Thursday, January 16, 2020

New VHF/UHF Tropo Records Set in Europe and Africa


D41CV - a special call of the D4C station in Cape Verde,
was at one end of four record-breaking VHF/UHF
contacts in late December and early January.

For all of you who think VHF and UHF are only good for local contacts…

The 2-meter tropo distance record for Region 1 of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), which covers Europe, the Middle East and Africa, was broken twice within a week around New Year's. The South African Radio League (SARL) reports that on December 28, GM3SEK in Scotland worked the Monteverde Contest Club station, D41CV, on Cape Verde off the coast of Africa at a distance of 4565 kilometers, or 2386 miles. On New Year's Day, D41CV worked GM0EWX on the Isle of Skye on FT8, a distance of 4776 kilometers or 2968 miles. A combination of remarkable VHF DX conditions across Europe and a sea duct running as far south as western Africa was credited for creating the conditions that made the record-setting contacts possible.

The tropo record for 432 MHz was also broken, twice, in the same time period by most of the same players. SARL also reports that on December 28, GM3SEK also worked D41CV on 432 MHz; and that that record was quickly broken - also on New Year's Day - by G4KUX northern England, who also worked D41CV on 432-MHz FT8 at a distance of 4644 kilometers or 2885 miles. This makes the 432 trop distance record in Region 1 just a little bit less than the 2-meter record.