End of the road for HF contesting???

In a recent blog post, Frank Howell K4FMH did a detailed analysis of entrants to the ARRL Sweepstakes Contests for the past 20 years. The overall result is that those taking part in the contest are getting older rapidly.

The ARRL provided data, including Date-of-Birth, for the study which shows the average age of both CW and SSB contesters has increased by some 15 years since 2000.

The chart above shows the dramatic shift in age of participants and it's not hard to see that there will be a dramatic change in the next two decades.

Whatever about contesting on SSB, contesting on CW is highly skilled at it requires operators to use high speed morse for long periods of time. It takes years for people to get that proficient. 

I suspect the impending demise will be first felt in CW contests and then SSB later on. If I had to guess then I think we'll probably see a rise in contests using digital modes as this will be more attractive to newer contesters.

Looking at the stats in the chart, I suspect we will see big changes in the next decade.

It's probably fair to point out that contesting is a very polarizing subject and many will not see the decline in contesting as a problem.

You can view Frank's original blog post HERE

Guidelines for US stations applying for an experimental 40-MHz permit

In the last few months, two US amateur radio stations have applied for and received special experimental callsigns for the 40-MHz band. Lin, NI4Y near Atlanta got the call WL2XUP while John, AE5X in Houston got the call WL2XZQ.

The application form 442 from the FCC is called an Experimental Radio Station Authorization and it costs €125 for two years.

AE5X has a page up on his blog now with guidelines for US stations interested in applying for a permit. Go to http://ae5x.blogspot.com/p/operating-on-40-mhz.html

While the Summer Sporadic-E season is pretty much over for now, there is plenty of time to get ready for when it starts again in May of 2022.

For more information on the 8-metre band, see my 40 MHz page HERE

Switzerland to switch off its FM radio stations at the end of 2024

On the 26th of August 2021, the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) said that all FM radio stations will stop transmitting on December 31, 2024. At the end of 2020, they had announced that they hoped to do it earlier and have it completed by January 2023 but this has now been delayed by almost two years to allow consumers more time to change over to the newer digital format.

In December 2017, Norway became the first country to switch off its analogue FM radio stations on 88-108 MHz as they moved to a digital DAB+ system. Switzerland now intends to do likewise.

A 2020 survey by GfK Switzerland showed that use of digital radio has risen by 22% since 2015 while at the same time, FM usage has dropped by 22% to 29 percent. By June 2020, only 13 percent of the Swiss population were using analogue FM radio only.

A survey also found that only 13 percent of the Swiss population listened exclusively to analogue VHF radio in June 2020.

In the car, DAB+ is now the most popular way of receiving radio programs. Radio usage via DAB+ and Internet radio together now make up 55 percent of total usage in the car. All new cars are now sold with DAB+ fitted as standard.

See press release below...

FCC issue another experimental permit for the 40 MHz band in the USA (WL2XZQ)

On the 19th of August 2021, the FCC in the USA allocated the callsign WL2XZQ for experiments on the 40 MHz band from Houston in Texas. This was allocated to John, AE5X in the EM20 grid square.

This is I believe the second experimental permit for the 40 MHz band in the USA with the first one WL2XUP going to Lin, NI4Y near Atlanta, Georgia.

The permit for WL2XZQ allows for experiments in the frequency range of 40.660 to 40.700 MHz which is the 40 MHz ISM band (Industrial, Scientific, Medical).

The permit allows a maximum ERP of 100-watts and the license expires on the 1st of September 2023.

Propagation & Range - What to expect: The band is affected by several propagation modes. Let's have a look at them...

a) Tropo: It's likely that it will have a range of up to 200kms locally but it's unlikely that there will be many listening from that small area.

b) Sporadic-E: This will be main propagation mode from April to August every year and it WILL be heard all over most of the United States. The map above shows the likely range being in the range of 500kms to 2200kms. The most consistent signals should be in the 1200 to 1800km range.

In terms of double hop Sporadic-E, there may be a skip zones in the NE of the USA near New Hampshire and in the NW in the north of California and Oregon. The one issue for the western states may be interference from SNOTEL stations on the same band.

Looking further afield, there will also be times in June and July when there will be multi-hop Sporadic-E to Europe, a distance of about 6000-8000kms.

Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP): The experimental station is also well placed for tests to South America in May and November. While it is too far north for TEP, just one Sporadic-E hop is required to the south to open up the path to Argentina (LU), Uruguay (CX) and Brazil (PY).

F2 Propagation: The 40 MHz band will be certainly be impacted by the rising solar flux as we approach the peak of the next sunspot cycle. The 40 MHz band will open a lot earlier than say 50 MHz and it could prove to be a useful resource for European stations monitoring the trans-Atlantic path.

