nd of April 2024 was Day 3 of the recent opening and the reports on the PSK reporter site are shown above. The paths are similar to the previous two days except the path to SV2DCD is a new one.

The screen grab below is from SV2DCD which shows reception of V51WW. As far as I know, a two way contact was not completed.

What made this day special though was that some contacts were made on SSB! Tom, SV8PEX posted this on the DX Cluster... SV8PEX 144150 V51WW 18:33 02 Apr 24 JH81 SSB 52 52 many thanks!!!

Alex, SV1NZX reports that V51WW made four SSB contacts on 144.150 MHz with IK7UXW, IK7JNM, IK7LMX and SV8PEX.

Video... A video clip from V51WW can be found on this link ... https://twitter.com/i/status/1775255255539945703

Note the distortion on the voice. I presume that was the SSB contact with Tom, SV8PEX.

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for more examples of long distance contacts.

Another 6000km+ TEP opening on 144 MHz from Namibia to Europe - 1st April 2024

As outlined in this previous post, there was a TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation) opening on the 144 MHz band between Namibia and Greece on the 31st of March 2024. As news spread that SV8PEX had been heard over 6500kms away in Namibia, more stations were active on the evening of the 1st of April.

This time, there were paths from Namibia to Greece, Italy and Malta and SV8PEX, 9H1TA and 9H1PA managed to complete contacts.

Alex, SV1NZX reports the following... "Tonight ends an exciting night for 2m #TEP QSOs - V51WW worked 9H1PA, 9H1TX and SV8PEX as well as receiving 4-5 other Italian stations in JN70, JN80. SFI measured at 125, K/A index at 5-8 and 1, all QSOs in Q65b, 30/60s."

This is a screen grab from SV8PEX in Greece...

This screen grab below is from V51WW and shows some of the exchanges with IK7UXW and IZ8EDJ  in Italy.

The screen grab below is from David, 9H1TX in Malta...

9H1TX writes... "Just finished my first TEP 2M qso with V51WW. I am totally closed to south but i elevated the system at 8 deg and was lucky to get his signal."

Analysis... As the map shows above, both stations are about equidistant from the Geomagnetic Equator and are crossing it at right angles, an important consideration for TEP signals at 144 MHz.

V51WW in Namibia is using 100w into a horizontal 9-element yagi 12m above ground level which is a pretty modest station. It shows that this TEP path to Europe is probably there a lot more often than people realise but the problem is that there weren't any stations in Africa to attempt a contact.

It would be interesting to see how far east and west in the Mediterranean the signal from V51WW can reach? How far from the 90 degree right angle at the Geomagnetic Equator can the 144 MHz signal go before it becomes impossible? EA6? IS0? 5B4? TA? SV5? SV9?

The Mediterranean is also an excellent location for tropo ducting. How far will that carry the signal north?

Are there any other stations at the southern end of the TEP zone? ZD7 (St Helena) to Spain seems an obvious one. Other paths?

It would be good to see more TEP reports from Europe to Africa on 70 MHz, 88-108 MHz and 144 MHz.

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for plenty of reports of other TEP contacts.

6530km TEP opening on 144 MHz from Namibia to Greece - 31st March 2024

 

Over the last few years, there have been many reports of contacts on 144 MHz from South America to the Caribbean region via Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP). There have been no reports of similar openings on 144 MHz from Europe to Africa in the same time period.

On the 31st of March 2024, it looks as if finally there was a TEP opening when V51WW in Namibia managed to receive SV8PEX in Greece, a distance of about 6532kms.

This is the report from the PSK Reporter website...

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
SV8PEX V51WW 2m Q65 6524 km 19:08:02

Tom, SV8PEX reports... "Unfortunately I was too late sig went down, one way. I was using 500W and V51WW I guess 100. Me -15db the best". Tom also notes that they tried FT8 and no decodes were possible.

Alex, SV1NZX writes... "First confirmed TEP reception of a signal between EU and AF tonight by V51WW from SV8PEX on 2m band after almost 40 years since the last signals between AF and EU intersected. Mode Q65a/30s "

V51WW is using 100w into a horizontal 9-element yagi 12m above ground level. SV8PEX is using 500w into a 11-element yagi 10m above ground level.

Analysis... As the map shows above, both stations are about equidistant from the Geomagnetic Equator and are crossing it at right angles, an important consideration for TEP signals at 144 MHz.

As SV1NZX mentions, there used to TEP contacts on 144 MHz from Europe to Africa back in the 1970's when there was activity from Zimbabwe. The key thing is the location. Zimbabwe and the north of Namibia are far enough north for signals to reach the TEP zone. There are plenty of stations in South Africa (ZS) active on 144 MHz but they are much further south.

In this particular case on the 31st of March, it was a reception report but it shows that a TEP path was open at 144 MHz. Hopefully more stations in southern Europe will now beam south and see if the path is open to Namibia and the southern part of Africa. 

It would be good to see more TEP reports from Europe to Africa on 70 MHz, 88-108 MHz and 144 MHz.

Links...

1) See my 144 MHz page for plenty of reports of other TEP contacts.

By the way, this is not an April Fools Joke! I know I posted it on the 1st of April so some might be wondering.