Digital Radio Operating Manual - Sept 2021... by Steve Wright, EI5DD

Steve Wright, EI5DD has now updated his comprehensive manual for anyone in Ireland with an interest in the DMR, C4FM and D-Star digital modes. The 62-page document  is a substantial increase on the 44-page 2020 edition and should be of interest to anyone starting off and even to established users who want to get a better understanding of the various digital systems.

While the guide is primarily aimed at radio amateurs in Ireland, a lot of the material covered should be of interest to radio amateurs in other countries as well.

The online manual can be seen HERE

Opening to South America on 28 Mhz - 9th Sept 2021

There was a nice opening on 28 MHz to South America on Thursday the 9th of September 2021. Distances from here ranged from 7000kms to the north of Brazil to 12400kms to VP8LP in the Falklands.

The Solar Flux was 100.

Opening on 28 MHz as the solar flux increases - 8th Sept 2021

Now that we are in the month of September, the number of Sporadic-E openings on the 28 MHz band drop away but they can still be there at times. The big change as we head towards the equinox is the appearance of long distance F2 and TEP signals on the 10m band.

The map of FT8 signals heard on the 28 MHz band on Wednesday the 8th of September 2021 bears this out. There were relatively few Sporadic-E signals from around Europe but there were some nice DX signals coming through.

While normally DX signals on 28 MHz are often buried in the noise, I could actually hear the signal from 5B4AMX in Cyprus by ear. I had no doubt that this was via F2 propagation and not some sort of double hop Sporadic-E. Interesting to see that FR4NT on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean also made it through.

In the evening, FT8 signals from South America and the Caribbean were decoded. J69DS on St Lucia was there until 22:05 UTC which is about 3 hours after my sunset.

Rising Solar Flux... On the 8th of September, the Solar Flux was at 100 which was well above the 73 of a month ago. The chart below shows how the Solar Flux is increasing while we are coming out of the low point of the sunspot cycle.

Back in Sept of 2019, we were in the high 60's. By Sept 2020, it was in the low 70's. We'll have to wait and see what the average is for Sept 2021 but the fact it is up around 100 now is a sure sign of more activity on the sun. 

It's very likely that the last few months of 2021 will be pretty good on 28 MHz for those using FT8 and chasing DX. And if 28 MHz is open, the lower HF bands will be open as well.

The main thing to remember is that it's only September and it's only starting. Expect to see a lot of activity on the band between now and the end of the year.

Report claims that there has been 30% growth in digital DAB+ receivers in Germany

According to a recent press release from the 6th of September 2021, the number of digital DAB+ receivers in Germany has reached a record 21.7 million receivers. This is approximately 5 million more radios than before and corresponds to a growth of 30 percent. 

"More than every fourth household (27 percent) now receives DAB +. That is over 1.1 million more than in the previous year. This means that the number of households in which DAB + can be received is well over 11 million for the first time.

The number of VHF radios continues to decrease. Aided by the digital radio obligation, among other things, the FM share in car radios is falling significantly, reaching a new low of 78.8 percent. Around every fifth car radio is now equipped with DAB + reception."

While the 30% growth sounds impressive, one of the key facts in the press release is that just 20% of cars has DAB+. This is one of the key sectors for radio and it would seem that a switch off of the FM radio network is unlikely until that figure is much higher.

Press release below...

Video: South African 144 MHz Next Generation Beacon Project

At the South African Radio League workshop in March of 2021, Brian ZS6YZ gave a presentation about the 144 MHz Next Generation Project. This involves moving away from the traditional CW only beacons and combining them instead with digital modes to investigate propagation on the 144 MHz band.

While the initial project seems primarily be for internal use in South Africa, ZS6YZ also raises the possibility of testing other very long distance paths as well.

In the past when only CW and SSB was used on the 2-metre band, beacons on CW would often appear first during a tropo opening. The beacon was then spotted on the cluster and stations were alerted about the opening.

Now, CW only beacons are of limited use with weak digital signals like FT8 making an appearance long before the CW signals can be heard. In todays world where computers can just sit and listen for signals 24 hours a day, a modern mixed mode beacon using CW and a digital mode like PI4 makes a lot more sense.

The video is just over 40 minutes long and it can be seen below...

Life still on 28 MHz - 4th Sept 2021

Now that have moved into September, the Sporadic-E season is really beginning to wind down and I have changed from monitoring for 10m WSPR signals back to monitoring FT8 signals on 10m instead. The problem with WSPR is that it starts to get less useful once the number of stations fall away and that happens at the end of the Summer. 

On Saturday the 4th of September, there was a small Sporadic-E opening to central Europe as well as a small opening to South America.

I kind of prefer listening for WSPR signals but at the end of the day, all I'm really interested in is knowing what the propagation on the 28 MHz band is like.

The solar flux today was 84.

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.