ARLA/CLUSTER: New VK6RIO beacon on 144.950 MHz to beam at South Africa

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

The Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Indian ocean two-way contacts on 144 MHz
via Tropo Ducting are still the most challenging terrestrial frontiers
on VHF.

Many attempts have been made but without success; a beautiful trophy
is still waiting in Dublin to be awarded to the first successful
attempt across the Atlantic.

Pieter ZR1AEE (now V51PJ) and Flavio PY2ZX ran a series of tests
between Cape Town and Sao Paulo and received traces of each other,
while a team comprising Andre ZS2ACP, Jim ZS2JF and Mike ZS2FM, in
Port Elizabeth ran CW tests with Bill Hosie, VK6ACY (now ZS6CCY) at
Perth, but did not receive any signals at all.

Now the Northern Corridor Radio Group at Perth are going to try and
break this hoodoo by using the latest chirp modulation techniques on
their VK6RIO beacon, and bridge Australia and South Africa on 144 MHz.

Keith Bainbridge, VK6RK, and spokesman for the Australian group says:
"If we can get someone in the right location over there then perhaps
we can help with some of the equipment". This project is real amateur
radio science!

Fonte: The South African Radio League