Great shot even if it wasn't the one you were trying for.
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May 12 2013 270 NM QF A28.jpg I first picked it up at 270 NM at 38000 feet and was surprised to see it so high up the Island. Perhaps Qantas has restarted the QF A27/28 runs again.
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Problem is that the aircraft to the west of the South Is. are hidden behind the Southern Alps. Further on in this thread you will see that QFA 28 was seen at 270NM from the central east coast. That is about the limit because the aircraft is at the horizon from the receiving station perspective. The Southern Alps at a height of 9,000 ft pose quite a barrier for stations in the eastern part of the South Island. The local SSR in Christchurch can generally only see as far as the FIR boundary points of VANDA, KABKA and KABIN. That SSR is located above CHC at an altitude of 1500ft. So with us enthusiasts at much lower altitude then chances of increased range are slim. This also explains why the TU stations get such good coverage within the South Island. I understand they may be located as much as 1100ft above sea level (stand corrected on that number). They get a very good "look" north and south, but because they are located further inland, tend to suffer worse to the west than those stations located near the east coast (NZCH1, NZCH2, NZCH3 etc). Until there is a quantum change in physics we are not going to reliably achieve better, except for occasional propagation lifts and these will be few and far between and very unpredictable. Lord Howe Island is 430NM NE of Sydney and approximately 960NM from Christchurch which leaves a huge chunk of the "ditch" still not covered, so probably it is not a big player in this.
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Originally posted by NZCH View PostProblem is that the aircraft to the west of the South Is. are hidden behind the Southern Alps. Further on in this thread you will see that QFA 28 was seen at 270NM from the central east coast. That is about the limit because the aircraft is at the horizon from the receiving station perspective. The Southern Alps at a height of 9,000 ft pose quite a barrier for stations in the eastern part of the South Island. The local SSR in Christchurch can generally only see as far as the FIR boundary points of VANDA, KABKA and KABIN. That SSR is located above CHC at an altitude of 1500ft. So with us enthusiasts at much lower altitude then chances of increased range are slim. This also explains why the TU stations get such good coverage within the South Island. I understand they may be located as much as 1100ft above sea level (stand corrected on that number). They get a very good "look" north and south, but because they are located further inland, tend to suffer worse to the west than those stations located near the east coast (NZCH1, NZCH2, NZCH3 etc). Until there is a quantum change in physics we are not going to reliably achieve better, except for occasional propagation lifts and these will be few and far between and very unpredictable. Lord Howe Island is 430NM NE of Sydney and approximately 960NM from Christchurch which leaves a huge chunk of the "ditch" still not covered, so probably it is not a big player in this.
In any case that would take a dedicated setup, as I imagine a directional antenna would mean sacrificing range in any other direction - making it even more theoretical.
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Originally posted by Kpin View PostNZCH, thank you for your thoughts. I agree that there are natural limits governed by your locations on the east coast. My question was more theoretical; IF the right type of antenna was placed in the right (elevated) spot on the west coast of the South or North Islands,THEN would would it be possible to bridge to Tasman together with a capable receiver in Australia?
In any case that would take a dedicated setup, as I imagine a directional antenna would mean sacrificing range in any other direction - making it even more theoretical.
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Originally posted by NZCH View PostThe Southern Alps at a height of 9,000 ft pose quite a barrier for stations in the eastern part of the South Island. The local SSR in Christchurch can generally only see as far as the FIR boundary points of VANDA, KABKA and KABIN. T.
New place will be worse, 4Kms further than here, and right under the flight path. So goodbye ground traffic like I can see from here on the odd occasion.Posts not to be taken as official support representation - Just a helpful uploader who tinkers
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This also explains why the TU stations get such good coverage within the South Island. I understand they may be located as much as 1100ft above sea level (stand corrected on that number).
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Found ZK-MVC here about to cross some Indonesian islands in the Flores Sea
ZK-MVC crossing FLores sea toward Indonesian islands.JPG
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Looks like Dunedin has a touch of the Christchurch fog today ; NZ671 doing circles North of OMARU waypoint.ZK-MVC due today.Correction: not fog as I thought but some sort of blockage of the runway; they mention a Mt Cook plane.
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Originally posted by Petenz View PostLooks like Dunedin has a touch of the Christchurch fog today ; NZ671 doing circles North of OMARU waypoint.ZK-MVC due today.Correction: not fog as I thought but some sort of blockage of the runway; they mention a Mt Cook plane.
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