Tropo S meter recording of GB3VHF

Here is a recording I made yesterday morning of the signal strength of the GB3VHF beacon which is located in Kent JO01eh as received here near Chippenham IO81wm.  It usually hovers around S6-7 here but there was a clear enhancement yesterday morning. Doubtless more distant repeaters and stations than normal where heard on FM.
The line on the graph is the signal strength of the beacon (-60dBm is S9+10db approx)  time goes right to left so the recording starts at 1140 ends at 1211.
Weather at first was fog with rain arriving round-about 1145 and then getting more persistent.
I think that the drop in conditions is very apparent.

GB3VHF S METER LEVEL

Towards the end of the recording signal strength is bumping along at S5-6 (-90dBm). It's also a lot less stable than earlier.

The regular dips in the trace at the beginning are the WSJT tones sent by the beacon which produce a slightly lower average S meter reading.

SIGNAL INCREASING

This image shows the beacon increasing in signal strength.

Here is the link to the GB3VHF website and more info on this propagation report.
http://www.gb3vhf.co.uk/GB3VHFusingthebeacon.html

Hardware homebrew 144Mhz SDR - Software SDR-Radio by HB9DRV

Azores beacon CU8DUB

If you'd checked the Hepburn VHF Tropo forecast on the 15th May you would have seen the extended ducting from the UK out into the Atlantic.
This enabled the reception of the Azores beacon CU8DUB on 144.420MHz here in North Wiltshire at a distance of 2600km which is half way to North America.

Distance between IO81WM & HM49KL is 2601.68 km (1616.684 miles)

CU8DUB RECEIVED IN IO81WM

The signal is not strong but I'm some way inland in that direction unlike the people in Cornwall  and on the south coast that also reported it and had contacts.

The other beacons are GB3VHF (Kent) at the top, just beneath CU8DUB is a faint trace from ON0VHF and a stronger French one at the bottom.  The vertical lines are the farmers electric fence!

October Two Metre Opening Log Extract

Here is an extract from my log of contacts made during this wonderful opening.
-----   Date   ---      Station |   Locator | Distance km
13 12/10/2010 08:49 OR0A JO20 492.06 2m USB 57 53
14 11/10/2010 18:08 PA3EWP JO21 461.40 2m USB 57 57
15 11/10/2010 18:08 PA0GSM JO22 560.42 2m USB 57 57
16 10/10/2010 18:48 PE1ODY JO23 500.98 2m USB 57 57
17 12/10/2010 09:12 DO1KRT JO30 674.82 2m USB 55 53
18 12/10/2010 09:04 DL1EJG JO31 637.37 2m USB 57 55
19 11/10/2010 06:47 PE1BIW JO32 580.99 2m USB 57 57
20 11/10/2010 18:08 DF0WD JO42 730.67 2m USB 57 57
21 10/10/2010 18:25 DG3XA JO44 864.63 2m USB 57 55
22 10/10/2010 19:25 OZ6TY JO55 1,018.53 2m USB 53 53
23 10/10/2010 19:19 DF1AN JO63 1,088.00 2m USB 55 53
24 10/10/2010 18:30 SM7OVK JO65 1,118.86 2m USB 57 59
25 10/10/2010 18:52 OZ1HTB JO75 1,184.92 2m USB 55 53
26 10/10/2010 19:01 SP2IPT JO94 1,416.39 2m USB 54 53

All these contacts where made using homebrewed 144MHz Software Defined Radio if you are one of the stations I worked thank you very much. (Not all contacts are listed).

73

Dave

G8TTI

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DM0DUB

DM0DUB received in IO81WM 08/12/2011

Received here today under unusual conditions i.e. weather wind and rain. DM0DUB is located in JO40AQ a distance 713km from IO81WM.