Free online SARC amateur radio magazine from Western Canada - May/June 2021 Issue

 

Surrey Amateur Radio have just released the May-June 2021 issue of the Communicator, their bi-monthly online journal.

It has 110 pages and there is plenty in it of interest. You can get the link from this blog post.

Big Sporadic-E opening on 28 MHz - 30th Apr 2021

Friday 30th April 2021: This was the first real big Sporadic-E opening on the 28 MHz band for 2021 with a total of 403 stations in 39 countries heard on FT8.

Just 4 of those were outside the normal Sporadic-E range and were probably via F2 propagation. 

Txmtr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
PU9OJZ 10m FT8 8787 km 20:24:59 Brazil
5Z4VJ 10m FT8 7260 km 14:16:44 Kenya
A45XR 10m FT8 6428 km 11:32:44 Oman
A92AA 10m FT8 5644 km 12:24:59 Bahrain

The European stations heard via Sporadic-E are shown in the map below...

As can be seen, it was a very widespread opening. Unlike some of the previous openings in April, some of the signals were very strong as well. At one stage when I checked, the S-meter on the radio was up at 9+10dB for some of the signals.

The band also seemed to be open for most of the day. The first signal I heard was at 08:40 UTC and the last one was EA1IF at 23:52 UTC.

I did a few scans of the band  and logged 7 beacons...

EI7GL 28251.0 ED4YAK/B 20:15 30 Apr IO51TU<ES>IN80FK Spain

EI7GL 28243.0 F5ZWE/B 20:13 30 Apr IO51TU<ES>JN03SL France

EI7GL 28237.4 LA5TEN/B 20:08 30 Apr IO51TU<ES>JO59JP Norway

EI7GL 28241.6 F5ZUU/B 14:43 30 Apr IO51TU<ES>JN24IL France

EI7GL 28279.0 DB0UM/B 13:15 30 Apr IO51TU<ES>JO73CE Fed. Rep. of Germany

EI7GL 28273.0 DB0BER/B 09:43 30 Apr IO51TU<ES>JO62QL Fed. Rep. of Germany

EI7GL 28271.0 OZ7IGY/B 09:27 30 Apr IO51TU<ES>JO55WM Denmark

EI7GL 28298.0 SK7GH/B 09:26 30 Apr IO51TU<ES>JO77BF Sweden

I did notice more than once that the FT8 frequency might be busy with signals coming in from several countries and yet when I would scan the beacons, I might hear just one on its own.

I can't help wondering if plain old fashioned CW beacons play a useful role on the HF bands anymore?

New 8m beacon from Slovenia on 40.670 MHz

Update - 30th Apr 2021: The S55ZMS beacon has now been moved to its final destination and is on air with a full 7 watts to a Halo antenna.

Frequency: 40.670 MHz 

Call: S55ZMS 

Locator:JN86CR 

QTH: Dolina 

Height ASL: 320m 

Antenna: Halo 

Polarization: Horizontal

Pwr: 7.00 W 

Modes: PI4 + CW 

Beacon Ops: S53M & S51FB

Status: Active

Beacon website: https://slovhf.net/svetilniki/

Updated: 30.04.2021

Antenna is about 3m above metal roof, abt 7m above ground.

Update - 16th Feb 2021: The S55ZMS beacon is currently under test. The power output is 4-watts into a multi-band dipole. The plan is to eventually increase this to 10 watts and to move the beacon to the S53M contest location which is situated on top of a hill. A proper 40-MHz dipole is planned for the site but its exact location on the site and its orientation hasn't been finalised.

* * *

More good news for the new 8-metre amateur radio band! A new beacon in Slovenia is now operational on 40.670 MHz.

The callsign of the beacon is S55ZMS and it has an output power of 7 watts into a dipole. The transmissions are in both CW and on PI4, a digital mode designed for beacons.

The beacon is located near Bakovci in the far eastern part of Slovenia near the border with Hungary and its locator is JN86BO.

