Tropo condx across East Mediteranean, or not only GSM DX-ing

Maybe almost all of us  have experience with extraordinary tropo condx for VHF DX in Mid European region. More less once a decade that DX opening intercept some VHF Contest - as probably you remind within UHF Contest 1986, UHF Contest 1995 and Marconi memorial Contest 2001.

Much better conditions have ham radio operators in Sealands - extraordinary tropo condx are not so rare as on continental Europe and so we can remind brilliant QSOs on 144 to 1296 MHz between W6 and KH as well as superior DXs between EA8 and EI or even G. Into that category we can to count  VHF DX QSO between D44 and CT as well. With support of sea tropo condx, some time, I am quite sure, would be highlighted future first VHF QSO between Africa and America, which would be possible make between D44 and Caribic relatively soon, when on both sides will be VHF stations  with appropriate TX power, antenna and experience.

Last European condx of that phenomena all of us could observed within July VHF Contest 2005 - look at claimed results from  PA and G.

Much less known are extraordinary tropo condx in East Mediteranean, to that we already referred within last weeks. During that openings were made more superb DX QSOs over 2000 km QRB and in between them few almost to our (OK) boarder - between HG and 9A on one and 4X on second site. Without any success unfortunately were finished short tests of OK1TEH and 4X1UN when Matěj tried to stretch link from Israel to Prague with use of combined Tropo and MS propagation. But not because it is not possible, but because his counterstation wasn't  adequately equiped by rig, experience, SW and time for longer tests. But still his slow telegraphy refections were in Prague heard very well - and even only via sporadic meteors...

Aprox. 10 days after that unsuccessfull test of combined  MS + Tropo DX QSO we arrived for vacation to the east coast of Cyprus. We didn't have any VHF RIG there, because for serious VHF DX operation is transport of long Yagi antenna by plane very complicated issue, but as VHF operators we didn't miss opportunity watching extraordinary tropo condx even by passive way.

And our assumption of briliant tropo were right. Each day we were able on our GSM mobile phone indicate signals from oversea GSM networks from hundreds kilometers distance. If someone from you do not understand exceptionalness of that reception in 900 and 1800 MHz bands, please remind, that it is digital modulation, where is necessary to have on input aprox. the same C/N ratio as for NBFM, but communication channel is not 10kHz, but hundreds of kHz wide and antenna built in GSM phone has negative gain... GSM base stations have radiated power in range of tenths W only.

Within days of 2 to 10 of August we indicated on Cyprus signals of these GSM networks:

Operator GSM	Country	aprox.QRB
CYTAGSM	Cyprus	local
areeba	Cyprus	local
Turkcell	Turkey *)	210 km
Telsim GSM	Turkey *)	210 km
ARIA	Turkey	210 km
Vodafone GR	Greece	460 km
Cosmote	Greece	460 km
SYRIATEL	Syria	100 km
94 Syria	Syria	100 km
RL Cellis	Lebanon	145 km
RL LibanCell	Lebanon	145 km
CellCom	Israel	240 km
IL Orange	Israel	240 km
Vodafone EG	Egypt	500 km
MobiNil	Egypt	500 km
JOMobCom	Jordan	290 km
Fastlink	Jordan	290 km

Note *) GSM networks Turkcell and Telsim are in operation as well as in the North, splitted part of Cyprus. But our observations, place of reception site and  signal behaviour confirm, that we have observed signals for eastern part of continental Turkey, which is confirmed by signal of turkish 1800 MHz operator ARIA, which is not operator covering of the northern part of Cyprus.

Exclude both local cyprian operators we of course were not able to register into indicated networks, but it was not due to signal level, but because of GSM operation system delay between receiving and transmitting data packets, which is limiting maxmimum range of communication between base station and phone to about 35 km or less (if limited by adjustment).

If that "crazy" kind of tropo condx monitoring is not conclusive for you, let's notify, that it similar to situation, where in Middle Bohemia you would be able indicated GSM networks from Germany, Austria, Slovakia and from Poland...

What is conclusion from that? To make from OK, OE, or even DL combined MS + tropo DX QSO with stations in OD5, 4X, and even in YK, JY and SU is not only a dream. It request just appropriate good enough powered, experienced, technically good occupied MS stations on both sides - and just do it!  Maybe it would be good idea for someone, who organized MS DX peditions to Northern Europe, look for opportunity in East Mediteranean, where is usually better weather and warm sea for swimming - for example during Perseids 2006.

73! OK1VPZ

Attachment: tropo condx in East Mediteranean by Hepburn within last 3 weeks:

And for final: by OK1TEH  - view into tropo waveguide duct, as were visible above east Cyprus coast  on the late afternoon 9.August.2005: