VHF PLUS
On February 17th, 2020, Mike Lavelle, K6ML, located on Mt. Vaca, California, CM88wj75on, (835 meters / ~2,740 feet above sea level), worked Oliver Barrett, KB6BA (Photo A), then Jim Moss, N9JIM (Photo B), both on Mt Umunhum, California, CM97bd18vj (1,016m / ~3,334 feet ASL), establishing a new world record on the 2.5-millimeter-wave band of 139 kilometers, or 86.3 miles. The CW signals on 122 GHz were very weak — only 7-dB above the noise in a 22-Hz bandwidth (the equivalent of -13 dB at a 2,500 Hz (SSB) bandwidth1). At times, QSB took signals to the noise floor. Key to their success was first aligning the antennas on 24 GHz where signals were huge, 70 dB above the noise (~S9), prior to QSYing to 122 GHz. Signals were immediately heard once on 122 GHz.
Dual-band, 24-GHz and 122-GHz radios designed by K6ML and based on 24-GHz and