In Conclusion: This second experimental 40 MHz station is a very welcome development and it should mean that there is some amount of activity on the band in the Summer of 2022. This should raise awareness among the amateur radio community in the USA and perhaps more will apply for permits.

Links...
1) AE5X blog
2) See my 40 MHz page for more info about the band

Day 2 of Trans-Atlantic opening on 144 MHz between the Canary Is and the Caribbean - 20th Aug 2021

Following on from the trans-Atlantic opening on 144 MHz on the 19th, the tropo duct between the Canary Islands and the Caribbean remained open on the 20th of August 2021.

César, EA8CXN in Tenerife seems to have had the best path to the Caribbean with seven different stations in Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe listed on the PSK Reporter website.

These are the reports for the EA8 stations...

EA8CXN

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
NP4BM EA8CXN 2m FT8 5237 km 01:59:59
EA8CXN NP4BM 2m FT8 5237 km 23:03:44
KP4EIT EA8CXN 2m FT8 5189 km 00:40:59
EA8CXN KP4EIT 2m FT8 5189 km 19:19:45
EA8CXN WP3DN 2m FT8 5158 km 23:14:14
WP3DN EA8CXN 2m FT8 5158 km 22:37:59
EA8CXN WP4G 2m FT8 5153 km 22:27:41
WP4G EA8CXN 2m FT8 5153 km 11:51:29
EA8CXN FG4ST 2m FT8 4813 km 12:37:14
EA8CXN FG4SU 2m FT8 4811 km 23:03:44
FG4SU EA8CXN 2m FT8 4811 km 22:54:29
EA8CXN FG5GH 2m FT8 4809 km 14:39:11
FG5GH EA8CXN 2m FT8 4809 km 11:31:29

EA8DEC
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
EA8DEC NP4BM 2m FT8 5237 km 22:11:44
NP4BM EA8DEC 2m FT8 5237 km 13:19:56
EA8DEC FG4ST 2m FT8 4813 km 12:39:44
EA8DEC FG5GH 2m FT8 4809 km 13:06:41

EA8RH
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
NP4BM EA8RH 2m FT8 5204 km 21:14:59
EA8RH NP4BM 2m FT8 5204 km 21:12:44
EA8RH WP3DN 2m FT8 5125 km 14:18:42
WP3DN EA8RH 2m FT8 5125 km 14:15:59
EA8RH WP4G 2m FT8 5120 km 14:18:41

EA8TL
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
NP4BM EA8TL 2m FT8 5196 km 14:52:26
EA8TL NP4BM 2m FT8 5196 km 14:31:14

EA8RCP
Txmtr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
NP4BM 2m FT8 5107 km 14:49:26

EA8TX
Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
NP4BM 2m FT8 5221 km 18:51:44
KP4EIT 2m FT8 5173 km 18:51:45
WP3DN 2m FT8 5141 km 18:53:42
WP4G 2m FT8 5136 km 18:51:41

DX-Cluster: As the spots below show, there was some SSB activity as well...

 Spotter Freq. DX Time Info Country

EA8CSB 144250.0 KP4EIT 23:53 20 Aug swl rx 3/1 x-7000 signal very Puerto Rico

EA8BPX 144250.0 KP4EIT 23:36 20 Aug hrd in il18 again Puerto Rico

EA8CXN 144174.0 FG4SU 23:11 20 Aug FK96 TR IL18 Cqing Guadeloupe (FT8)

KP4EIT-@ 144250.0 EA8BPX 22:20 20 Aug 5/7 now good prpagation ssb Canary Islands

EA8CTK 144250.0 NP3XF 22:04 20 Aug 51 il18ni tr fk58 Puerto Rico

NP3XF 144250.0 EA8CXN 21:58 20 Aug 5/7 fk68 Canary Islands

NP3XF 144250.0 EA8BPX 21:41 20 Aug 5/6 Canary Islands

NP3XF 144300.0 EA8BPX 21:41 20 Aug 5/6 Canary Islands

EA8BPX 144250.0 NP3XF 21:40 20 Aug 53 fk68 il18 Puerto Rico 

EA8BPX 144250.0 NP4BM 21:29 20 Aug 53 second qso Puerto Rico

EA8CTK 144250.0 NP4BM 21:27 20 Aug il18 tr fk68 53 Puerto Rico

EA8CTK 144250.0 KP4EIT 21:11 20 Aug 5/2 il18ni Puerto Rico

KP4EIT-@ 144250.0 EA8BPX 21:10 20 Aug calling Caribbean Canary Islands

EA8CTK 144300.0 KP4EIT 21:09 20 Aug 5/2 il18ni Puerto Rico

KP4EIT-@ 144250.0 EA8CTK 21:05 20 Aug 5/3 tnx ssb Canary Islands

KP4EIT-@ 144250.0 EA8BPX 21:01 20 Aug 5/5 tnx Canary Islands

EA8CXN 144250.0 KP4EIT 19:25 20 Aug FK68 TR IL19 59++ Big SSB Sign Puerto Rico

EA8TX 144260.0 KP4EIT 19:23 20 Aug Il18 tr FK68 ssb Puerto Rico 

KP4EIT-@ 144260.0 EA8TX 19:22 20 Aug 5/5 tnx Canary Islands

EA8TX 144174.0 NP4BM 19:19 20 Aug Hrd 4 pse 144.260 Puerto Rico (FT8)

