18,760km opening on the 50 MHz band between Trinidad and Indonesia - 25th Apr 2022

Monday 25th April 2022: It was was interesting to see there there was an 18,760km opening on the 50 MHz band between Trinidad in the Caribbean to Indonesia. 

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)

9Y4D YB1AR 6m FT8 18763 km 15:25:59
YB1BA 9Y4D 6m FT8 18673 km 15:10:27
4X1TI 9Y4D 6m FT8 10001 km 18:28:57
9Y4D 4X4DK 6m FT8 9986 km 18:33:26
9Y4D 5B4ALJ 6m FT8 9702 km 18:15:29
9Y4D SV9CVY 6m FT8 9023 km 18:32:59
9Y4D EA8RH 6m FT8 5058 km 17:25:26
9Y4D EA8TL 6m FT8 5051 km 17:33:26

With the solar flux up at 157, it looks as if the maximum usable frequency (MUF) in these southerly latitudes is reaching the 50 MHz band.

First contact on the 40 MHz band between Ireland and South Africa - 21st April 2022

A little bit of radio history was made on the 21st of April 2022 with the very first contact ever between Ireland (EI) and South Africa (ZS) on the 40 MHz band.

Phil, EI9KP in the west of Ireland managed to complete two way contacts with Jan, ZS6OB in South Africa on 40.680 MHz using the FT8 and FT4 modes, a distance of about 9,570 kms.

EI9KP writes... "For me a first band "opening" to South Africa, logged ZS6OB from 1044z till 1420z.  To my delight we managed a 2-way contact on 40.680MHz using FT8 and FT4 modes."

EI9KP was using 25-watts from an ICOM IC-7300 to a home brew 2-element Yagi for the 8m band. ZS6OB was using in the region of 30-50 watts.

2-el Yagi for the 40 MHz band used by EI9KP

Phil continues..."I could see ZS6OB making many a contact to S5 Slovenia.  At a certain moment the PSKReporter 8m map was lit up by 20 monitoring stations. For the first time I logged ZS6WAB/B on 40.675MHz CW."

This is the map showing the stations in Europe that heard ZS6OB...

It's worth noting that the 40 MHz band can act as an early warning for potential openings on the higher 50 MHz and is being used by serious 6m operators for that purpose.

Here are the FT8 reports for ZS6OB from the PSK Reporter site...

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
ZS6OB S58P 8m FT8 8116 km 14:48:56
ZS6OB EA3ERE 8m FT8 8000 km 14:47:44
ZS6OB S59F 8m FT8 8104 km 14:47:44
S57A ZS6OB 8m FT8 8115 km 14:43:26
ZS6OB G7PUV/A 8m FT8 8956 km 14:42:45
ZS6OB S50B 8m FT8 8098 km 14:41:43
S50B ZS6OB 8m FT8 8098 km 14:41:26
S52O ZS6OB 8m FT8 8123 km 14:33:27
ZS6OB S57TW 8m FT8 8106 km 14:27:11
ZS6OB S52O 8m FT8 8123 km 14:25:14
ZS6OB ON5QRP 8m FT8 8687 km 14:19:42
ZS6OB HC02 8m FT8 7949 km 14:14:44
ZS6OB EI9KP 8m FT8 9573 km 14:04:44
ZS6OB G0CHE 8m FT4 8979 km 13:29:28
ZS6OB G4FTC 8m FT4 9037 km 13:28:43
G9PUV ZS6OB 8m FT4 8964 km 13:23:06
ZS6OB G9PUV 8m FT4 8964 km 13:22:59
ZS6OB G4IFX 8m FT8 9019 km 13:20:58
ZS6OB PA11605 8m FT8 9030 km 13:17:27
S58P ZS6OB 8m FT8 8116 km 13:06:44
S59F ZS6OB 8m FT8 8104 km 12:26:41
ZS6OB OK1NP 8m FT8 8534 km 12:19:59
9A2Y ZS6OB 8m FT8 7767 km 12:16:12
ZS6OB NL8992 8m FT8 8960 km 12:15:29
ZS6OB G7PUV 8m FT8 8964 km 12:15:29
ZS6OB IW4EGP 8m FT8 7933 km 12:15:29
ZS6OB DK2EA 8m FT8 8613 km 12:15:26
EI9KP ZS6OB 8m FT8 9573 km 12:13:12
F4FRQ ZS6OB 8m FT4 8451 km 12:07:06
ZS6OB F4FRQ 8m FT4 8451 km 12:01:44
ZS6OB PA5M 8m FT8 8940 km 11:59:26
ON5QRP ZS6OB 8m FT8 8687 km 11:55:12
ZS6OB G0LFF 8m FT8 8981 km 11:42:29
ZS6OB G4APB 8m FT8 9022 km 11:40:27
ZS6OB M0NYW 8m FT8 9427 km 11:37:57
ZS6OB G0DJA 8m FT8 9241 km 11:33:26
ZS6OB SM7FJE 8m FT8 9184 km 11:24:29
ZS6OB ON4IQ 8m FT8 8838 km 11:19:29

Just to note that Paul, G7PUV in the SE of England also heard ZS6OB. ZS6OB also heard the FT8 transmissions from G9PUV which is the call used by G7PUV for his experimental transmissions under his 40 MHz Innovation and Trial license.

ZS6WAB was also operating his beacon on 40.675 MHz and was reported in Europe.

Here are the 40 MHz DX-Cluster spots from the day...

