Ham radio operators establish contact 4,000 km across the Atlantic using FT8 digital mode on UHF frequency with 100W power

We often think of ham radio operators talking to exotic faraway lands, and that’s true for hams using the HF bands (below 30 MHz), especially if they have nice antennas. Modern living has made it much harder to have those big antenna farms, and today’s ham is more likely talking on VHF or UHF frequencies with very limited range under normal circumstances. Sure, you can use a repeater or bounce your signal from a satellite or the moon, but normal direct communication is normally going to be less than a typical commercial FM radio station. But on April 7th, two hams communicated across the Atlantic on 432 MHz — a UHF frequency. The distance was almost 4,000 km.

FT8 and JS8 modes work specifically with weak signals and on HF can cross great distances easily over 9,000 or 10,000 km at well under 100W but UHF i usually only successful over much shorter distances so this is testament to how well these digital modes can work. It will likely spark a bit more activity now on the VHF and UHF bands for these digital modes.

See Hams Cross The Atlantic On UHF

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We often think of ham radio operators talking to exotic faraway lands, and that’s true for hams using the HF bands (below 30 MHz), especially if they have nice antennas. Modern living has mad…