The 288 GHz band is accessible in the UK to Full Amateurs by a Licence Variation for frequencies >275 GHz – the Terahertz region.

The high antenna gains available from small dish sizes facilitate portable operation, provided
they are very accurately aligned to accomodate the small beam angles.

Following initial very short range contacts due to the low powers available, this was extended to just over 1.2km in 2019

Equipment

The greatest success so far has been found with a combination of very stable low phase noise frequency souces and subharmonic mixers.
Together these enable excellent stability for narrowband usage.

>275GHz: Transmitter and Receiver Equipment for 288GHz

Roger G8CUB has worked with Chris G0FDZ and published this article on a variety of
288GHz transmit and receive equipment in UKuG Scatterpoint in August 2019.

Equipment details and contact article:
– Scatterpoint Aug-2019

Operating Examples

Aug-2018:
The first video below is from Roger G8CUB testing in his Brentwood, Essex garden in 2018.

A year later in Aug/Sep-2019 – a number of transmitter and receivers had led to the first two way contact with Chris G0FDZ and a UK distance record.

Note: By 29-Aug-2019, gradual increases had led to a laonger two-way distance of 650m at Brentwood in Essex

Distance Record

12-Sep-2019: The UK DX 288GHz Record was formally set with a two-way QSO over 1.2km between Roger and Chris near Higham in north Kent as follows…

Locations/Time:

Signal Reports:

• Received over air: G0FDZ/P report 319 locator JO01FK62
• Sent report 599 locator JO01FK60

Link Details:

• Tx power 350uW / 250uW
• Path loss 152dB, Dewpoint +15C
• Rx 30cm dish / 30cm dish
• Tx 15cm horn / 15cm horn

Further Info

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4-Apr-2025