Weather Map Archive
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Weather Map Archive |
10 GHz World Record
The following series of maps cover the period around the 1994 10 GHz World Record.
VK5NY/P (South of Adelaide) worked VK6KZ/P near Albany, 400km SE of Perth on the Southern Coast. Distance 1911km. VK6KZ/P also heard and was heard by VK5KK/P North of Adelaide (1923km) but no confirmed contact occurred. Signals were first heard by VK5KK just after 7-30pm local and lasted till 11-30pm local, 30/12/94.
Of interest is the IR imaging photo for 0900 UTC, about the same time the first weak CW signals were heard. Note the High level cloud indicating a stable layer at ~15-20,000 feet, along the bottom of 2/3rd's of the Great AustralianBight.
Typical 1296 MHz Opening
VK6 - VK3 2400km
This map shows a typical Weather Map for a Southern Continent Tropo Path.The path was open to 1296 MHz with Signals peaking in the area highlighted from Mt Gambier (2040km) to Melbourne (2400km) from the Albany area in Western Australia.
This map also shows the late season Highs we have experienced in the last three season's, at 40-42 degrees South lattitude rather than the usual 35-38 degrees. This effect is a by-product of the "El Nino" Effect placing the usual Tropical Lows about 5 - 10 degrees further south in Northern Australia.
The higher lattirude Adelaide - Albany path (1880km) was below average, with poor signals above 432 MHz.
The day after this map, the "stable bubble", over Victoria, moved east to the middle of the Tasman sea. The path from VK2 to New Zealand opened at the same time, up to 1296 MHz.
Cold Front Enhancement
This weather map shows a late season (Autumn) opening enhanced by an advancing Cold Front. This case occurred during the John Moyle Memorial Field day contest on 21/22nd of March, 1998. VI6EWT was portable at Eucla, at the top of the Bight on the SA/WA border ( just left of the 130 degree log. line). VI6EWT was able to work into Adelaide (1000km) on 50/144 & 432 MHz from about 2130 UTC to 0100Z when the Cold Front arrived. Signals indicated that propagation would have extended to 1296 MHz, however VI6EWT did not have equipment.
I did have a copy of the map at 0000 UTC, showing more clearly the angle of the front.
Another instance occurred on 30/04/97 involving 10,368 MHz from Adelaide to Mt Gambier (400km) along the edge of a Cold front. The front hit both sites within 10 minutes .. enhancement occurred from about 1hour before to about 15 minutes after.
Coming Soon more maps and details courtesy of VK6KZ for the World record 10 GHz Path
All about the El Niņo Effect and Southern Oscillation Index (SOI)
Copyright David Minchin VK5KK 23/04/00
