Re: Tropo lift weekend of 19-20th Sep (2020)
Yes, if it seems to be good to be true......then it probably is! And I think its instructive to get some feel for what works in the ordinary way. And for VHF, line of sight links are dead easy, but they aren't easily arranged over long distances on earth. And once you get a few obstructions, the losses mount up rather quickly. The radio horizon really is like a sort of blackout curtain - most of the time.
You needed another 44dB to deal with that earth curvature. If you had both been running 400W, that would have added 26dB. You could have used 12dB yagis at each end - that would give you another 14dB. Still another 4dB to go......and options then are running out.....perhaps a high mast your end would have swung it, but I still haven't allowed for those Lake District mountains!
Richard
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