KP4EIT-@ 144250.0 EA8CXN 19:15 20 Aug 5/910db tnx Cesar Canary Islands

NP4BM-@ 144174.0 EA8TX 19:11 20 Aug +8 ur best Canary Islands (FT8)

KP4EIT-@ 144174.0 EA8CXN 18:59 20 Aug -01 tnx Cesar Canary Islands (FT8)

EA8CXN 144174.0 KP4EIT 18:57 20 Aug FK68 TR IL18 Puerto Rico (FT8)

KP4EIT-@ 144174.0 EA8TX 18:52 20 Aug -10 tnx Canary Islands (FT8)

FG4ST 144174.0 EA8CXN 12:31 20 Aug FT8 TROPO Canary Islands (FT8)

EA8CXN 144350.0 FG4ST 12:23 20 Aug FK96 TR IL18 SSB Guadeloupe

EA8CXN 144174.0 WP4G 11:53 20 Aug FK68 TR IL18 Puerto Rico (FT8)

EA8CXN 144174.0 FG5GH 11:48 20 Aug FK96 TR IL18 Guadeloupe (FT8)

EA8CXN 144174.0 WP3DN 11:19 20 Aug FK68 TR IL18 Puerto Rico (FT8)

EA8CXN 144174.0 NP4BM 11:04 20 Aug FK68 TR IL18 Puerto Rico (FT8)

Video clips: This first one is an SSB contact between EA8CXN on Tenerife and KP4EIT in Puerto Rico...

Worked @KP4EIT on SSB, amazing signals. FK68 TR IL18.
Thanks "Papo" for nice QSO pic.twitter.com/Pblz1pLiGh

— César Regalado León (@EA8CXN) August 20, 2021

This second video clip is of Franck, FG4ST on Guadeloupe working EA8CXN...

Nice VHF tropo SSB opening this morning between Guadeloupe and Canary Island with César @EA8CXN. Hope to hear you tonight in 70 cm! #hamradio #hamr #dx #VHF pic.twitter.com/1aN3zpodBX

— FG4ST Franck (@fg4st) August 20, 2021

It's pretty amazing to when you consider that you are listening to a trans-Atlantic signal on 144 MHz.

Distances: Like the previous day, the distances were in the region of 4800 to 5200kms.

It's interesting to see the distances plotted out on a map and how parts of North & South America are closer to the Canary Islands than the Caribbean.

Propagation Mode: The map below from Pascal, F5LEN shows the predicted tropo conditions...

It looks as if there is a large tropo duct across the Atlantic. It may well be that a layer of dust from the Sahara may be playing a role in this opening as well as it travels west.

Links...

1) Trans-Atlantic 144 MHz opening on the 19th of August 2021

2) See my 144 MHz page for other trans-Atlantic reports

* * *

Update: Day 3 - 21st of Aug 2021

This day was similar to previous days except the number of stations was lower.

FT8 spots

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)

EA8CXN NP4BM 2m FT8 5237 km 18:02:14

NP4BM EA8CXN 2m FT8 5237 km 15:31:59

KP4EIT EA8CXN 2m FT8 5189 km 21:39:59

EA8CXN KP4EIT 2m FT8 5189 km 21:39:15

EA8CXN FG4ST 2m FT8 4813 km 21:39:14

EA8CXN FG5GH 2m FT8 4809 km 21:39:11

KP4EIT EA8DEC 2m FT8 5189 km 12:46:56

DX-Cluster spots

 Spotter Freq. DX Time Info Country

EA8CXN 144174.0 FG4ST 21:51 21 Aug FK96 TR IL18 Guadeloupe

KP4EIT-@ 144174.0 EA8CXN 21:41 21 Aug NOW VERY STRONG INTO FK68 Canary Islands

KP4EIT-@ 144174.0 EA8CXN 19:54 21 Aug -9 TNX cESAR Canary Islands

EA8DEC 144174.0 KP4EIT 13:07 21 Aug FK 68 CQ Puerto Rico

KP4EIT-@ 144260.0 EA8TX 12:55 21 Aug 5/3 tnx Canary Islands 

KP4EIT-@ 144174.0 EA8DEC 12:53 21 Aug -23 tnx Canary Islands

EA8TX 144174.0 KP4EIT 12:53 21 Aug Hrd 0db pse 144.260 Puerto Rico

5000km+ opening on 144 MHz between the Canary Islands and the Caribbean - 19th Aug 2021

On the 19th of August 2021, there was an impressive opening on 144 MHz between the Canary Islands and the Caribbean, a distance well in excess of 5000kms. It's interesting to note that there was a similar opening from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean on the 29th of August 2020.

