Hams Set New Records on Microwave Bands

Two hams - one in California and the other in Hawaii - have set new world distance records on the 2.3 and 3.4-GHz amateur bands. The ARRL Letter reports that Wayne Overbeck, N6NB, operating "rover-style" from a rental car in Hawaii, contacted Gregory Campbell, W6IT, who was at Overbeck's home station, over a distance of 2495 miles (4024 kilometers). The contacts more than doubled the previous records for two-way SSB voice contacts on those frequencies, and the contact on 2304 MHz was the first recorded voice contact on that band between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. The pair took advantage of a recurring tropospheric duct that often permits Hawaii-California contacts on the VHF and UHF ham bands.