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50MHz is probably the easiest VHF band to achieve regular long distance (DX) communications, but radio conditions can vary tremendously depending on the time of year and the solar cycle. The best time of year is from MAY to AUGUST during the Sporadic-E season, where with low power and simple aerials anyone can work most of Europe up to 2,400km distance from your station and with very strong signal strengths in both directions.

 

Double hop Sporadic-E is sometimes seen in the Summer with distances in the order of up to 4800km to areas like Israel (4X) or the Canary islands (EA8). Some distances worked when at solar minimum in June and July 2007 have been in the order of 6000km to parts of the USA. this is likely to be rarer triple hop Sporadic-E. It cannot be F2 layer reflections as we were at solar minimum in 2007.

However, outside of the summer months conditions can generally be poor and the band appear totally deserted. There are exceptions as at the maximum of the solar cycle when 50MHz signals are reflected by the F2 layer just like on HF and it is possible to work all continents including Australia! The pileups can be frustrating to break though.

Also it is possible at all times of year to work stations in Europe up to 2,400km away by bouncing your signals off the ionised trails left by meteors entering the Earth's atmosphere. You will need WSJT software and a computer linked by a soundcard interface to your USB transmitter, but there is plenty of Meteor Scatter activity, most mornings and evenings, around 50.280 MHz using MSK144 mode. You will also need a directional aerial for best results, however you can work MS as I have done with a vertical colinear!. N.B. 50 MHz is considered poorer than 144 MHz for tropo scatter communications.

 

 

(V3.10)
Distance	Less than 100km	100-500km	500-800km	800-2400km	2400-4800km	4800-7200km	Over 7200km
Propagation type	Line of Sight (LOS)	Tropo Scatter (TRS)
		Tropo Ducting (TRD)				TRD + Sporadic-Es
		Aurora (AU)
			Sporadic-Es (ES)*Exceptionally high MUF only*	Sporadic-Es (ES)x1 hop	Sporadic-Es (ES) x2 hops	Sporadic-Es (ES) x3 hops
			Meteor Scatter (MS)		Trans Equatorial Propagation (TEP)		TEP + Sporadic-Es
		Aircraft Scatter (AS) <------VHF     UHF------>				F2 Layer reflection (F2)
Required conditions or assists with ID	True Line of Sight is up to 50km, but can be extended by height i.e. elevation ASL or by diffraction (LOS)	Stable High Air Pressure, as often seen associated with fog (TRD)	Raspy distorted tone & audio distortion (AU)	Usually May to August with peak in June, small opening in December possible near Equinox (ES)	Sea path required for longest rare distances (TRD)	Distances of around 5000km on 144MHz reported June/July 2019	Often misidentified as ES alone on DXcluster, which is impossible. Main distance component is TEP and both stations need to be on opposite sides of Magnetic Equator
		Typically around 4 minutes duration (AS)	Mostly short duration pings of seconds or shorter, but can be minutes (MS)		Stations need to be either side of Magnetic Equator (TEP)	Favours Autumn to Spring months during Solar Cycle Peaks, approx every 11 years

 

 

 

 

 

PRIMARY EUROPEAN METEOR SCATTER FREQUENCIES & DATA MODES
Old Region 1 Band plan had 50.200-50.300 MHz for Meteor Scatter (still largely in use as of 2017)
FREQUENCY	MODE	COMMENT
50.230 MHz*	JT6M (30s periods)	Most European MS activity was seen here in 2016, but in 2017 has declined dramatically in favour of MSK144 mode on 50.280 MHz.
50.280 MHz* (+/- 15 kHz)	MSK144 (15s periods)	99% European activity this mode and frequency, seen here since 2018, with 15s periods and extremely popular. Software in use is either WSJT-X by K1JT or MSHV by LZ2HV
New Region 1 Band plan since 2012 suggests 50.320-50.380 MHz for Meteor Scatter
FREQUENCY	MODE	COMMENT
50.360 MHz	MSK144	Designated frequency as of 2018 for this newer mode, but 99% of activity remains on 50.280 MHz
70.174 MHz	MSK144	99% European activity this mode seen here since 2018
144.360 MHz	MSK144	Designated frequency as of 2018 for this newer mode
NOTES
It is also best practice when calling CQ to indicate another frequency you are listening on, for example CQ 270 when calling on 50.280 MHz, meaning you are listening for replies on 50.270 MHz and as soon as you hear one you QSY your transmissions there also.

 

 

 

 

PRIMARY EUROPEAN WEAK SIGNAL FREQUENCIES & DATA MODES FOR OTHER NON METEOR SCATTER PROPAGATION TYPES
FREQUENCY	MODE	COMMENT
50.230 MHz*	JT6M	Combination Meteor Scatter or Aircraft Scatter (ACS)or Sporadic-E, very active in 2016, much less so in 2021
50.250 MHz*	PSK31	SPORADIC-E / F2 Transatlantic / Tropo was active 2017
50.276 MHz*	JT65A	SPORADIC-E / F2 Transatlantic was active 2017
50.278 MHz*	JT9-1***	SPORADIC-E / F2 Transatlantic (was 50.293 until 19th July 2013) (Poor mode at 50 MHz due to Doppler shift making signal decoding poor)
50.293 MHz* (+ >1500Hz)	WSPR	US / EUROPE*
50.305 MHz	Q65 30S Mode A	New 2021 WSJT-X 2.4.0 Q65 European frequency for Scatter, note USA frequency is 50.275 MHz
50.313 MHz	FT8	99% European activity with this new fast mode seen since 2017, seems very well suited to Sporadic Es propagation
50.323 MHz	FT8	Intercontinental calling, Europe transmits 1st and USA 2nd period
50.330 MHz	JT6M	5% European activity this mode seen here 2013
50.401 MHz (+/- 500Hz)	WSPR	New Region 1 Band plan
70.154 MHz	FT8	Used extensively in Europe since 2018 during Sporadic-E summer season
NOTES
*The new Region 1 (European) band plan, that came into effect on 1st January 2012, was largely being ignored by the VHF community, as all data modes in Europe were recommended to move above 50.300 MHz to free up space for more SSB voice, however 50 MHz is very often capable of Intercontinental communications and there remained much US data activity below 50.300 MHz so that is possibly why stations had remained on the old frequencies to work each other. Since around 2020 and with FT8 data mode a specific frequency for Intercontinental working Europe to USA has been established on 50.323 MHz *** From my own observations JT9 mode does not work at all well on 50 MHz, compared with JT65A which does work well, this appears to be due to JT9 signal drift/Doppler and leads to signals not being easily decoded, if at all, despite being strong on your display.