It looks as if the mode of propagation is tropospheric ducting over the North Atlantic as shown by the forecast below from F5LEN - 19th Aug 2021 @12:00 UTC.

FT8 & SSB: The opening on the 19th seems to have been mostly via the FT8 digital mode but a few SSB contacts were made.

These are the paths and reports that I could find for three stations in the Canary Islands...

EA8CXN
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
EA8CXN NP4BM 2m FT8 5237 km 18:22:14
NP4BM EA8CXN 2m FT8 5237 km 15:50:29
EA8CXN KP4EIT 2m FT8 5189 km 10:50:15
EA8CXN WP3DN 2m FT8 5158 km 12:19:12
WP3DN EA8CXN 2m FT8 5158 km 12:17:29
EA8CXN WP4G 2m FT8 5153 km 10:04:41
EA8CXN FG4ST 2m FT8 4813 km 17:20:14
EA8CXN FG5GH 2m FT8 4809 km 18:22:41  

EA8RH
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
NP4BM EA8RH 2m FT8 5204 km 14:24:29
EA8RH NP4BM 2m FT8 5204 km 12:49:14

EA8DEC
Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
EA8DEC NP4BM 2m FT8 5237 km 11:23:14
NP4BM EA8DEC 2m FT8 5237 km 11:22:56

DX-Cluster: As you can see from the spots below, there were at least two SSB contacts

EA8CXN 144174.0 NP4BM 15:33 19 Aug Fk68 IL18 Puerto Rico
EA8BPX 144250.0 NP4BM 11:16 19 Aug 55 fk68 il18 Puerto Rico
NP4BM-@ 144174.0 EA8DEC 10:57 19 Aug tnks ft8 qso Canary Islands
EA8CXN 144174.0 WP3DN 10:07 19 Aug FK68 TR il18 Puerto Rico
EA8CXN 144250.0 NP4BM 09:50 19 Aug fk68 tr IL18 THANKS SSB Puerto Rico 
EA8CXN 144174.0 NP4BM 09:45 19 Aug FK68 IL18 Puerto Rico

Path between FG & CT: It also seems as if there was a path open on 144 MHz between Guadeloupe and Portugal.

This is the first time a signal from mainland Europe has been heard in the Caribbean on 144 MHz. Note that EB1DJ did hear KP4EIT in Puerto Rico in August of 2020 so this more northerly path has been open before. See LINK

This is the FT8 screen from FG4ST showing two FT8 decodes from CT1ETL/1 at -20dB. No QSO was completed.

It looks as if this tropo duct might open up again so it would be worthwhile for stations in Spain and Portugal to beam towards the Caribbean.

More reports on previous 144 MHz openings across the Atlantic can be found on my 144 MHz page HERE

New Amateur TV activity proposed for the 10m band in 2022

I was informed recently that some radio amateurs in Europe will be experimenting with ATV on the 10-metre band in the Summer of 2022. It is likely to be mostly confined mainly to stations in England, the Netherlands and Germany.

While ATV (Amateur TV) is normally associated with the 70cms and 23 cms bands, there have been experiments in recent years on 146 MHz, 71 MHz and 51.7 MHz. This new experiment on 29 MHz will allow much more use of Sporadic-E propagation for contacts.

From what I understand, it will be DVB-T digital TV operating on 29.250 MHz with a 300 kHz bandwidth. This is below the input frequencies of the various FM repeaters around Europe.

I am told that the numbers involved are likely to be small with perhaps something like 20-30 stations taking part. Special boards are being developed at present and no doubt, these will be be got ready for the Sporadic-E season next May.

The photo at the top of the post is of an ATV signal on 10m that was upconverted to 149.250 MHz.

FM radio stations from Ghana are heard for the first time in Europe - 23rd July 2021

I only recently came across a report about how FM radio stations in Ghana on the 88-108 MHz band were heard for the first time in Europe on the 23rd of July 2021.

Mauricio Molano Sánchez is an active FM DXer in the west of Spain and on the 23rd of July 2021, he managed to log the following stations from Ghana in Africa...

88.3 MHz POTTERS FM Sunyani GHANA 3574 km 

88.5 MHz RADIO VISA  (AUDIO) Dunkwa-on-Offin GHANA 3734 km 

According to Mauricio, this was the first time that FM radio stations from Ghana have been heard in Europe.

