Long Haul Tropo TVDX

1750 mile VK3 UHF TVDX
Around mid-late Dec in 2002 & 2003 (and early Jan 2003) I had tropo DX from megawatt UHF TV txs in VK5 and VK3 - across the Great Australian Bight:

2002

18 Dec            WAST (=UTC+8)
611.224094     0710-20                                  ABLV40 Latrobe Valley
19 Dec  
611.224094     0510-17, 0650                         ABLV40 Latrobe Valley
632.224302     0527-40, 0610, 0620, 0658        VTV43 Latrobe Valley
653.223946     0530-40, 0620, 0645                 AMV46 Latrobe Valley

Comments:
1. 18 Dec - Perth 2m beacon heard in VK5 at 0430 WAST.
2. 19 Dec - Geelong, Mt Gambier and Esperance 2m beacons heard in Perth: VK6KZ worked VK5DK and VK3AUU on 2m.
3. Todd Emslie's accurate measurement of VK3 UHF tv carriers in Jan 2003 has allowed me to identifiy the above as Latrobe Valley, on the basis of frequency alone.

Bill Hepburn's tropo map on 18 Dec (1800 UTC) shows good tropo conditions (yellow) from eastern VK3 through to Esperance in VK6, but then a poor region (blue) bridging the last 400 miles west into Perth. Despite this there was propagation! Note also the extensive tropo conditons (yellow to red) up the west Australian coast almost to Java. The weather in Perth on both days was hot, with maxima of 36C and 39C.
 

Hepburn Map aus 18 Dec 2002
 

(from http://www.iprimus.ca/~hepburnw/tropo_aus.htm )

2003      

5 Jan
611.22389    0718-48,  0755 &  0830              SBS40, Port Pirie (1300 miles)
10 Jan            
611.22390    0550                                         SBS40, Port Pirie (1300 miles)                                     

26 Dec 2003 super opening:

Traralgon, Mt Tassie, 750m asl
ABLV40    611.22408
VTV43    632.22397
AMV46    653.22419

Ballarat, Lookout Hill, 965m asl
VTV36    583.22396
BCV39?    604.22378     (under semi-local Bunbury)
ABRV42    625.22400

Bendigo, Mt Alexander, 735m asl
VTV35    576.22407
BCV38    597.22398

Port Pirie, The Bluff/Wirrabara, 735m asl
SBS40    611.22365

Signals were strongest at 0600 WAST, and deteriorated rapidly after 0730, fading out at 0816. At 0610 WAST signal-to-noise ratios were typically 33 dB in a 2 Hz bandwidth averaged over a minute, and FM audio on 611.72 was just detectable in usb mode. The South Australian signal was not present until about 0640.summary of the megaWatt TV carriers I received during the super tropo opening of 26 Dec. They were all from elevated sites, presumably well coupled into the duct existing near 700m: see Leigh Rainbird's excellent page
http://www.users.bigpond.com/vk2krr/boxing_day_2003_duct.htm
True to form Dec 26 was a hot day in Perth: maximum 39 C.


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