NVIS Tests — 60m, Sept. 19, 2026 – Mid Island Radio Association

The Nanaimo Amateur Radio Association continues its NVIS tests and invites you and your local club members to participate in its Near Vertical Incident Skywave (NVIS) radio propagation tests on the 60m band. We have chosen to make these tests four times a year and the next test period on Saturday Sep. 19 will be close to the fall equinox.

Here is the essential information:

Date – Saturday September 19, 2026
Time – 11:30am to 2:30pm (Pacific)
Callsign – VE7NA
Mode – USB
Frequency – 5.346.5 MHz (dial freq.)

NARA’s NVIS tests allow us all to get together again on the 60m band and to test the ranges that we can achieve on the 60m band in daylight when the D-layer prevents longer distance communication. Our NVIS tests in March 2026 were interesting because they took place in the middle of a solar storm. This meant that the attenuation
through the D-layer was higher than normal and we made very few contacts. Hopefully we won’t hit another solar storm in September. During daylight, when the D-Layer is present, the ranges achieved with a 100W ERP SSB station on the 60m band is limited. Of course, at night when the D-layer is not present, ranges on the 60m band can be worldwide. The scenario for these tests is to simulate voice communication (USB) from an emergency operations centre (EOC) trying to communicate on the 60m band over several hundreds of kilometers during daylight.

One of the reasons why the Amateur Radio Service gained the 60m band in 2002 was because these frequencies were recognized as being very useful for emergency communications. Many amateur radio stations may not have 60m antennas, but with some ingenuity amateurs should be able to load up one of their wire antennas to radiate a signal on the 60m band.

VE7NA will act as the net control station for these tests and will put out calls every ten minutes or so. Please consider joining VE7NA during this three-hour test window.

Any queries or reports should be sent to: nvis@ve7na.ca

Hoping to work you on 60m
73 VE7NA (NARA)