He writes...."During a solid double hop sporadic-E opening towards Cape Verde, several weaker and more unstable signals appeared at 87.7, 88.1, 88.3 and 88.5 MHz. These last two stations are the ones that came a little stronger and for a longer time. It was possible to record identifications of both. The language used was English. After ruling out the Anglophone countries closest to CPV, the search ended in Ghana: the station at 88.5 was RADIO VISA from Dunkwa-on-Offin. 88.3 was POTTERS FM from Sunyani."

His full report can be found on his blog HERE

What I found of interest about this report was that someone in Spain managed to hear FM radio stations at a distance of about 3700kms. If we look at a map, this is what it looks like...

As you can see, the circle almost reaches Newfoundland. As far as I know, no-one in Spain or Portugal has ever heard a FM radio station from North America.

Back in June of 2021, Larry Horlick, VO1FOG in Newfoundland heard FM radio stations in Spain. At the time, some argued that it was not possible for anyone in Spain to heard North America because the band was too crowded. And yet, here we have an example of someone hearing double hop from Ghana in Africa.

If FM radio stations from Spain can be heard in North America then North American FM radio stations can be heard in Spain or Portugal. It's not a case of IF but WHEN will they be heard.

See my 88-108 MHz page for more examples of long distance reports.

Amateur radio exams in Ireland to recommence on the 11th of Sept 2021

From the IRTS...

The IRTS Examination Board is pleased to advise that the next HAREC examination will be held in the Maldron Hotel, Tallaght, Dublin 24 on Saturday 11th September.  There will be two examinations held on that date, a morning sitting commencing 10.30am and an afternoon sitting commencing 2pm.  Each sitting will be two hours duration.

The fee for the examination is €50 and there is a concessionary rate of €25.  Full details can be found on the IRTS Website. Closing date for receipt of applications is Sunday 29th August.

All details are subject to Covid regulations in force on the published date of the examination.

7th August 2021

Exam website... https://www.irts.ie/exam

The Experimental Station WA2XMN on 42.8 MHz

In 1933, frequency modulation or FM radio was invented by Edwin H. Armstrong in the USA to reduce the static and interference associated with AM transmissions.

In June of 1936, Armstrong established the experimental station WA2XMN at Alpine, New Jersey and began experimental FM transmissions with a 40kW power level in the 42 to 44 MHz band.

After the second world war, the FCC moved the FM band up to 88 to 108 MHz and this is the one we are familiar with today.

To commemorates the pioneering broadcasts of the world's first FM radio station, WA2XMN occasionally broadcasts on a frequency of 42.8 MHz. This was one of the frequencies used by Armstrong's station on the original FM broadcast band.

The station broadcasts with a power of 250 watts from the same Armstrong Tower in Alpine, New Jersey. When it does broadcast, the FM signals have been heard by radio enthusiasts within a 160km / 100 radius.

The QSL card at the top of the post was sent out for a transmission in April of 2018.

I'm not sure when the last broadcast was but it would be interesting to hear of any future transmissions.

Links...
1) WA2XMN website with reception reports
2) Email archive about test transmissions

The Five Meter Band (60 MHz) in the USA gets a mention on Soldersmoke

Back in October of 1924, the 5-meter band (56–64 MHz) was first made available to radio amateurs in the United States. At the time due to the low frequency performance of valves, these type of VHF frequencies were considered to be UHF or Ultra-High Frequencies.

The front cover above is from a 1934 edition of the Five Meter Radiotelephony book by Frank Jones, WA6AJF. This publication was a source of material for radio amateurs at the time who were interested in experimenting with this new band.

Radio amateurs had use of the 5m band for about 20 years until the advent of television in the late 1940's / early 1950's when most of the spectrum between 45 and 65 MHz was allocated to the new broadcasting medium.

Bill Meara, N2CQR of the Soldersmoke podcast sent me a message recently with a link to a recent post on the SolderSmoke blog... link HERE

There are some interesting links there about the history of the 5m band and the tongue in cheek FMLA - The Five Meter Liberation Army!

It's good to see the 60 MHz band get a mention on the popular SolderSmoke blog as the vast majority of radio amateurs in the USA probably have no idea that there was once any activity there. Any posts that help raise awareness about the 40 MHz and 60 MHz bands are always welcome.

I have a bit more info on my 60 MHz page... https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/p/60-mhz.html

Number of WSPR stations heard on 28 MHz in July of 2021

 

The chart above shows the number of individual WSPR stations that I heard on the 28 MHz band from the 1st of July to the 30th of July 2021.

If you examine it carefully, there are subtle differences between the first half and the second half of the month as the Sporadic-E season begins to splutter and the intensity decreases.