EI9KP 40013.0 EI1KNH 15:46 21 Apr IO54MB<>IO63VE WSPR -24dB Ireland
EA3ERE 40680.0 ZS6OB 14:27 21 Apr <TEP> FT8 cq usa South Africa
ON5QRP-@ 48600.0 ZS6OB 14:23 21 Apr -21 db - RX South Africa
S50B 40680.0 ZS6OB 14:16 21 Apr CQ USA South Africa
EA3ERE 40680.0 ZS6OB 13:23 21 Apr <TEP> FT8 -7 South Africa
EA3ERE 40675.0 ZS6WAB/B 13:22 21 Apr JN11CX<>KG46 CW 539 South Africa
ON4PS-@ 40680.0 ZS6OB 12:23 21 Apr -06 from KG44 (ft8) South Africa
ON5QRP-@ 40680.0 EI9JA 12:20 21 Apr -17db - RX Ireland
ON5QRP-@ 40680.0 ZS6OB 12:17 21 Apr RX -07db -FT8 South Africa
ON5QRP-@ 40680.0 EI9KP 12:14 21 Apr RX +10db Ireland
F4FRQ 40680.0 ZS6OB 12:13 21 Apr JN37KQ<>KG44DE ft4 +02 South Africa
F4CXO 40675.0 ZS6WAB/B 12:11 21 Apr JN26PP<>KG46RB CW 579 in FT 81 South Africa
F4FRQ 40675.0 ZS6WAB/B 12:04 21 Apr JN37KQ<>KG46RB CW 529 South Africa
ON5QRP-@ 40675.0 ZS6WAB/B 12:03 21 Apr 55 - RX South Africa
F4CXO 40675.0 ZS6WAB/B 11:51 21 Apr JN26PP<>KG46RB 539 QSB South Africa
EI9KP 40675.0 ZS6WAB/B 11:50 21 Apr IO54MB<ES>KG46RB CW 539 South Africa
ON5QRP-@ 40680.0 ZS6OB 11:36 21 Apr RX +13db South Africa
IW4EGP 40680.0 ZS6OB 11:32 21 Apr FT8 -10 CCC ZS6* South Africa
EI9KP 40680.0 ZS6OB 10:48 21 Apr IO54MB<ES>KG44DE FT8 -6dB South Africa

EI9KP 40680.0 G3XBM 10:33 21 Apr IO54MB<>JO02DG FT8 -18dB England
EI9KP 40680.0 S59F 09:28 21 Apr IO54MB<ES>JN65UU FT8 -16dB Slovenia

Propagation Mode: With the increasing solar activity, I suspect a combination of TEP and F2 layer propagation was responsible for these 40 MHz openings.

Link...

1) As always, plenty of info on my 40 MHz page.

EI1KNH schedule for the Lyrid Meteor Shower - 20th to 25th April 2022

As an experiment, the EI1KNH beacon which is on 40.013 MHz will use the following sequence for the duration of the Lyrid meteor shower from the 20th to the 25th of April 2022.

EI1KNH MS 'LYRIDS' schedule (April 20-25 2022)

3mins past the hour, 06-24hrs msk144 & cw
6mins past the hour, 06-24hrs ft8 & cw
6mins past the hour, 00-05hrs msk144 & cw
10mins past the hour, 06-24hrs ft8 & cw
13mins past the hour, 00-05hrs msk144 & cw
13mins past the hour, 06-24hrs carrier, 0db to 20db of attenuation in steps
14mins past the hour, 06-24hrs wspr
16mins past the hour, 06-24hrs msk144 & cw
20mins past the hour, 06-24hrs ft8 & cw
23mins past the hour, 06-24hrs msk144 & cw
26mins past the hour, 06-24hrs ft8 & cw
26mins past the hour, 00-05hrs msk144 & cw
30mins past the hour, 06-24hrs ft8 & cw
33mins past the hour, 00-05hrs msk144 & cw
33mins past the hour, 06-24hrs carrier, 0db to 20db of attenuation in steps
34mins past the hour, 06-24hrs wspr
36mins past the hour, 24hrs msk144 & cw
40mins past the hour, 06-24hrs ft8 & cw
43mins past the hour, 06-24hrs carrier, 0db to 20db of attenuation in steps
44mins past the hour, 06-24hrs wspr
46mins past the hour, 24hrs msk144 & cw
50mins past the hour, 06-24hrs ft8 & cw
53mins past the hour, 00-05hrs msk144 & cw
53mins past the hour, 06-24hrs carrier, 0db to 20db of attenuation in steps
54mins past the hour, 06-24hrs wspr
56mins past the hour, 06-24hrs sstv (M1) & cw
----
Basically, WSPR is swapped for MSK at night, RTTY is gone, FT8 remains.

On the hour, 06-24hrs ft8 & cw

Opening across the Atlantic on the 40 MHz band - 18th Apr 2022

Sunday 18th April 2022: During the afternoon, WM2XEK in the state of Georgia in the United States was heard across the Atlantic by EA8BFK on the Canary Islands on the 40 MHz band.

WM2XEJ is one of seven stations in the USA who have experimental licenses for the 40 MHz band at present.

 Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
WLO/O5 8m FT8 561 km 17:45:45
EA8BFK 8m FT8 6508 km 17:45:30

It's likely that the mode of propagation was via the F2 layer with the maximum usable frequency (MUF) going up above 30 MHz and reaching 40 MHz. 

It's probably no accident that the opening occurred at what is a reasonably southerly latitude. The MUF over a more northerly East-West path would be have been much lower.

