The goal of this page is to help promotion of VHF/UHF path exploration
in our zone. We try to concentrate all useful information for that
purpose, and help to get contact in case of openning. If you have any
information or comment to share, please feel free to contact us, you
are welcomed.
Beacons
transmitting on 2 meters in our area.
Call
FR5DN/B
ZS2VHF
ZS4AFV
ZS5LEE
ZS6BBD
ZS3OBE
ZS1NAZ
ZS3TG
ZS6WAB
ZS6SRL
VK6RBU/B
Location
FR5DN
qra - AVIRONS
PORT
ELIZABETH
BLOEMFONTIEN
DURBAN
ALLDAYS
SPRINGBOK
CAPE
TOWN
KURUMAN
POLOKWANE
JOHANNESBURG
PERTH
Grid
LG78qs
KG26??
KG30cv
KG50jf
KG47mi
JG80wi
JF96gc
KG12mh
KG46rc
KG33wv
PERTH
TRX
TR-9000
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
??
QRG
144.418
144.410
144.415
144.420
144.425
144.430
144.435
144.440
144.445
144.460
144.560
Mode
JT65b
FM
FM
FM
FM
FM
FM
FM
FM
FM
FSK
Power
out - W
25 to 70
?
?
?
?
?
?
??
?
?
10
Coax
loss - db
abt 1
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Antenna
Type
Horizontal
beam 17el
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Horizontal
beam
Antenna
gain - dbd
12.8
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Radiated
power - w ERP
1200
max
?
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?
?
?
100
Azimuth
245
to ZS
?
?
?
?
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?
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?
?
To
ZS
Active
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
ON
REQUEST - also 432.445
YES
YES
Contact
FR5DN
ZS2??
ZS4AFV
ZS5LEE
ZS6BBD
ZS3OBE
ZS1NAZ
ZS3TG
ZS6WAB
ZS6SRL
VK6HK
The world centered on
Reunion Island - LG78qs.
-31 August 2010
Thanks to Gabriel F6DQM
for use of map generated with his Aziworld
software.
Close view of possible
south tropo ducting DX?
Of
course, other
countries are potential candidates for tropo or other modes : South of
India (4200km), Maldives (3300km), west coast of Indonesia (5200km),
Seychelles (1850km), Chagos (2500km), Marion
(3200km). No
need to say that Madagascar (800km), Tromelin (600km), Rodrigues
(855km) should be workable several times per year.
All
this means that
Reunion seems quite well situated for extended propagation tests over
the
Indian Ocean. The major issue is to get stations qrv, both from
Reunion, and from DX countries.
Another
problem is due
to the fact that Reunion is having large high mountains just in the
middle of the land, blocking DX paths. But this may be a chance too, to
go
portable to the best altitude for entering the duct! So one has to be
on the right coast to look for some particular azimuth. Situated on the
SW coast, I have free sea horizon from 150 to 350° to the west.
The
best way to explore
paths is to get high ERP (1kw or +). One must not conclude that path is
non existant because of too low power. Kw erp can be achieved with 50w
at dipole of 13dbd antenna, say a 17el yagi. Stacking of short antennas
is also a nice solution, depending on target ; vertical stacking for
low elevation angle and
broad azimuth, and horizontal stacking for small azimuth
angle.
Links
of interest
Tropospheric
forecast :
The Hepburn maps for ZS or 5R8 to FR path is HERE
Weather data :
The current surface pressure chart for our area is HERE(South
African Weather Service)
Current and forecast
surface pressure chart is HERE (Center for
Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies - COLA)
The Australian bureau of meteorology with current and archive
weather charts is HERE
Other satellit weather picture is HERE ( Eumetsat ZS-FR) or HERE for Indian Ocean (NRL)
Meteo stations inventory is HERE ; Meteo station country code HERE Radiosounde sources are HERE ; NOAA/ESRL Radiosonde Database is HERE The University of Wyoming world sounding data
are HERE
The NOAA forecast and archive soundings are HERE
This chart down there can help to determine the altitude of the
T° inversion layer vs the pressure.
Reports 2019
- 18/19/20 october 2019 - tropo but no qso - HERE
- 24/25 August 2019 - short ZS5 tropo - HERE
- 07 August 2019 - very short ZS5 tropo - HERE
- 21 May 2017 -
Positive beacon tests in OPERA mode with ZS5LEE/ZS5HV- Here 30w in
17el, ZS side 4x20 and 4x11el ; -20db report. 2635kms. Cdx not
good on FR side, with tropo >1000m.
Reports 2016
- 29/30 August 2016 - 2m digital, SSB, FM, ZS5/ZS2 - See HERE
Reports 2011
- 11 September 2011 - 2m digital ZS5Y - See HERE
- 18 September 2011 - 2m digital ZS5Y and very nice 5R8 conditions - 103Mhz FM radio in - see HERE
- 09 October 2011 - 2m didital ZS2GK - see HERE
- 28 October to almost 01 november 2011 - see HERE
Reports 2010
- 09/10 February 2010 - 2m digital and SSB with ZS2/ZS5 and FIRST EVER 70cms QSO ZS5Y-FR5DN : see HERE.
-13-14-April-2010-zs 2m digital and SSB - ZS2 and ZS5 - First MS pings?? see HERE.
-31 August 2010 - Very strong 2m SSB, FM, Digital with ZS2 (positive test with 0.5w output). ZS5 weaker.
New 70cms digital record ZS2GK-FR5DN. See details HERE.
-07 September 2010 - >800 km tropo towards south 5R8. From 1314z to 1848z. Then 700km from 2049z to 2350z.
Some degraded cold front was reaching FR.
-13-14-15 September 2010 - Strong 2m SSB, FM, Digital with ZS2 - ZS5.
Unusual high AIS range during that time (max ais range around 1700nm)
New 70cms SSB/FM record ZS2GK-FR5DN.
New 2m SSB record ZS2ABF-FR5DN.
See details HERE.
-10 to 16 October 2010 tropo-ducting event. 5R8 103 Mhz and 104.8 Mhz loud : see HERE.
- 26-28 August 2009 - South Madagascar propagation : see HERE.
- 01-02 September 2009 - FIRST ZS<->FR digital qso : see HERE.
- 04 September 2009 - Nice forecast but...why no qso?? : see HERE.
- 06 September 2009 - High altitude tropo above my qth? : see HERE. - 17 September 2009 - South Madagascar propagation : see HERE. - 20/21/22 October 2009 - Nice 600km+ propagation : see HERE.
- 10 November 2009 - Nice 700km+ propagation from 1130z to 1730z with good vhf rx from Tamatave harbour
Reports 2008
-
On 06th May 2008,
ZS2GK, Glenn in KF47kt, heard some faint cw at 17h20 UTC (19h20 SAST -
21h20 in FR5). There was fast qsb. It could be the first
reception of a possible DX path between ZS and FR. FR5DN/b ERP was about 560w.
- ZS5LEE has his beacon towards FR5 from 15/04 to 15/05/2008. No decode
has been made on my side.
- Openning of 12
August 2008 : ZS2GK,
Glenn in KF47kt, heard the FR5DN/B beacon from before 08h45z to 10h15z.
I copied Glenn SSB at 41-51 report, but we lost each others. See HERE
for complete story. -
Openning of 14
August 2008 early morning : see HERE. -
Short openning of 02
September 2008 : Report from Glenn, ZS2GK : HERE
"The
beacon was in and out
of the noise from about 19:40UTC until it faded at 20:20 UTC, just not
good enough to have a QSO and that was with the pre-amp running".
- Visual inversion layers as flying between 3B8 and FR (25/10/2008) : see HERE.
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