The licensing authorities first gave permission for 8m beacons in Slovenia back in June of 1998 but not  much happened at the time. This new beacon in the 40 MHz ISM band (Industrial, Scientific & Medical) is now the third operational 8m beacon in Europe joining OZ7IGY in Denmark and EI1KNH in Ireland.

The map above shows the location of the 8m beacon in Slovenia and the distances from it. It's very likely that it will be heard around Europe during the Summer months by Sporadic-E propagation. The range is likely to be in the region of 800 to 2100 kms.

The fact that the new beacon from Slovenia is also further south than the beacons in Ireland and Denmark is also significant. As we move further into solar cycle 25 and the flux rises, there will be times when 40 MHz signals will be heard much further away in places like North & South America, Africa and Asia.

It's also highly likely that the 40 MHz signal from Slovenia will be heard in South Africa through a combination of Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) and Sporadic-E (Sp-E).

For more information on the 40 MHz band, visit this page on the blog... https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/p/40-mhz.html

S50B in Slovenia looking for South African stations on 40 MHz

Borut, S50B in Slovenia informs me in an email message that he now has a 4-element Yagi (YU7EF design) for the 40 MHz (8m) band.

During Sporadic-E openings in the Summer, S50B should have a good signal in the region of 1000 to 2200 kms around Europe. As the map shows, Borut should have a very good signal into the UK and Ireland.

S50B is especially interested in trying to make contact with stations in South Africa on the new 40 MHz band. He can be contacted via his QRZ page.

The South African ZS6WAB beacon on 40.475 MHz has already been heard by several stations in the south of Europe. See previous post.

As the map shows, the ZS6WAB is about 4000kms from the Geomagnetic Equator. Slovenia (S5) or Croatia (9A) seems to be around the same distance to the North so TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation) contacts should be possible.

40 MHz is also a band where there are even more Sporadic-E openings than 50 MHz (6m) so multi-hop Sp-E is also a possibility.

It's only a matter of time before we see the first contact between Europe and South Africa on the new 8-metre amateur band.

Link...
1) For more information on the new 8-metre band, visit my 40 MHz page

Weak opening to St Helena on 28 MHz - 29th Apr 2021

 

Thursday 29th April 2021: This was a reasonably quiet day with only 21 stations in 9 countries heard on FT8.

The main Sporadic-E opening was to the west of the Iberian peninsula with 11 stations heard from Spain and Portugal. Like the higher VHF bands, the Sporadic-E footprint on 28 MHz can often be quite localised with a certain area of a country being heard and nothing from the rest.

The only DX station was ZD7JC on St Helena Island in the South Atlantic. It's probably no accident that it lines up exactly with the Sporadic-E opening. 

It is probably likely that the signal from St Helena traveled to Spain/Portugal via either F2 or TEP propagation and from there to Ireland via Sp-E.

As we move into May, we can expect the big openings on 28 MHz and above to start.

W3LPL's forecast for upcoming Solar Cycle 25 - Apr 2021

Frank Donovan, W3LPL is one of the top contesters in the USA and is a key forecaster of upcoming conditions on the HF amateur radio bands.

In a recent forecast (April 2021), he made a forecast about how good upcoming Solar Cycle 25 would be based on the Solar Flux numbers at the end of December 2021. I have put together a graphic which shows this above. The starting point for April 2021 is a solar flux index of 77 which is roughly the average for the month.

W3LPL wrote... “If the SFI persists below 90 through December 2021, then propagation should improve gradually until a solar maximum weaker than Cycle 24’s arrives in 2024.

If the SFI persists above 110 through December 2021, then propagation should improve rapidly until a solar maximum similar to Cycle 24’s arrives in 2024.

“If the SFI persists above 125 through December 2021, then propagation is likely to improve more rapidly until a solar maximum stronger than Cycle 24’s arrives in 2024.”

(SFI = Solar Flux Index)

As with everything on the sun, there is always an amount of uncertainty in solar forecasts but it will be interesting to revisit this at the end of the year and see where we're at.

