| 500km (310 miles) on the 2.4 GHz and 3.4 GHz Ham Radio bands! - VK7HH |
| 500km (310 miles) on the 2.4 GHz and 3.4 GHz Ham Radio bands! - VK7HH https://youtu.be/L02P2nWcCYg Portable on the ham radio bands 2.4 GHz and 3.4 GHz using SSB and FT8 over a long distance path. On Tuesday 22nd of October 2019 the Hepburn charts had a prediction of strong to very strong tropospheric ducting enhancement over Bass Strait to mainland Australia (Victoria). http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo_aus... Once I arrived portable I could immediately hear the VK3RGI beacon on 2403.434 MHz, faint but there. Richard VK7ZBX joined me on site and we attempted a contact with VK3BQJ and VK3KGR. Neither could hear us and we even attempted digital to no avail. Convinced that the conditions were there and likely to improve as the sunset, we made a decision to try once more before packing up at 8pm. Whilst we waited around for conditions to hopefully improve, we setup 3.4 GHz to monitor the VK3RGI beacon on 3398.434 MHz. With some tweaking and good ears we could at times hear the beacon in the speaker of the radio and could clearly see a trace on the waterfall. Then around 7:30pm we got a call from Ralph VK3WRE who said he was intending to go portable to work us from Mt Tassie. Richard and I decided to wait around and try a contact with Ralph who would take about 30 mins to get to his portable location. By this time the temperature was still 10 degrees, with an apparent temp of 1.4 degrees at our location. The beacon was exhibiting QSB fades over a few minutes, it would almost disappear then come back really strong. We attempted 2.4 GHz first and Ralph was a rock crushing signal 5/8. We exchanged details and decided to move to 3.4 GHz. We got the dish setup and roughly aligned (bearing in mind it is rather sharp). Well we didn't need Ralph to have the keyer on long, he was 5/8 again and arguably a better copy with no QSB. We didn't even have to peak the dish!! We again exchanged details and decided to extend the national digital record on 3.4 GHz using FT8. I went to fire up the laptop - dead flat! We'd forgotten about it running all afternoon! I quickly said to Ralph I'd go and charge it up the road at a nearby repeater site (lucky I had the keys). 15 minutes later of charge I returned. Ralph had been working several over VK3's on voice and digital. Both Richard and I managed a FT8 contact with Ralph and the laptop promptly died 60 seconds after completing the contact! This sets new records on 2.4 GHz for VK7 voice and 3.4 GHz digital nationally at just over 500km. Thanks to all stations who made the time to participate. Ham Radio DX |