# Ionospheric bounce - the anniversary!



## RayL (Apr 16, 2008)

Today (18 Oct 2014) is the 90th anniversary of Mill Hill School's amazing demonstration that New Zealand could be worked by using ionospheric bounce. Up until then, the world had had little use for the short-wave band, but now it was realised that those wavelengths had the right propagation properties for this purpose. The team at Mill Hill had also realised that time of day was important so they carried out their experiment at dawn (all in Morse, of course).


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## Coastie (Aug 24, 2005)

Perhaps they had really big back yards!!(Jester)


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

I listened to a 50 year old recorded interview with Frank Bell on RNZI 'Sounds Historical' last night. I don't think it was a 'controlled experiment' .. but that Frank Bell just happened to succesfully respond to Mill Hill's CQ to North America. http://www.zl4aa.org.nz/frank-bell-trans-world-radio-contact/

You can find and listen to it in here http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/soundshistorical


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## GBXZ (Nov 4, 2008)

Cisco
There was a report on the TVNZ 6pm news about the experiment, with coverage from the original farm site and using modern amateur equipment. The original QSO"wavelength" was 95 metres using the Mill Hill school's transmitter G2SZ.
Good to see that such events are remembered and recognised.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

The interview starts at 36 minutes into the second segment of 'Sounds Historical'...


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Can someone save me from looking up the equation and tell me what 95 metres is in kilopuffs?

Great to hear about scientific breakthroughs made by amateurs, especially schoolboys. Brilliant.

John T


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## M29 (Apr 20, 2007)

trotterdotpom said:


> Can someone save me from looking up the equation and tell me what 95 metres is in kilopuffs?
> 
> Great to hear about scientific breakthroughs made by amateurs, especially schoolboys. Brilliant.
> 
> John T


John
3.15 approx MHz
Best Wishes
Alan


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

300/95.... about 3.200 MHz in new speak.... pretty low although v early most mornings I hear a lot of european stations on 40 metres from VK...


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Thanks Cisco and M29. Yes would have been good in the early AM - especially in the days before interference.

I'm a bit concerned about the ad above this post for Atlantis Gay Cruises. Those lads look as though they could be from Mill Hill!

John T


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

This may bring out the inner anorak in some people...
https://www.pskreporter.info/pskmapn.html
Just enter the band ( 80 metres?), all modes, and '24 hours' ..


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## tunatownshipwreck (Nov 9, 2005)

I've heard long path/short path echo on many a shortwave broadcast, has anybody heard it working CW?


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## Farmer John (Feb 22, 2012)

RayL said:


> Today (18 Oct 2014) is the 90th anniversary of Mill Hill School's amazing demonstration that New Zealand could be worked by using ionospheric bounce. Up until then, the world had had little use for the short-wave band, but now it was realised that those wavelengths had the right propagation properties for this purpose. The team at Mill Hill had also realised that time of day was important so they carried out their experiment at dawn (all in Morse, of course).


I would loved to have heard the phone call confirming this communication.


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## Wismajorvik (Dec 29, 2011)

tunatownshipwreck said:


> I've heard long path/short path echo on many a shortwave broadcast, has anybody heard it working CW?


1/7 second echo if I recollect. I can remember once having difficulty reading cw because of this type of QRM, (a marine coast station somewhere) and having to QSY to another band.


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## GBXZ (Nov 4, 2008)

Although the first 2 way QSO was established on the 19th October, G2OD was first heard in New Zealand on the 16th October, Frank Bell sent a cable to Mill Hill complete with the code word to confirm reception.


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

tunatownshipwreck said:


> I've heard long path/short path echo on many a shortwave broadcast, has anybody heard it working CW?


During the 17 months or so in 1965/66 that we traded round the Cape from the Gulf to the Caribbean it was quite common when working back to the UK on 22MHz and, to a lesser extent, on 16MHz.


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## RayL (Apr 16, 2008)

Ron Stringer said:


> During the 17 months or so in 1965/66 that we traded round the Cape from the Gulf to the Caribbean it was quite common when working back to the UK on 22MHz and, to a lesser extent, on 16MHz.


I guess it would have been due to the same signal arriving at the receiver via two ionospheric paths--probably on different sides of the globe.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

On a tanker trying to get orders from WCC when in the Indian Ocean, I remember hearing an 'echo' signal which I always thought was hearing both the east and west path.

David

( and yes, I know I could and very often did work KPH )
+


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