Link...
1) K7RA Solar Update - 23rd April 2021

Opening to South America on 28 MHz - 28th Apr 2021

 

Wednesday 28th April 2021: This was a reasonably modest day on the 28 MHz band with 71 stations in 21 countries heard on FT8.

There was some Sporadic-E propagation to Europe with EA7GPW in the south of Spain being the last station heard at 21:44 UTC. There was also a modest opening to South America.

I didn't get a chance to do any scans of the band as I was out for a long walk for most of the day. One of the advantages of FT8 is that you can check to see what propagation conditions were like on the band without actually being there.

The solar flux on the day was 79 which is not much above what it was at sunspot minimum.

700km+ D-STAR contact made on the 70cms UHF band across the Caribbean - Apr 2021

I came across details of this QSO recently which I thought was interesting. While long distance contacts in the region of 700kms on the 70cms UHF band are probably not that unusual in the Caribbean, this one was of interest as it was via D-STAR, a digital voice mode.

On the 18th of April 2021, Brett PJ2BR on Curacao completed a successful contact with Jose WP4KJJ on Puerto Rico on 432 MHz using D-STAR. See video below.

It's very easy to find videos or information about D-STAR being used for working through local digital repeaters or local contacts but it's unusual to see it being used for a long distance contact on the 70cms UHF band.

When you think you’ve done it all...Opening on 70cm to Puerto Rico. @WP4KJJ and I had a short DV/Dstar QSO on 70cm!! I am ecstatic! Distance 736Km, DV. Breaks the Covid lockdown routine 😁 One for the books. pic.twitter.com/iEVKESi2Re

— Brett Ruiz (@pj2br) April 17, 2021

Weak opening on 28 MHz - Tues 27th Apr 2021

Tuesday 27th April 2021: This was one of those days where the signals seem to be buried in the noise all day with the occasional one being heard.

Just two long distance FT8 reports were uploaded to the PSK Reporter website, LU9FVS in Argentina and ZD7JC on St Helena Island.

LU9FVS 10m FT8 10718 km 18:43:33
ZD7JC 10m FT8 7542 km 18:20:44

The main Sporadic-E opening to Europe was to the south of Spain. I did one scan of the beacon band when the signals appeared modest but heard nothing.

I really got the impression that FT8 signals need to be up around S5 before any CW beacons will be heard. Whatever people think about FT8, it's a great propagation tool.

A total of 45 stations in 13 countries were heard on FT8 and uploaded to the PSK Reporter website.

Upgrade to the Irish 70 MHz beacon EI4RF - Apr 2021

The Irish 4m beacon EI4RF has now been upgraded and is now transmitting on 70.013 MHz. It was previously operating on 70.130 MHz due to the limits of the older Irish 4m band. 

It is still located to the south of Dublin in the locator square IO63VE.

It is running 25-watts into a 3-element Yagi pointing east (90 degrees). The map above shows the beam heading with the -3dB (half power) headings as well.

EI4RF: 3-element Yagi for 70 MHz

The signal for the beacon comes from a GPS locked RFzero board and it uses the following format per minute: 3 x 15 second FT8 transmission and 1 x CW transmission.

Analysis: This new upgraded EI4RF beacon should prove to be a valuable propagation tool for the 70 MHz (4m) band especially as it is running 25-watts into a directional antenna with about 6dB (x4 time power) of gain. 

Anyone in England up to a distance of 500kms with a very modest station on 4m should be easily able to hear the beacon via tropo. Under enhanced tropo conditions, well equipped stations in the Netherlands at about 700-800kms might hear it.

As regards Sporadic-E, it should be very strong in the range of 1500 to 2200kms when the band is open... e.g. Poland, Baltic states, Croatia & Slovenia. During stronger openings when the MUF is higher, shorter distances down to 1000 kms may be possible... e.g. Germany.

Reception outside the -3dB points will be possible but obviously the further away from -3dB points you get, the weaker the signal.

