VLF success at last for G3XIZ (37km on 8.97kHz)

Chris G3XIZ achieved some VLF success today when his 50m high balloon supported vertical driven with around 50W was copied at up to 15dB S/N by M0BMU at a distance of 37km. Mode used was QRSS600. This is a new UK record for an amateur VLF transmission and is the first confirmed "far field" radiated signal. Well done Chris.

M0BMU estimated the ERP as follows (from a posting to the LF-reflector by Jim):

"I made an estimate of the field strength of your signal by injecting a test signal at a known EMF into the loop antenna, and comparing with the level of your signal. The received FS at the strongest point (around 1330utc) worked out to be 1.8uV/m. Taking the distance between our locations as 37km, your ERP would have been 87uW. The SNR at best was around 15dB, making the noise level 0.32uV/m in the FFT noise bandwidth of 2.1mHz, or a noise density of 7uV/m per sqrt(Hz)


Assuming a 50m vertical wire (heff ~ 25m),  Rrad of your antenna at 8.97kHz would be 880micro-ohms. Assuming 2.62dB directivity for an electrically short monopole compared to a dipole, and Iant of 200mA, the calculated value of ERP would then be 64uW. So there is reasonable agreement between these two calculations, the difference only being 1.3dB."