, ZS6PW, ZS6DN, ZS6LN
and ZS3B.

After 4 months of daily test schedules, early in 1978, successful
contacts took place on 144 MHz, some of which constituted world
distance records for that time, as can be seen in the accompanying
table. Amateurs in Malta, Italy, France and Spain soon began to
participate in the tests, as well as amateurs in other areas of South
Africa.

It can be seen from the world map that the magnetic dip (shown as
a heavy line) is very different to the geographic equator. The QTH of
SV1AB is in a suburb 10 kilometres north of SV1DH's so George's
contacts with the stations in Africa always had that edge on them.

In South Africa Dave Larson ZS6DN had set up a beacon which was
first heard in Athens by SV1AB in February 1979. Within a few days
ZS6DN had QSOs with SV1DH and SV1AB. The latter contact was a world
distance record via the F-regions of the ionosphere because of the
extra distance involved owing to the locations of the two Greek
stations, as mentioned in the previous paragraph.

For anyone who may be interested very comprehensive reports of the
work done in transequatorial propagation during cycle 21 and earlier
appeared in articles written by Ray Cracknell ZE2JV/G2AHU and Roland
Whiting 5B4WR/G3UYO in the June/July/August 1980 issues of Radio
Communuication, the journal of the R.S.G.B. and in the
November/December 1980 issues of QST.

RECORD TRANSEQUATORIAL PROPAGATION CONTACTS
DURING SUNSPOT CYLE 21

Stations MHz Date GMT Km

YV5ZZ/6 - LU1DAU 145.9 29/10/77 02.00 5,000~
World record distance on 144 MHz. First Western hemisphere contact.

JH6TEW - VK8WJ 144.1 10/02/78 11.50 5,060~
First Pacific area contact.

KP4EOR - LU5DJZ 145.1 12/02/78 00.12 6,340
New world distance record on 144 MHz.

YV5ZZ - LU3AAT 432.1 13/02/78 01.10 5,100
First reception of 432 MHz signals in Western hemisphere.

5B4WR - ZE2JV 144.1 10/04/78 17.40 5,800
First T.E.P. contact between Europe and Africa.

SV1AB - ZE2JV 144.1 12/04/78 18.00 6,260
First Greek distance record on 144 MHz.

SV1DH - ZS6DN 144.1 13/02/79 18.15 7,120
New world distance record on 144 MHz.

SV1DH - ZE2JV 432.3 20/03/79 18.20 6,250
First reception of 432 MHz signals between Europe and Africa.

I4EAT - ZS3B 144.1 31/03/79 18.50 7,890
World distance record (reception) on 144 MHz.

3. George V