ARLA/CLUSTER: Possibilidade de contactos com o Japão em 6m no equinócio

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

Short-path summer solstice propagation (SSSP)

In June 1999, around the equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, a
Japanese radio amateur, Han Higasa, JE1BMJ, heard a European TV
station on 48,250 MHz. He immediately gave a CQ call on 50,110 MHz,
and to his surprise Toivo, OH7PI, came back to him and they had the
first-ever QSO on this unexpected mode on 50 MHz.

Since then every year around equinox time many QSO's have been made
between Japan and Europe, and eventually extended to North America.

Han, JE1BMJ, suggested that amateurs in the southern hemisphere should
also look out for SSSP during their summer solstice in December. Since
2009 Australian and New Zealand amateurs have logged many South
American stations on 50 MHz SSSP too. These SSSP openings in the
southern hemisphere occurred between 8 December and 12 January, but
not every day.

To explore the possibility of SSSP propagation between Australia and
South Africa, ZS2FM ran CW tests around our December 2010 equinox with
amateurs in Perth, Western Australia. Unfortunately they did not
receive anything, but a report came from Frank, VK7DX, at Hobart in
Tasmania, that he saw traces of a signal on the WSJT waterfall, on the
correct frequency, the right time and in the direction of South
Africa, but he could not identify the call sign.

Maybe some keen amateurs on our east coast could pick up the baton and
transmit some signals on 50,110 MHz to VK in the mornings around this
equinox period and see what happens.

The South African Radio League