2021 Vs 2020: My own feeling is that there were more WSPR stations active on the 28 MHz band in the Summer of 2021 as compared to the Summer of 2020.

I did a comparison between the number of stations I heard during the first 30 days of July 2021 and compared them to the same period of 2020.

Now, there is a caveat with this data as I can't be 100% certain if I was listening all of the time in July 2020 but it's very likely I was.

Looking at the data, I heard an average of 55 stations per day in this time period in 2020 as compared to an average of 71 stations per day in 2021, an increase of just over 28%.

As the chart shows, there are a lot more higher Blue days than Red. For example, there are six days in July 2021 where I heard more than 90 stations in one day as compared to none over 90 in 2020.

This isn't just down to conditions, it's due to there being more WSPR activity on the 28 MHz band this year which is a welcome development.

I'm sure as the Sporadic-E season winds down at the end of August, a lot of stations will probably migrate to the lower HF bands. I'm not sure what I will do myself as once the activity level drops below a certain level, it kind of gets a bit pointless monitoring a quiet frequency with no activity. 

It's likely I'll switch back to monitoring the FT8 frequency on 28 MHz over the Winter as this will show if anything unusual is happening on the band.

Video: Transceiver Performance for the DXer by NC0B

In a recent presentation to the Madison DX Club, Rob Sherwood NC0B gave a talk on transceiver performance on the HF bands.

As Rob outlines, receivers are now so good that the real limitation is with the transmitters. Note that receiver limitations due to someone else locally using an amplifier.

The 66 minute video is shown below...

The first half is about receivers and Rob talks about transmitters from 33:00 minutes onwards. 

Link...
1) NC0B's website - Sherwood Engineering

Video: Modes of Propagation on 50 MHz by K9LA

In June of 2021, Carl Luezelschwab K9LA gave a presentation to the Madison DX Club titled 'Modes of Propagtion on 6 meters'.

There are plenty of guides and explanations about propagation on the 50 MHz band in books and on websites and they tend to be pretty basic. In this video, K9LA looks at propagation modes in more detail and as expected, things are often not as simple as they seem.

It's very easy to look at long distance contacts on the 50 MHz band and just blindly assume it has to be multi-hop Sporadic-E. As you will see in the video, we should all keep an open mind and accept that it may be due to other propagation modes. This is especially true now as the FT8 digital mode is showing that weak signal paths exist that weren't so obvious in the past with SSB or CW.

The 51 minute video can be seen below...

Some timestamps and items of interest...

00:00 to 02:20 Introduction

02:20 to 04:20 Old 50 MHz radios

The talk is then broken down as follows...

Review of all these modes
Antenna considerations
Solar Cycle 25
References

04:50 to 09:30 Fundamentals of the atmosphere and ionosphere.

It's interesting to note that K9LA questions if PMSE (Polar Mesospheric Summer Echoes) at 85kms above the Earth plays a part in bending radio signals slightly before they reach the higher Sp-E and F2 layers.

In the slide for trospheric ducting, there is an error in that it should read 450 metres as opposed to 450 kms. As K9LA observes, tropo ducting at 50 MHz is very unusual in temperate regions.

At 15:45, K9LA talks about SSSP - Short-path Summer Soltice Propagation which is linked to PMSE. It may well be that this propagation mode is responsible for many of the openings from Europe to Japan on 50 MHz as opposed to the standard 'it must be multi-hop Sporadic-E explanation'.

At 27:30, there are charts suggesting that Sporadic-E may be changing over the years.

At 32:00, Carl suggests that equatorial Sporadic-E may be a significant factor where signals are crossing the equator at local noon.

At 36:00, the video looks at Chordal Hop modes. As the image below shows, there can be a lot more going on than just simple hop Sporadic-E...

At 41:00, skewed paths are examined.

45:20 Antenna considerations

46:50 Cycle 25 status

Links...

1) I have some examples of unusual long distance paths on the 6m band on my 50 MHz page.

US Experimental 40 MHz Station WL2XUP is heard across the Atlantic in England - 22nd July 2021

On the 18th of July, I had a post up about the new US experimental station WL2XUP on the 40 MHz band. Just four days later on the 22nd of July, a WSPR signal from WL2XUP was heard across the Atlantic in England.

The owner of the experimental station WL2XUP is Lin, NI4Y and in a message he writes... 

"I can report that VE3QC and VE2DLC received my station via Eskip on July 22nd. Shortly after VE3QC received my signal G7PUV received WL2XUP via multi hop Eskip. The following Day KI4RVH received the WSPR signal via what was likely tropo ducting. 

VE3QC also reports hearing my FT8 signals transmitted later in the day on July 23rd. 

