25 May 2012

New transatlantic 144MHz beacon GB3WGI

Spotted this earlier!LINK

On the 18th of May, 2012, Ofcom issued a NoV for another propagation beacon to test the possibility of a 144MHz transatlantic path from the UK.
Located at Lough Navar Forest in Co Fermanagh, Northern Ireland OSI 06599 57718, 349m asl level with a clear take off over the sea, GB3WGI ("West GI" will radiate on 144.487MHz towards North America, initially with an ERP of 100 Watts relative to a dipole, with plans to increase this if licensing allows.
This beacon was made possible due to the generous donation of a transmitter by Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, the man behind the US 70MHz beacon, and NoV holder, Gordon Curry GI6ATZ who is providing the site and site services.
This NoV is particularly welcome from Ofcom in what is clearly a busy Olympic year, and the VHF weak signal community in the US and the UK thank them for their efforts.
No date is yet fixed for the installation of the beacon, but plans are well under way and an announcement will be made in due course
73
John Worsnop G4BAO
GB3WGI Project Manager

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