At the moment, there are signs of plenty of North-South openings at 40 MHz but it's the East-West ones that usually more difficult.

The solar flux on the day was 135.

Trans-Continental opening on the 40 MHz band in the USA - 14th Apr 2022

On the 14th of April 2022, there was an interesting Transcontinental opening on the 40 MHz band in the USA.

There are currently seven US radio amateurs using experimental callsigns and licenses for the 40 MHz band. Three of these... WM2XCC in California, WM2XCW in Washington State and WM2XAN in Michigan are using the WSPR digital mode and their signals were heard by W4WLO in Alabama and N2OTO in Florida.

The WSPR reports for each of the three stations are shown below...

 Local   (y-m-d) TX txGrid RX rxGrid MHz W SNR drift km
2022-04-14 21:52 WM2XAN EN74oh WLO/O5 EM50vo 40.6636 100 -26 -4 1553

2022-04-14 22:14 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663493 2 -9 0 3640
2022-04-14 22:02 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663492 2 -14 0 3640
2022-04-14 21:52 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663493 2 -20 0 3640
2022-04-14 21:44 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663493 2 -16 1 3640
2022-04-14 21:34 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663493 2 -24 0 3640

2022-04-14 21:34 WM2XCC DM13ji W4WLO/S32 EM50vo 40.663489 2 -11 0 2743
2022-04-14 21:24 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663495 2 -24 0 3640
2022-04-14 21:24 WM2XCC DM13ji W4WLO/S11 EM50vo 40.663449 2 -8 0 2743
2022-04-14 21:16 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663493 2 -23 1 3640
2022-04-14 21:16 WM2XCC DM13ji W4WLO/S11 EM50vo 40.663449 2 -3 0 2743
2022-04-14 21:08 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663493 2 -11 0 3640
2022-04-14 20:58 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663492 2 -8 0 3640
2022-04-14 20:48 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663492 2 -9 0 3640
2022-04-14 20:38 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663491 2 -9 0 3640
2022-04-14 20:28 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663492 2 -12 0 3640
2022-04-14 20:20 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663493 2 -7 0 3640
2022-04-14 20:12 WM2XCC DM13ji N2OTO EL96wi 40.663494 2 -1 0 3640

2022-04-14 21:16 WM2XCW CN88lx WLO/O5 EM50vo 40.663601 10 -20 0 3561
2022-04-14 21:16 WM2XCW CN88lx W4WLO/S32 EM50vo 40.663538 10 -27 0 3561
2022-04-14 21:06 WM2XCW CN88lx W4WLO/S32 EM50vo 40.66354 10 -17 0 3561

Some observations...

1) WM2XAN to WLO/05 (W4WLO) at 1553kms is normal enough. Some weak Sporadic-E could account for this reception report.

2) WM2XCC in California to W4WLO in Alabama and N2OTO in Florida is 2743kms and 3640kms respectively. These were the most numerous reports and are well beyond the normal 2300km limit or so for single hop Sporadic-E. In that respect, it's a very unusual opening.

3) WM2XCC in Washington state to W4LO in Alabama is 3561kms and is again an unusually long distance path.

Analysis... What caused the opening and what was the propagation mode? 

First of all, let's look at the times. The opening was at roughly 21:00 UTC which was roughly 3pm local time in the centre of the United States.

Theory 1: Double hop / Chordal hop Sporadic-E - It's possible that Sporadic-E with more than 1 hop was involved which extended the range beyond the normal 2300kms or so. Even though the Summer Sporadic-E season has started, it's still only the 14th of April. It's possible it was double hop but I think it's unlikely.

Theory 2: F2 layer propagation - The solar flux on the day was at 103 but note how the opening happened just before a major aurora.

It is often observed that there is an improvement in the upper HF bands like 28 MHz as an aurora is commencing or about to start.

At the moment, East-West paths across the USA have a maximum usable frequency (MUF) in the low VHF spectrum just above 30 MHz. I suspect the onset of the aurora caused to MUF to jump upwards and propagation via the F2 layer at 40 MHz was possible.

While we can never be 100% certain what the reason was, I think the fact the 40 MHz opening happened at the start of an aurora is significant.

In conclusion... Over the next few weeks, the Sporadic-E season will really begin to get going and I suspect there will be plenty of double hop Sp-E openings in May and June.

As the sunspot numbers improve, F2 layer openings like this will be become a lot more common and I think 40 MHz WSPR reports will be of particular value to those operating on the 50 MHz band waiting for an trans-continental opening in the United States.

12,600km opening from Europe to the Falkland Islands on the 40 MHz band - 10th April 2022

This really is an amazing reception report. Read on...

On Sunday the 10th of April 2022, Phil EI9KP was carrying out some experiments on the new 40 MHz band. 

From 09:00 to 12:00 UTC, he tried transmitting on WSPR on 40.680 MHz with the hope that some stations in England might hear the signal but to no avail.

In the afternoon, EI9KP switched to FT8 and managed to successfully decode the FT8 signal from the EI1KNH beacon near Dublin on 40.013 MHz.

After that, EI9KP sent a sequence of FT8 transmissions on 40.680 MHz. Little did he realise at the time that his VHF 40 MHz signal would reach the Falkland Islands off South America, a distance of roughly 12,600kms!

Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
EI9KP VP8ADR/40 8m FT8 12602 km 14:33:14
EI1KNH EI9KP 8m FT8 210 km 14:27:11

At 14:33 UTC, Bob VP8ADR successfully decoded the FT8 signal from EI9KP using just a fan dipole resonant for 40m, 20m & 10m.

What makes it even more remarkable was that VP8ADR was only having a quick listen to the 40 MHz band after an email from Paul, G7PUV (G9PUV) informed him about his 40MHz transmission from England using his Innovation & Research licence.

It really was just good luck that Bob was listening at the same time as Phil was transmitting and the band was open at the same time.

When I first heard about this reception report, I thought surely someone has made a mistake. Someone had the wrong band setting on their software or something else. But no, both EI9KP and VP8ADR have confirmed to me that they were transmitting and receiving on the 40 MHz band.

For the record, Phil EI9KP was using 20 watts from an ICOM IC-7300 fed into a home made 40 MHz band pass filter and the antenna was a delta-loop for 40 MHz.

Analysis... My first reaction is just WOW! Who would have thought a low band VHF signal at 40 MHz would get from Europe to the Falklands in April?

Unlike other openings at 50 MHz, I suspect that this time there may have been no Sporadic-E involved. I think it's a case of F2 and possibly TEP signals extending above 30 MHz on North-South paths and actually reaching the 40 MHz band.

My first question is what other paths are open at 40 MHz that we're not even aware of? 

One thing is for sure. If a FT8 signal at 40 MHz from Europe can reach the Falkland Islands then one from the USA certainly will. It might be time for some of those US stations with experimental 40 MHz calls to send some FT8 signals to the south.

Big opening on 40 MHz between Europe and South Africa - Thurs 7th Apr 2022

Thursday 7th April 2022: There was an extensive opening on the 40 MHz band and it was great to see so many stations active. The map above shows the FT8 activity on the band.

Up to now, the only station active from South Africa seemed to be ZS6WAB so it was a pleasant surprise to see two more ZS stations operating on the 8m band.

Borut, S50B in Slovenia reports working both ZS6OB and ZS4TX bringing his total now to three South African stations worked. 

G9PUV on the south-east coast of England managed to exchange signal reports with two stations in South Africa. Even though the signals at 40 MHz were quite strong, no successful contacts were made at 50 MHz when Paul was using his amateur radio callsign G7PUV.

ZS6WAB was heard in Slovenia, Chad and Croatia.

Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
S58P 8m FT8 7928 km 14:59:11
TT8SN 8m FT8 4300 km 14:58:11
9A5CW 8m FT8 7848 km 14:37:28

ZS6OB was heard over a much wider area including Portugal (HC02), Slovenia, Croatia, England, Belgium, France and Hungary.

Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
HC02 8m FT8 7949 km 14:42:59
9A3TN 8m FT8 7983 km 14:42:59
S50B 8m FT8 8098 km 14:42:58
9A5CW 8m FT8 8033 km 14:42:58
S59F 8m FT8 8104 km 14:26:29
G0CHE 8m FT8 8979 km 14:17:14
G4EFE 8m FT8 9060 km 14:17:12
G7PUV/A 8m FT8 8956 km 14:16:45
G9PUV 8m FT8 8964 km 14:16:43
ON5CD 8m FT8 8849 km 14:07:14
G4FTC 8m FT8 9037 km 14:06:44
F5BZB 8m FT8 8196 km 14:05:44
HA2NP 8m FT8 8173 km 13:55:44

ZS4TX was heard in Greece, Slovenia, Portugal, Croatia, England, France and Hungary.

Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
SV1DH 8m FT8 7458 km 14:48:44
S50B 8m FT8 8415 km 14:48:43
HC02 8m FT8 8158 km 14:45:45
S59F 8m FT8 8419 km 14:45:14
9A3TN 8m FT8 8311 km 14:08:56
G9PUV 8m FT8 9243 km 14:00:13
F5BZB 8m FT8 8466 km 13:58:14
HA2NP 8m FT8 8509 km 13:57:44
9A5CW 8m FT8 8349 km 13:53:43

As can be seen from the reports about, the best conditions seemed to have been around 14:00 UTC. I suspect the opening was due to afternoon TEP with some F2 layer propagation.

Radio amateurs in South Africa first got an allocation at 40 MHz back in 2015. After some initial interest, interest seemed to fizzle out due to the small numbers and a lack of activity.

Now with the increased level of activity and interest in the 40 MHz band in Europe, some long range paths are beginning to open up.

As more stations get active on the 40 MHz band, it's likely that more people will put up dedicated antennas tuned for the 8m band resulting in better signal reports. Up to now, most were pressing their 28 MHz or 50 MHz antennas in service with limited results.

Spots from the DX-Cluster...

Spotter Freq. DX Time Info Country

TT8SN 40675 ZS6WAB 14:59 07 Apr 22 JK72MC<>KG46 CQ ... +32 dB South Africa

ON5QRP-@ 40680 ZS6WAB 14:47 07 Apr 22 +06 QSB South Africa

ON5QRP-@ 40680 ZS6OB 14:42 07 Apr 22 +6db South Africa

S50B 40680 ZS6OB 14:32 07 Apr 22 ssb 8m South Africa

F4CXO 40680 ZS6OB 14:32 07 Apr 22 JN26PP<>KG44DE 53 in JN26 South Africa

F4CXO 40675 ZS6WAB/B 14:14 07 Apr 22 JN26PP<>KG46RB 559 South Africa

F4DNP 40675 ZS6WAB/B 14:11 07 Apr 22 Good conditions in JN38. South Africa

EA3ERE 40675 ZS6WAB/B 14:11 07 Apr 22 JN11CX<>KG46 CW 559+ South Africa

EA3ERE 40680 ZS6OB 14:05 07 Apr 22 <ES> FT8 +24 dB cq South Africa

ON5QRP-@ 40680 ZS6OB 14:03 07 Apr 22 +30db South Africa

HA2NP 40680 ZS4TX 14:03 07 Apr 22 JN97SG<TEP>KG30BX 0dB HRD South Africa

HA2NP 40680 ZS6OB 14:02 07 Apr 22 JN97SG<TEP>KG44DE -10 HRD South Africa

ON5QRP-@ 40680 ZS4TX 14:01 07 Apr 22 QSO G9PUV South Africa

G7PUV 40675 ZS6WAB/B 13:54 07 Apr 22 JO00AU<TEP>KG46RB 599! South Africa

TT8SN 40680 S59F 13:48 07 Apr 22 JK72MC<>JN65UU +30 dB Slovenia

TT8SN 40680 ON5QRP 13:47 07 Apr 22 JK72MC<>JN29UQ +12 dB Belgium

ON5QRP-@ 40680 ZS6OB 13:47 07 Apr 22 QSO G9PUV South Africa

EA3ERE 40680 ZS6OB 13:44 07 Apr 22 <ES> FT8 cq South Africa

EA3ERE 40675 ZS6WAB/B 13:33 07 Apr 22 JN11CX<>KG46 CW 549 South Africa

ON5QRP-@ 40680 ZS6OB 13:11 07 Apr 22 -6 ft8 South Africa

F4CXO 40675 ZS6WAB/B 13:09 07 Apr 22 JN26PP<>KG46RB 519 South Africa

Opening on 40 MHz between the UK and Chad - 6th Apr 2022

It looks as if there was an opening on the 40 MHz band on Tuesday the 6th of April 2022 when the FT8 signal from Paul, G9PUV (G7PUV) was heard by TT8SN in Chad.

Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
TT8SN 8m FT8 4518 km 14:25:11

According to the PSK Reporter website, TT8SN was hearing the signal from G9PUV at +16dB which is very strong.

G9PUV was using 25 watts into a log periodic antenna for the tests.

The strong signal strength, the distance of 4,500kms and the time suggests that this was a F2 layer opening with just one hop involved. It looks as if the North-South path from the south of England to Africa is now reaching as high as the 40 MHz band.

The solar flux on the 6th of April was 117 which is down from the recent peak of 156 a week ago.

Reception reports for the ZS6WAB beacon on 40 MHz - Q1 2022

With the recent increase in sunspot numbers and the improvement on the HF bands, there has been a lot of interest in the ZS6WAB beacon on 40.675 MHz. This beacon which usually sends a message in CW is now seen as a valuable early warning system for potential openings on the 50 MHz band between Europe and South Africa.

In the first quarter of 2022, a total of 52 stations uploaded reception reports to the DX Summit DX cluster and a map of these are shown above. Outside of Europe, there are two to note. 

a) TT8SN in Chad at about 4,300kms was most likely one F2 layer hop.

b) There was a spot on the cluster  from W3PQS in the USA but unless I hear otherwise, I think it's a mistake (not counted as part of the 52). I sent W3PQS an email but got no reply. 

Europe... This is the map for Europe in more detail...

As might be expected, the majority of the stations that heard the 40 MHz signal of ZS6WAB are located in the southern half of Europe. 

As for propagation modes, it's likely TEP was involved with some F2 layer reaching as high as 40 MHz as well on this North-South path.

It was interesting to see that the signal from South Africa managed to reach OH5ZA in Finland as well, a distance of almost 9,500kms.

Top Spotters... This is a list of the top spotters on the DX cluster broken down into the number of days they heard and reported the ZS6WAB beacon on 40 MHz. 

It's interesting to note that both DK2EA and F4CXO reported hearing the 40 MHz ZS6WAB beacon on 22 days in Q1 of 2022.

Caveat... I used the DX spots from the DX Summit cluster to compile the data for this post. It's possible there were other spots which were not on this platform but other sources of information are incomplete. I do think however it gives a reasonably accurate picture of who heard the South African beacon on the 40 MHz band.

In Conclusion... First off, it's great to see so many stations in Europe active and listening on the 40 MHz band! 

I think the reception reports of this 40 MHz beacon shows just how valuable an allocation between 28 MHz and 50 MHz can be, especially for beacons. 

It would be nice if more countries allowed one off experimental 40 MHz beacons as advocated by the IARU even if an amateur radio allocation is unlikely.

Reception reports for G9PUV on the 40 MHz band - 5th April 2022

On the 4th of April 2022, Paul G7PUV received a UK Innovation and Research License from OFCOM for the 40 MHz band.

On the 5th of April, Paul carried out some test transmissions using FT8 on 40.680 MHz with the call sign G9PUV.

The map above shows the stations that decoded the FT8 signals and the log is shown below...

Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
S50B 8m FT8 1167 km 16:13:43
EI9KP 8m FT8 705 km 16:05:41
G0JHC 8m FT8 366 km 15:50:14
G4AWP 8m FT8 162 km 16:10:41
G4WSZ 8m FT8 148 km 16:10:42
G0LRD 8m FT8 138 km 18:39:41
G4APB 8m FT8 70 km 16:21:12
G0CHE 8m FT8 51 km 16:13:14
G7PUV/A 8m FT8 9 km 18:37:14

Most of the signals under 165kms were most likely tropo, it's not so obvious the mode of propagation for G0JHC, EI9KP & S50B.