EI4RF Site Profile: I have done up a site profile for the EI4RF site and it is shown below with the outline of the horizon.

I have included the 0 degree and 1 degree lines and I have coloured in the sea in light Blue to make it clearer.

As you can see, the beacon is on an elevated site and is looking down at the Irish Sea. Some of the mountains in the NW of Wales (90 deg) at a distance of 150kms or so are also visible. The plot clearly shows that there are no local obstructions between the -3dB points which is very good.

Outside of the main beam heading to the East, the path to the rest of Ireland is largely blocked by local hills and mountains. In the direction of Waterford (210 deg), the horizon has an elevation of about 3 degrees. In the direction of Cork (227 deg), the horizon rises to about 5 degrees. To the west, the horizon is over 7 degrees. It's highly unlikely that this beacon would be heard across the North Atlantic if there was ever some double hop Sporadic-E.

In conclusion: This beacon with its 25 watts should be easily heard in England via tropo and in eastern Europe via Sporadic-E. The inclusion of the FT8 digital mode is a welcome touch as it allows people to hear signals buried in the noise and there is already a lot of people using that mode. Any reception reports can be automatically uploaded to the PSK Reporter website to alert others of any opening.

Thanks to Tony, EI7BMB and Tim, EI4GNB who got this upgraded 4m beacon up and running.

* * * 

Other site developments: From Tim, EI4GNB...

EI0SIX had a mild tune-up, as one of the pair of antennas had gone a bit droopy, now the SWR and bandwidth are excellent. It remains 40w to a pair of loops phased.

EI1KNH on 8m has had it's monopole antenna moved to the top of the 4m mast, away from the FDP for 5m, and now has a much healthier looking lot on my VNA. No more interaction with 5m. It's happy on 40w from the NXP PA.

EI1KNH on 5m now runs FT8 for 3 periods of 15 seconds, then runs a slow CW ID and a long carrier - previously it had been looping FT8 every 15 seconds. It's PSU was toast, and was causing hash all over HF to the remote stn there, so it's temp on the same PSU as EI0SIX. No change to the chain, 25w to a folded dipole.

Modest Conditions on 28 MHz - Mon 26th Apr 2021

 

Monday 26th April 2021: This was a pretty modest day on the 28 MHz band with just 46 stations on FT8 in 19 countries heard.

The one surprise was VP8NO on the Falkland Islands who somehow made it through on his own. Other than that, it was Sporadic-E around Europe.

Some of the signals were quiet reasonable. I heard one German station who was S7 on the meter but when I did a scan of the beacon band, I heard nothing. It seems as if the Sp-E footprint was quite small.

The other strong signals were from Norway and Sweden and I heard two CW beacons...

EI7GL 28237.4 LA5TEN/B 11:08 26 Apr IO51TU<ES>JO59JP Norway
EI7GL 28298.0 SK7GH/B 10:34 26 Apr IO51TU<ES>JO77BF Sweden

I think I might stay monitoring FT8 on 10m until the end of the month and then move over to WSPR.

EA8CXN completes 1296 MHz contact by bouncing a signal off a cruise ship - Apr 2021

I recently read an interesting post on the website of César, EA8CXN about a 'Ship Scatter' contact on 1296 MHz (23cms)!

The map above shows the scenario. EA8CXN and EA8CSB are on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands and they cannot complete a contact directly on 1296 MHz due to local mountains.

They did however manage to complete a contact by bouncing the 23cm microwave signals off a passing cruise ship which is about 60kms away! Amazing.

After initially completing a contact on FT8, they managed to complete a QSO on SSB.

EA8CXN was running 100 watts in a 1-metre dish with horizontal polarization. EA8CSB was using just 2.5 watts into a vertical Diamond X-7000.

Check out the post on EA8CXN's website for more info and to see the SSB contacts.

Quiet day on 28 MHz - Sun 25th Apr 2021

 

Sunday 25th April 2021: This was a pretty quiet day on the 28 MHz band with 20 stations in 9 countries heard on FT8. The poor conditions may well have been due to some geomagnetic disturbance from the sun.

