Date Fri, 19 Jun 2003 16:34:54 -0600
From: RAC-Bulletins from HQ
From: RAC Headquarters
To: RAC Bulletins
Date: Jun 19, 2003
Subject: RAC Bulletin 03-012E - Two way transatlantic QSO from Newfoundland
The Marconi Radio Club of Newfoundland (MRCN) takes pride in announcing a historic achievement: the first two way transatlantic LF QSO from Newfoundland. The event marked the culmination of five months of intensive research and experimentation within MRCN and the collaboration of radio amateurs in the US and UK and of course, Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC). “We are gratified by the success of our experiments and especially by the cooperation in the traditional amateur spirit that made it possible, said Joe VO1NA, who headed the project with MRCN and completed the contact with Jim Moritz M0BMU.
In Newfoundland, a 125 watt transmitter assembled from junk box parts was used to send slow speed Morse on 137.777 kHz while over 3700 km away near London, a 1200 watt Decca amplifier transmitted on 135.922 kHz. Loop aerials two metres in diameter were used to receive the signals and communications were maintained between the two stations from about 0050-0330 UTC on 12 June. This date was chosen based on the predictions of Alan Melia G3NYK, an LF propagation expert, who first copied the Newfoundland station on 2200 metres a fortnight earlier. Larry Kayser VA3LK who completed a transatlantic QSO just over two years earlier was also acknowledged.
The MRCN resumes experimentation on 60 metres next weekend in Phase 3 of their propagation experiment. Both experiments were proposed in cooperation with Radio Amateurs of Canada and the approval of Industry Canada with a view to assisting RAC to secure additional Amateur allocations in the RF spectrum and promoting interest in 2200 metres.
Additional information may be found on the MRCN web site by searching for VO1MRC with your favourite search engine.
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Comments to: rachq@rac.ca
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Additional note from Vernon: The MRNC/VO1MRC web site can be found at: http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~jcraig/mrcn.html
Created: Friday, June 19, 2003
Web Page by: Vernon Erle Ikeda
© 2003 - Vernon Erle Ikeda