Phil, EI9KP reports... "I tuned to 40.680MHz and just let it sit on FT8, to my susprise I logged UK Innovation and Research License "G9PUV".  The 'CQ' call got forwarded automatically to PSKReporter. For reception I use a Delta Loop in Horizontal Polarization."

The screen grab from Phil is shown above.

With the Sporadic-E season starting soon, there should be plenty of reports of the UK stations from across listeners across Europe.

Links...
1) For more info on the 8m band, see my 40 MHz page

RSGB statement concerning 40MHz in the UK

In a previous post, I outlined how several radio amateurs in the UK were in the process of applying for Innovation and Trial licences from OFCOM to carry out tests on the 40 MHz band. 

The RSGB have now outlined the position of OFCOM on the issue...

***

RSGB statement concerning 40MHz in the UK

There have been recently a number of reports of individual holders of UK Amateur licenses gaining Innovation and Trial licences from Ofcom to conduct experimental transmissions on 40MHz (8m).

Ofcom has made it very clear for several years that there was no likelihood of UK radio amateurs gaining any access to 40MHz which included NoV (Notice of Variation) to a UK amateur licence or an amateur SRP (Special Research Permit). 

The RSGB has consulted Ofcom as to the exact status of these Innovation and Trial licences. Ofcom’s reply was as follows:

“We have been approached by a couple of individuals wanting to conduct experiments in the band. Like all other research and innovation requests Ofcom receives we have put these through our Innovation and Trial licensing regime. If the coordination checks are passed, they are being issued with an Innovation and Trial licence. These are issued for up to 12 months on a non-interference, no protection and non-operational basis. 

These are not Amateur Radio Special Research Permits and licensees do not fall under the Amateur Radio licence terms and conditions. Therefore, applicants are not required to have passed an amateur exam or hold a callsign. Although we are allowing this experimentation, we would like to make it clear that we have no proposals to allow wider amateur radio access to the 40 MHz band.

Clause 9(6) of the UK amateur terms states “The Licensee may receive Messages from an overseas amateur or from an Amateur duly authorised by Ofcom on a frequency band not specified in Schedule 1 but the Licensee may only transmit on a band specified in Schedule 1 which is authorised under Clause 9(2).”

Users of 40 MHz under an Innovation and Trial (I&T) licence are not authorised under the Amateur Radio licensing regime and there is no requirement to have passed an amateur radio exam to obtain such a licence. Clause 9(6) of the Amateur licence is designed to cover additional frequencies, such as 70 MHz and 146 MHz, which are not contained in Schedule 1 of the Amateur Radio licence but Ofcom has authorised via a Notice of Variation (NoV). 

We would like to make clear that we have not duly authorised any amateur to use a frequency band not specified in Schedule 1 through this process. Reception of transmissions authorised under an I&T Licence should therefore be treated the same as those authorised under other licences that Ofcom issues such as business radio or maritime.

We would also like to make clear that I&T licences do not permit operational or commercial use. These licences are designed to support individuals and companies in carrying out research, development, testing and demonstrations of equipment. 

Therefore, the use of the 40 MHz band under this licence should be for these purposes only. The licences are granted on the basis that the user will be carrying out such research and not operating on the band in a similar way to the frequencies listed in Schedule 1 of the licence.”

Ofcom’s view is very clear. Any operation on 40MHz in the UK is not Amateur radio and therefore cross-band contacts to such stations by UK radio Amateurs operating on the bands licenced for amateur radio are not permitted.

*** RSGB Statement Ends

Just to highlight that the RSGB are just outlining the position of OFCOM so there is no point in bashing the RSGB over this.

21,000km long path opening on 50 MHz between Australia & the Canary Islands - 15th March 2022

At the start of March 2022, I reported on how there was some 18,000km plus openings on the 50 MHz band between New Zealand and the Canary Islands. See previous post HERE.

About a week later on the 15th of March 2022, this distance was exceeded when there was a long path opening on 50 MHz between the east coast of Australia and the Canary Islands. The distance on this occasion was an amazing 21,100 kms!

I'm a little bit late with the post as I've been busy but it's worth highlighting that it happened. There is no shortage of long distance openings on the 50 MHz band at the moment but these tend to be mostly North-South and TEP related.

It's easy to just look at the map and so what? But remember this was at 50 MHz, a VHF band and not down on the HF bands where long path openings are pretty common.

It looks as if FT8 was used by most stations for the opening. The partial screen grab above shows the contact between EA8TL on Tenerife and VK4MA near Brisbane.

Amazingly, Jorge EA8TL was using just a Hexbeam for the contact and he was beaming towards the Caribbean.

The opening wasn't confined to just VK4MA and EA8TL. These are some of the spots from the DX-Cluster.

EA8DO 50313 VK4HJ 21:55 14 Mar 22 ft8 Australia
EA8DO 50313 VK4MA 21:43 14 Mar 22 ft8 Australia
EA8DO 50313 VK4QG 21:43 14 Mar 22 ft8 Australia
EA8TL 50313 VK4MA 21:42 14 Mar 22 ft8 Australia

Propagation Mode??? ...It's probably no accident that all stations involved in the opening were no more than 25 degrees or so from the equator. Radio propagation at these latitudes reaches much higher frequencies than for those located much further north or south.

It's highly likely that a large part of the path was due to chordal mode without the signal hitting the ground.

As for how much of the signal was due to F2? Sp-E? TEP?

Just for the record, the solar flux on the day was 110.

