The Nanaimo Amateur Radio Association
invites you and your local club members to
participate in some NVIS radio propagation
tests on the 60m band.
Here is the essential information:
• Date – Sunday Dec 21 (shortest day)
• Time – 11:30am to 2:30pm
• Callsign – VE7NA
• Mode – USB
• Frequency – 5.346.5 MHz (dial freq.)
(On channelized radios use 5.348 MHz)
NARA’s NVIS tests on Dec. 21 allow us all to
get together again on the 60m band, to
exchange season’s greetings and test the
range that we can achieve on the 60m band
in daylight when the D-layer prevents longer
distance communication.
The scenario for these tests is to simulate
voice communication (USB) from an
emergency operations centre (EOC) trying to
communicate on the 60m band over several
hundreds of Kilometers during daylight.
One of the reasons that the Amateur Radio
Service gained the 60m band in 2002 was
because these frequencies were recognized
as being very useful for emergency
communications.
While the 60m band is often forgotten it can
produce good ranges during daylight and
much longer distance communication at night
when the D-layer is not present.
Note that the attenuation through the D-layer
is both as the signal goes upwards and
downwards! Also because of the geometry, as
distances between two stations does up the
attenuation also increases.
Many amateur radio stations may not have
60m antennas but with some ingenuity
amateurs should be able to load up one of
their wire antennas to radiate a signal on the
60m band.
VE7NA will act as net control station for these
tests. In addition to VE7NA transmitting from
the Nanaimo area, we also welcome listener
reports/logs from other stations. Especially
noting what stations were calling VE7NA but
who were not heard by VE7NA.
VA7NA will put out voice calls on the above
frequency during the test period every 10
minutes but do call in at any time. Please do
consider participating in these propagation
tests and please advise your friends.
Any queries or reports should be sent to:
nvis@ve7na.ca
Hoping to work you on 60m, 73 NARA