144mhz open 6000km cross equatorial propagation (TEP) between Buenos Aires and the Dominican Republic

Through cross equatorial propagation (TEP), the highly ionized region appears on either side of the geomagnetic equator in the F-layer of the ionosphere. This mode is so interesting because it allows propagation in the VHF band from 50 MHz to 144 MHz. Since the ionization region is about 400 km above the ground, the propagation path realized is in the range of 4000-5000 km, which is much larger than the common propagation path of the spatial-e (burst E-layer).

Generally, at 144 MHz, stations in the north and South are equidistant from the geomagnetic equator. In this case, the station in the Dominican Republic appears to be a little further away, so it is possible to extend slightly through the troposphere for hundreds of kilometers across the Caribbean Sea.

The 6000 km link on 144 MHz is incredible. From a point of view, it’s twice as far across the North Atlantic as Ireland and Newfoundland!