These propagation predictions are produced by the VOACAP program originally produced by the American NTIA and ported to Linux by M0DNS.
Following a request from members a variety of inter-UK routes are shown below along with the approximate distance between points. In holiday periods or when a natural disaster has struck extra paths may be included to allow use by stations who wish to participate whilst abroad. Of course you still need some information to help you gauge how accurate the prediction is likely to be and this may be obtained from the ‘local’ propagation beacon DK0WCY on 10.144 MHz CW. More information on the format of DK0WCY broadcasts can be obtained from their website at http://www.dk0wcy.de
A logsheet for recording the propagation data obtained from the beacon can be found at http://www.dk0wcy.de/logsheet.htm
To assist you in determining the relevance of some of the parameters given then Paul Harden’s ‘Handiman’s Guide to Solar/Geomagnetic Conditions’ is very useful.
Two plots are presented for each path, one for a 20 Watt output SSB station and the second for a 100Watt SSB station. Isotropic antennas are assumed at both ends of the link along with a high noise floor. By default the predictions are therefore pessimistic though it is hoped to merge the antenna models from elsewhere on this website to provide a more representative prediction.
| Path | Distance (km) |
| Chester-Manchester | 50km |
| Chester-Birmingham | 100km |
| Chester-London | 250km |
| Chester-Bournemouth | 300km |
| Chester-Inverness | 500km |
This graphic will allow anyone whose geography is a bit shaky to select which path most relates to their desired path over equivalent distances.