History of the G9 Radio Test & Development License in the UK

In a previous post, I outlined how some radio amateurs in the UK are obtaining special permits to operate and experiment on the 40 MHz band. As part of the feedback, someone mentioned the old G9 callsigns which were a Test & Development license in the UK.

Anyone familiar with old copies of the Practical Wireless magazine will remember antenna articles and designs by Fred Judd, G2BCX. He popularised antennas like the Slim Jim for 144 MHz and he used the callsign G9BTN for much of his work.

Lewis, M3HHY put together a nice video about the history of these G9 callsigns and it's embedded below.

Several radio amateurs in the UK obtain special 40 MHz permits

In a previous post in February of 2022, I reported on how the UK licensing authority OFCOM had refused to give NOV's (Notice of Variation) to radio amateurs to carry out tests on the 40 MHz band.

The good news is the OFCOM are allocating temporary Innovation and Research licenses.

Roger, G3XBM in the east of England can operate from the 2nd of April for 1-year with 5-watts. Roger writes... "After a very long wait OFCOM has approved my 8m TX permit that runs from April 2nd for a year.

It permits me to use 40-42MHz with digital modes (including CW) at 5W ERP max. I expect to erect a wire dipole which is directed towards Europe.

I expect to be mostly on FT8 around 40.676MHz with precise frequency done in liaison with others. What I hope is all 8m FT8 stations can be monitored with one USB dial setting, but spaced out. 5W should certainly cover Europe with Es. I shall try some local CW crossband QSOs, but hope to be on FT8 24/7."

***

John, G0JJL in the north-west of England can operate from the 1st of May 2022. John writes... "I am one of the UK Amateurs that have recently obtained a temporary 12 month licence to transmit on 40MHz. 

These licences are not Amateur Radio special permits, they are Innovation and Research licences which have nothing to do with Amateur Radio at all. In fact, anyone in the UK can apply for this type of licence whether they are a licensed Amateur or not. 

The UK regulator, Ofcom, do not issue callsigns with Innovation and Research licences, it is up to the licence holder if they wish to use one and the licence holder can use any callsign of their choice. Some UK Amateurs who obtain an Innovation and Research licence might decide to use their Amateur Radio callsigns on 40MHz and this is perfectly legal so far as Ofcom are concerned. However, using their Amateur Radio callsign on 40MHz does not mean their station is then an Amateur Radio station operating on 40MHz, it is not, it remains an Innovation and Research licence station only and this as been confirmed by Ofcom. 

My Innovation and Research licence was granted to allow research of propagation in the 8m band and my licence permits use of 40.680MHz and 40.690MHz using narrow band digital modes and CW from 1st May 2022 from two locations. The callsign to be used is GR9A." 

***

Neil, G0JHC in the north-west of England has also applied for a permit and will be using the callsign GR9B. Neil is located in the same area as G0JJL.

* * *

Paul, G7PUV in the south-east of England is currently applying for a permit. Others are likely to follow.

Analysis... This is indeed welcome news as it allows more signals on the band which is great for experimentation. There's only so many times you can report a beacon on 40 MHz.

At the end of April, the Sporadic-E season will have started and it should be quite easy for the UK stations to be heard in countries with permits like Slovenia (S5) and Croatia (9A) which are around the 1200km mark.

By late May and all of June, there should be plenty of short skip Sporadic-E with distances in the region of 500-1000kms possible.

There are plenty of opportunities for radio amateurs in the UK to participate in these experiments by listening for the permit holders and working them cross band from 40 MHz to either 28 MHz or 50 MHz.

40 MHz is an excellent band for meteor scatter tests. Tropo contacts up to 200kms may be possible and aircraft scatter propagation can also be explored.

Trans-Atlantic contacts to the permit holders in the USA should be possible in May and June by multi-hop Sporadic-E. There is also the possibility of very long paths to South Africa.

Maybe in time, radio amateurs in the UK will get an allocation at 40 MHz but for now, this is a 'foot in the door'. The results of these Innovation & Research permits can be used to show a real need for a formal amateur radio allocation for this band.

Can EI stations work these special permits? ...Not to be pedantic but the answer is no. In Ireland (EI), the amateur radio license states quite clearly that we can only make contact with other radio amateurs. Making contact with a special experimental license in the USA, Canada or the UK is not the same as say Slovenia, Croatia or South Africa.

It's up to EI stations what they do formally or otherwise but I'm just clarifying the current situation.

Links...
a) Plenty of information as always on my 40 MHz page.

EI1KNH beacon on 40.013 MHz to trial different modes - April 2022

The 40 MHz / 8m band is one part of the spectrum which is very much experimental in nature be that for checking propagation or equipment.

With that in mind, the EI1KNH 8m beacon near Dublin on 40.013 MHz is currently trialing different modes. These include CW, FT8, SSTV, RTTY, MSK144, WSPR and stepped power levels.

The modes and time sequence is shown below and any reports and feedback should be reported to the beacon keeper, Tim EI4GNB.

Note that this is an experiment. It's highly likely the modes will change again in time depending on feedback and what reception tests people are carrying out.