2021-07-22 19:00 WL2XUP 40.663508 -26 -1 EM73vv 20 VE3QC FN25fk 1557 29 2 

2021-07-22 20:42 WL2XUP 40.663488 -34 0 EM73vv 20 VE2DLC FN58rk 2155 35 2 

2021-07-22 19:40 WL2XUP 40.663514 -26 -1 EM73 20 G7PUV JO00au 6869 46 2 

2021-07-23 14:08 WL2XUP 40.663536 -13 -2 EM73 20 KI4RVH EM95 429 58 2"

Paul, G7PUV is located in the SE of England and was using an SDRPlay RSP1A SDR and a W4KMA 18-100MHz Log Periodic on a 6.2M boom up at 15M AGL.

Paul heard seven WSPR transmissions from WL2XUP between 19:40 and 20:42 UTC and the strongest signal was -16dB. 

The 40 MHz trans-Atlantic opening coincided with a big opening on 50 MHz between Europe and North America.

Analysis: As NI4Y points out, this was very likely to be a multi-hop Sporadic-E opening across the North Atlantic with maybe 3-4 hops involved. What is significant about this reception report is not so much the distance but the fact that this is the first crossing of the Atlantic on the 40 MHz band.

During Sporadic-E openings on 50 MHz, it's very likely that paths on lower frequencies like 40 MHz will be open as well. It's just a question of more people listening on the band and reporting what they hear.

This new experimental 40 MHz station has already sparked some interest in the 8m band in North America so hopefully it will encourage activity on the band.

Update: The exact frequency was 40.662 MHz USB with the WPSR signals roughly 1.5kHz higher.

Link...

1) See my 40 MHz page for more info on the band

Lightning detected on the 28 MHz band - 23rd July 2021

 

Friday 23rd July 2021: During the afternoon of the 23rd, I noticed what sounded like a continuous stream of static crashes on the 28 MHz band. I checked the Irish weather website Met Éireann and sure enough, there was a huge thunder storm crossing Ireland about 130-150kms to the north of me.

I have heard static crashes from lightning before but never on this scale. It's usually a static crash every 10-20 seconds but this one was almost continuous.

I was wondering at first if it was some local noise source but I could hear the number of static crashes reduce as the storm moved west.

Even though I am using just a basic CB type half-wave vertical on 28 MHz, I do have a good view to the north. If some of these strikes were from cloud to cloud at a km or two above the ground then I was probably line of sight to some of them.

FM radio stations from the Azores (87-93 MHz) are heard in Newfoundland - 23rd July 2021

Friday 23rd July 2021: Larry Horlick, VO1FOG in Newfoundland reports that he heard FM radio stations from the Azores on frequencies ranging from 87 to 93 MHz. The opening lasted one hour.

* * *

UTC QRG ITU Station, location Details, remarks Distance km Received by/in kW ERP Pol

22:30 UTC 90.50 MHZ AZR RTP Antena 1, Serra de Santa Bárbara (tce) Live Stream, 2309kms 35 h

21:51 UTC 92.70 MHz AZR RTP Antena 1, Pico Bartolomeu (smg) Presumed, reference to Ponta Degada, 2524kms 0.5 m

21:14 UTC 87.70 MHz AZR RTP Antena 3, Pico da Barrosa (RDP) (smg) Live stream, 2501kms 40 v

* * *

It's interesting to see that Larry also heard the Azores two days earlier on the 21st of July.

Propagation Mode: It's almost certainly single hop Sporadic-E with a possible small tropo extension near the Azores. 

In a message, Larry VO1FOG notes that during this reception of Band 2 signals up around 88 MHz, the 6-metre band at 50 MHz appeared closed. It's very likely that there was a good single hop Sporadic-E opening from Newfoundland to the East but there is nothing out there in the mid-Atlantic.

As Larry notes, it's wrong to assume that just because there is nothing on 50 MHz, the higher bands will be closed. 

Analysis: Even though reports of FM radio stations from the Azores being heard in Newfoundland were only documented for the first time in 2021, it's likely that this 2300-2500km path is open every year. What is different this year is that there is someone activity logging these stations from the Newfoundland end.

While single hop Sporadic-E openings on Band 2 are nothing special, I would suggest that the ones between the Azores and Newfoundland are. Not in terms that they actually happen but in terms of what times they happen.

The more Newfoundland to Azores reception reports that are logged then we might be able to see a pattern of what is the most likely time of day that these openings happen. 

If the maximum usable frequency gets up to 88-108 MHz on a regular basis then there may be times that it goes up as far as 144 MHz. Add in a tropo duct at the eastern end and a trans-Atlantic path from Newfoundland to Spain or Portugal might be possible.

Links...
1) VO1FOG's reception log on the FMLIST website
2) More examples of Band 2 reception reports on my 88-108 MHz page

Top spotter for WSPR on 28 MHz - 22nd July 2021

22nd July 2021: On a few occasions, I have been one of the top five spotters worldwide for WSPR signals on the 28 MHz band. On the 22nd, I was in first place!