The one unusual Sporadic-E opening was to Portugal with 7 stations heard from a very small geographic area.

The other unusual signals for me are those from the UK...

Txmtr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
G0DLV 10m FT8 288 km 10:23:59
GI4SNA 10m FT8 334 km 20:25:29
MM0IMC 10m FT8 488 km 11:15:00
G0OYQ 10m FT8 579 km 09:03:44
MM3NRX 10m FT8 620 km 07:57:59

I think the first two are probably via tropo but I'm not sure about the signals that are 500kms and above. 

For example, I seem to hear G0OYQ near Hull nearly every day. I suspect it may be via meteor scatter and FT8 is digging out signals that are buried in the noise. How to prove it is another matter.

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.

Opening on 28 MHz to South Africa & Europe... Sat 24th Apr 2021

Saturday 24th April 2021: This was another reasonable day on the 28 MHz band with a weak opening to South Africa and a reasonable Sporadic-E opening to Europe.

The signals to Europe were strong at times but I couldn't do a scan of the band at those times.

The one beacon I did hear was PI7BXM beacon in the Netherlands...

EI7GL 28254.0 PI7BXM/B 15:50 24 Apr IO51TU<ES>JO21WF Netherlands

The map above show the extent of the Sporadic-E opening to Europe. For the first time this year, there was a good number of signals from Finland and the Baltic states.

A total of 169 stations were heard on FT8 in 20 countries. The solar flux was down at 77.

Scientist predicts the peak of the next Solar Cycle will be one year earlier than expected

In a recent interview, Lisa Upton of Space Systems Research Corporation and co-chair of the NOAA/NASA Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel said...  “The sun is performing as we expected–maybe even a little better. In 2019, the panel predicted that Solar Cycle 25 would peak in July 2025 (± 8 months) with a maximum sunspot count of 115 ± 10. The current behavior of the sun is consistent with an early onset near the beginning of our predicted range.”

The diagram above shows the new solar cycle running ahead of schedule. If it continues like this then Solar Cycle 25 may peak in 2024, a year earlier than expected.

As with all solar predictions, only time will tell how accurate they are.

Sporadic-E opening to Europe - Fri 23rd Apr 2021

 

Friday 23rd April 2021: This was a pretty reasonable day on the 28 MHz with a modest Sporadic-E opening to Europe. As can be seen from the map above, signals from Brazil and St Helena did mange to get through but the Sporadic-E was the main feature of the day.

As can be seen from the map, most of the signals were concentrated in one band stretching from the Netherlands to Austria. This was probably the best day so far of the 2021 Sporadic-E season.

Two signals made it through from an area near Moscow... F2 propagation? Double hop Sporadic-E? Probably Sp-E but you can never be certain on 28 MHz.

I did three scans of the band when the FT8 signals seemed reasonable and I heard two beacons...

EI7GL 28245.3 DB0TEN/B 14:18 23 Apr IO51TU<ES>JO42UV Fed. Rep. of Germany
EI7GL 28188.0 OE3XAC/B 11:38 23 Apr IO51TU<ES>JN78SB Austria

A total of 232 stations in 30 countries were heard on FT8. The Solar Flux was 84.

Guest Post: Some thoughts on VHF paths across the South Atlantic ...by Dave, N7BHC

Dave N7BHC (Also PJ4VHF & ZR2BI) left a comment on a post recently about VHF propagation in the South Atlantic. There was so much interesting info in it that I have put it up here as a guest post. There is plenty in there as food for thought.

* * *

Back in 2007-2010, I was trying to drum up trans-Atlantic tropo ducting interest. I am very pleased to see more progress now. A contact from ZD7 (St.Helena Is) to PY (Brazil) on 144 MHz (2m) is 100% probable. 