The highlights:
*Every 10 minutes, 06-24hrs FT8 & cw (00,10,20,30,40,50mins past the hour)
*14,34,44 & 54 past the hour, 24hrs, WSPR (preceded by variable power carrier)
*Full service 6am to midnight
*Night mode midnight to 6am mutes all but WSPR & graduated power carrier
*All modes have 'rich' content, not just callsign & locator

EI1KNH schedule (Testing from March 23rd 2022)
On the hour, 06-24hrs FT8 & cw
3mins past the Hour, 06-24hrs MSK144 & cw
6mins past the Hour, 06-24hrs RTTY & cw
7mins past the hour, 3 minute break
10mins past the hour, 06-24hrs FT8 & cw
13mins past the Hour, 24hrs carrier, 0db to 20db of attenuation in steps
14mins past the Hour, 24hrs WSPR
16mins past the Hour, 06-24hrs MSK144 & cw
19mins past the Hour, 06-24hrs RTTY & cw
20mins past the hour, 06-24hrs FT8 & cw
23mins past the Hour, 06-24hrs MSK144 & cw
26mins past the hour, 06-24hrs FT8 & cw
29mins past the Hour, 1 minute break
30mins past the hour, 06-24hrs FT8 & cw
33mins past the Hour, 24hrs carrier, 0db to 20db of attenuation in steps
34mins past the Hour, 24hrs WSPR
36mins past the Hour, 06-24hrs MSK144 & cw
39mins past the Hour, 06-24hrs RTTY & cw
40mins past the hour, 06-24hrs FT8 & cw
43mins past the Hour, 24hrs carrier, 0db to 20db of attenuation in steps
44mins past the Hour, 24hrs WSPR
46mins past the Hour, 06-24hrs MSK144 & cw
49mins past the Hour, 06-24hrs RTTY & cw
50mins past the hour, 06-24hrs FT8 & cw
53mins past the Hour, 24hrs carrier, 0db to 20db of attenuation in steps
54mins past the Hour, 24hrs WSPR
56mins past the hour, 06-24hrs SSTV (M1) & cw
59mins past the hour, 1 minute break

Canadian Arctic Research Station VY0ERC heard on 28 MHz - 19th March 2022

Saturday 19th March 2022: I was checking my 28 MHz log for WSPR when I noticed that I had heard the Canadian Arctic Research Station VY0ERC.

What is unusual about this is that the station is located on Ellesmere Island at 80 degrees north in the Canadian Arctic and this was on 28 MHz, not one of the lower HF bands.

In the last 5 weeks, it has only been heard on 28 MHz by 3 stations in the direction of Europe.

Local   (y-m-d) TX txGrid RX rxGrid MHz W SNR drift km
2022-03-19 15:58 VY0ERC ER60tb GM4VAC IO77xm 28.126127 0.2 -25 -3 3615
2022-03-19 15:38 VY0ERC ER60tb GM4VAC IO77xm 28.126062 0.2 -18 -3 3615
2022-03-19 15:18 VY0ERC ER60tb GM4VAC IO77xm 28.126089 0.2 -18 -3 3615
2022-03-19 14:58 VY0ERC ER60tb EA8BFK IL38bo 28.126176 0.2 -3 0 6545
2022-03-19 14:38 VY0ERC ER60tb EA8BFK IL38bo 28.1261 0.2 -3 -3 6545
2022-03-19 13:58 VY0ERC ER60tb EI7GL IO51tu 28.12604 0.2 -22 -3 4134

Station details... Eureka, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. VY0ERC is currently operating out of the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) Ridge Laboratory (RidgeLab) located on top of the hill at 80 degrees 3 minutes N and 86 degrees 25 minutes W at 600 m.a.s.l. 

The WSPR station was running just 200 milliwatts which makes it even more remarkable.

There are a few things that make this reception report unusual.

1) It was on 28 MHz and it's not usual to hear signals from so far north. The solar flux on the day was only 94 and most propagation paths are much closer to the equator.

2) The distance for me was 4,134 kms which suggests perhaps it was F2 propagation? If it was due to other propagation modes closer to the E layer than multiple hops would be required.

3) No distortion. Signals going across the polar regions tend to have an auroral flutter, something that is not conducive to WSPR.

4) Why the lack of stations hearing the signal in Europe? Why only two in the UK and Ireland?

First contact between Croatia and South Africa on the new 40 MHz band - 13th March 2022

Back in October of 2021, I reported on the first ever contact between South Africa and Slovenia on the 40 MHz band. See post HERE.

On the 13th of March 2022, there was another 'first' 40 MHz contact when when Milan, 9A2Y in Croatia managed to complete a successful FT8 contact with Willem, ZS6WAB in South Africa.

The distance was in the region of 7,585kms and it took place at around 12:36 UTC. This would have been an hour or so after local noon and the F2 layer was likely at it's highest ionization.

Considering it was a North-South path, I suspect that F2 and TEP propagation was involved without any need for a Sporadic-E extension at either end.

The solar flux on the 13th of March was at 123 which is a lot higher than last October when it was just 78 when the first ZS-S5 contact took place.

The screenshot above from 9A2Y shows the FT8 contact. As can be seen, the signal from ZS6WAB was  -5dB in Croatia which suggests that a contact on CW would have been possible but unlikely on SSB.

Equipment: I'm not sure what 9A2Y was using but ZS6WAB uses an old ICOM IC-706 for the 8m CW beacon with a 5-element YU7EF designed Yagi so I presume that is what was used.

Antenna stack at ZS6WAB with the 40 MHz Yagi at the top

Quite a number of European stations have reported hearing the ZS6WAB beacon on 40.475 MHz over the last week or two. Considering it's located halfway between the 28 MHz and 50 MHz bands, it is now hopefully giving early warning of potential 6m openings between South Africa and Europe.

As always, if you want more information on the new 8m band then check out the links on my 40 MHz page.