The Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS) conducted an online survey a few weeks back and the results are available now. You can view the PDF document HERE
A 64 minute video outlining the findings is shown below...
The Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS) conducted an online survey a few weeks back and the results are available now. You can view the PDF document HERE
A 64 minute video outlining the findings is shown below...
Sunday 19th September 2021: The map above shows the FT8 signals heard on the 28 MHz band during the day. There were signals from the south of Europe which were probably via Sporadic-E and then longer distance signals from South America, St.Helena, South Africa and Namibia.
It's likely that the signals from the southern hemisphere were via TEP (Trans-Equatorial Propagation) with a single Sporadic-E hop at the northern end of the circuit.
The solar flux was down around the 74 mark.
While this was the first day this season that I heard signals from the south of the African continent, I could hardly say that the opening was exceptional. The two things to take from it are 1) There are openings on 28 MHz almost every day and 2) Most of the DX is on North-South paths.
We have a good bit to go yet before we see the East-West openings from Europe to North America on the 10m band for modestly equipped stations.
The DX heard on Sunday...
The Polish contest group SN7L were active for the recent IARU 144 MHz contest and it was interesting to see what they worked as it shows the potential of the 2m band.
The SN7L team were using 4 Yagi antenna system on the summit of a 1603m mountain in the south-west of Poland. Over the 24 hours of the contest, they managed to complete an impressive 1365 contacts with stations across Europe in 135 locator squares and 30 DXCC countries.
Some of the longest distance contacts were to Ireland, Scotland & the Isle of Man with distances in excess of 1500kms being recorded.
How often do we see articles for beginners which tell them that VHF is more or less 'line of sight'?
The reality is that the VHF bands have a lot of potential if people are prepared to put in the time and effort to exploit them.
Tuesday the 14th of September 2021 was reasonably quiet on 28 MHz but one single station from Indonesia did manage to get through. It's likely that it was due to a weak Sporadic-E opening from my location to the north of Germany and from there by F2 propagation to Indonesia.
There was also a weak Sporadic-E opening to Spain later in the day. A total of 28 stations were heard on FT8. The solar flux was at 83 on the day.
A recent study by scientists found that that the Mesosphere, the layer of the atmosphere 50 to 80 kms above the surface of the Earth, is cooling and contracting. This was based on 30 years of observations and is due to rising human-made greenhouse gas emissions.
Scott Bailey, an atmospheric scientist at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and lead of the study, published in the Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics said... “You need several decades to get a handle on these trends and isolate what’s happening due to greenhouse gas emissions, solar cycle changes, and other effects. We had to put together three satellites’ worth of data.”
Together, the satellites provided about 30 years of observations, indicating that the summer mesosphere over Earth’s poles is cooling about 2.5 degrees Celsius and contracting 150 to 200 metres per decade.
Interesting from a radio point of view, when the mesosphere contracts, the rest of the upper atmosphere above sinks with it including the ionosphere. This could potentially lower the height of the Sporadic-E layer which form during the Summer months at about 105 kms which would result in shorter skip distances. However, if the region is only dropping 200m or 0.2% in height per decade then it's unlikely anyone will see any real difference in the short term.
The contracting atmosphere also means less drag on low orbit satellites which means that more space junk in low-Earth orbit.
The mesosphere is also known for its noctilucent or polar mesospheric clouds near the polar regions. These clouds form in summer, when the mesosphere has all three ingredients to produce the clouds: water vapor, very cold temperatures, and dust from meteors that burn up in this part of the atmosphere.
These clouds are getting brighter, drifting farther from the poles, and appearing earlier than usual. This area of the mesosphere also reflects radio waves and may well play a significant role in multi-hop VHF openings across the polar regions.
Link: NASA Satellites See Upper Atmosphere Cooling and Contracting Due to Climate Change
The 28 MHz band was open again on Saturday the 11th of September 2021 with an opening to the south to South America, Ghana and Ascension Island.
The solar flux was at 92 which is gradually dropping back from the recent surge to 100.
The key thing to note here is that all of the long distance FT8 signals heard on 28 MHz recently are mostly North-South and not East-West. It's a case of 'Yes, the band is open' but just about.
It's likely to stay like this for a few weeks until hopefully more east-west paths start to open up.
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
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.
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...
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...
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.
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
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
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...
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.
Worked @KP4EIT on SSB, amazing signals. FK68 TR IL18.
— César Regalado León (@EA8CXN) August 20, 2021
Thanks "Papo" for nice QSO pic.twitter.com/Pblz1pLiGh
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
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...
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
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.
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.