I introduced John Turner at Saint FM, the local FM radio station, back in 2008-2010 to tropo ducting on the FM broadcasting band. He successfully logged many Angolan, Namibian, and Cape Town FM stations. One December he emailed that he was unsuccessful identifying an Angolan FM radio station as he had interference from a Brazilian station on the same frequency. This was using just a car radio with its whip antenna. 

Back in March 2008, ZD8I on Ascension Island reported that they sometimes heard Cape Town Marine Radio (ZSC) on 156.8 MHz FM. That is an omni antenna to an omni antenna on FM at a range of 4400 km. 

ZD8S on Ascension Island reports listening to Brazilian FM stations with indoor portable radios. 

Since then, I spent the next ten years on Bonaire as PJ4VHF. My biggest tropo ducting success across the North Atlantic was the initial reception of D4C/b on the Cape Verde Islands at a range of 4,694km. I strongly encourage any stations on ZD7 and ZD8 to be active on both 2m and 70cm. 

I have been studying trans-ocenic ducting for many decades (I started out as ZR2BI in East London). The South Atlantic may be the BEST location worldwide for long-haul ducting, both for range and how often the openings occur. FM vertical polarization works well bit SSB or FT8 on horizontal is even better.

Maybe someday we may be allowed to and able to travel again, and I can afford to visit ZD7 in person. Until then, all I can do is strongly encourage others. 

73, Dave N7BHC/PJ4VHF/ZR2BI dpedersen AT drasticom DOT com

Weak opening to South America on 28 MHz - 22nd Apr 2021

Thursday 22nd April 2021: This was a pretty modest day on the 28 MHz band with just a few European stations heard via either weak Sporadic-E or meteor scatter.

There was also a small opening to Brazil.

A total of 31 stations in 12 countries were heard on FT8.

The Solar Flux index was 78.

More reception reports of the South African 40 MHz beacon in Europe - Apr 2021

Following on from my previous post about the South African 8-metre ZS6WAB beacon on 40.675 MHz being heard by SV2DCD in Greece, there are now three more reports!

IZ0BCD: Francesco, IZ0CBD in Rome, Italy report reception of the 8m ZS6WAB beacon on the 20th of April 2021.

Video...

Francesco was using a Kenwood TS2000 and a 6-element Yagi for 50 MHz and the distance was around 7500kms.

9H1TX: David, 9H1TX on the island of Malta heard the 8m beacon on the 19th of April using a 7-element Yagi for 50 MHz.

Video...

SV8CS: Spiros, SV8CS heard the South African 8m beacon also on the 19th of April 2021 using a 7-element Yagi  by I0JXX.

Video clip at this link... https://raag.org/to-zs6wab-akoystike-sti-zakyntho/

Propagation Mode: As outlined in a previous post, the mode of propagation was TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation). As shown in the map above, both the beacon and the receiving stations are equidistant from the Geomagnetic Equator.

Links...

1) For more information on the 8-metre band, visit my 40 MHz page.

* * *

Addendum:

1st Update - 22nd Apr 2021: Info from Paulo,  CT2IWW

CT7ASY: Eduardo, CT7ASY near Lisbon heard the ZS6WAB 8m beacon on the 20th of April.

CT7ASY... " My name is Eduardo Arraia and I´m an amateur radio operator licensed as CT7ASY, in Portugal, locator IM58gv.

Whilst monitoring the 8 meter band this afternoon, I came across the ZS6WAB beacon. As you can see by the attached image, I received the following message, decoded on CWSkimmer, at about 15:41 UTC, this afternoon, on 40.674MHz: TAR de ZS6WAB DE ZS6WAB DE ZS6WAB BCN LOC K R4

I am monitoring the band with an Icom IC7300 and a Sirio GPA 40-70 ground plane vertical antenna.

Until a couple of years ago, the 40MHz band was used, in Portugal, by the fire services in a country wide repeater network.

Since all emergency and police services moved to the new TETRA UHF network, this portion of spectrum was freed up and we can monitor some beacons, from Europe. South Africa is a first, though.

Cheers and 73, Eduardo, CT7ASY"