As the chart shows, I reported 101 separate WSPR signals which is over 20 more than those in the other top 5 spots.

I should point out that this really has nothing to do with me as it's just my radio listening for WSPR signals on the 28 MHz band all day. The reason I ended up in the top spot is because of my location in the north-west of Europe.

The map above shows the location of the 101 stations. Other than four in North America, the rest were in Europe. The problem with the WSPR mode is that there is a lack of stations transmitting in comparison to say the hugely popular FT8 mode.

This is a closer look at the European stations. The main reason I ended up in top spot was probably because I heard 30 stations from the UK via short skip Sporadic-E and this was in addition to the more usual single hop Sp-E signals out around 1000-2000kms.

At the moment, I am just using a simple half wave vertical above 4m above the ground for reception and it really is nothing special. 

Link...

1) VK7JJ's WSPR Top Spotters website 

FM radio stations in Maine heard across the Atlantic in the north of Ireland - 22nd July 2021

Thursday 22nd July 2021: Openings on the FM band (88-108 MHz) between North America and Europe are very rare and it's always interesting to hear about these very high frequencies crossing the North Atlantic.

On the 22nd, Paul Logan in Lisnaskea in Co.Fermanagh in the north of Ireland managed to catch a short 5-minute opening to the state of Maine in the NE of the USA. 

* * *

UTC QRG ITU Station, location Details, remarks Distance km Received by/in kW ERP Pol

14:06 UTC 89.70 MHz USA WMED, Calais (ME) Weak. End of wx report. Start of "On point" show. Fits with online edition. Brief. 4294kms 30kW m

14:06 UTC 92.90 MHz USA WEZQ, Bangor (ME) Sports talk, same time as 88.5 4390kms 20kW m

14:05 UTC 88.50 MHz USA WHCF, Bangor (ME) Religious show, Scottish preacher // web 4353kms  35kW m

* * *

As the log from the FMLIST website shows above, Paul managed to log three separate stations at the bottom of Band 2 with frequencies in the range of 88 to 93 MHz.

To put this opening in perspective, this was only the 9th trans-Atlantic Band 2 opening for Paul Logan in a period of about 20 years.

For the reception, Paul was using a ELAD FDM S2 SDR receiver with a Band 2 9-element Yagi 8m above ground level.

Propagation Mode: As can be seen from the log, the distances were in the region of 4300kms. It's likely that the mode of propagation was double hop Sporadic-E i.e. 2 x 2150km hops.

For more examples of long distance reception reports on Band 2, visit my 88-108 MHz page.

FM radio stations on the Azores are heard again in N America - 21st July 2021

 

Wednesday 21st July 2021: At the start of July, FM radio stations on the Azores were heard in the USA. On the 21st, the North Atlantic path opened again with FM stations being heard in Newfoundland and Cape Cod, MA.

This is a log of what was heard by Larry Horlick (VO1FOG) in Newfoundland and Bryce Foster in the US...

* * *

UTC QRG ITU Station, location Details, remarks Distance km Received by/in kW ERP Pol

19:32 88.90 MHz AZR RTP Antena 1, Horta/Cabeço Gordo (fai) Recording verified by Paul Logan,  2218kms by Larry Horlick, Coley's Point (CAN) 9.1 c

19:36 90.50 MHz AZR RTP Antena 1, Serra de Santa Bárbara (tce) Recording verified by Paul Logan 2309kms by Larry Horlick, Coley's Point (CAN) 35 h

19:44 87.70 MHz AZR RTP Antena 3, Pico da Barrosa (RDP) (smg) Antena tres, Recording verified by Paul Logan  2501kms by Larry Horlick, Coley's Point (CAN) 40 v

21:33 88.50 MHz AZR Rádio Atlântida, Pico da Barrosa (smg) // webstream,  3830kms  in Mashpee, MA (USA) 3 m

21:33 87.70 MHz AZR RTP Antena 3, Pico da Barrosa (RDP) (smg) Antena 3 ID, // stream,  3830kms in Mashpee, MA (USA) 40 v

* * *

Propagation Mode: It looks very likely that this was a case of single and double hop Sporadic-E again.

The distance from the Azores to Newfoundland is in the region of 2200-2500kms and this was most likely one hop Sporadic-E with a small tropo extension.

The distance from the Azores to Cape Cod in the US is 3830kms and this was very likely to be double hop Sporadic-E.

It's interesting to see that the path from Newfoundland to Bermuda was open at 21:00 UTC which suggests the location of one of the Sporadic-E clouds.

For earlier trans-Atlantic reception reports, see my 88-108 MHz page.

Links...

1) FMLIST website log for the 21st of July 2021