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MH370 Update: New Report Proves WSPRnet Tracking Over Long Distances

Geoffrey Thomas - : Feb 21, 2024 - : 1:56 am

In an extremely significant MH370 development, a new report proves that the breakthrough technology WSPRnet can track aircraft over long distances.

MH370, a Boeing 777-200ER, was lost 10 years ago on March 8, 2014 with 239 souls aboard and the only trace of the aircraft are 41 pieces of debris that have been found on the African coast and the islands off that coast.

The MH370 report “How does WSPR detect Aircraft over Long Distances? Technical Paper. is authored by Richard Godfrey Dr. Hannes Coetzee (ZS6BZP) and Prof. Simon Maskell.

Last year Mr Godfrey using WSPRnet technology identified a new location for MH370 lying just outside previous search efforts but within the area identified by the University of Western Australia in its drift analysis. 

In summary, the report states that “WSPRnet radio signals can reliably detect and track aircraft over long distances to the other side of the globe. Anomalies in the WSPRnet data, in either the received signal level, or received frequency, or frequency drift indicate a possible disturbance by an aircraft.

All WSPRnet radio signals have been stored in an international database since 2009.

“WSPRnet is a multi-static and multi-frequency system with global coverage. There are currently around 6 million distinctive links between WSPR transmitters and receivers from around the world with a propagation distance greater than 3,000 km recorded in the WSPRnet database.

“The long coherent integration time of the WSPRnet receivers, the enhanced radar footprint of modern aircraft in the WSPRnet wavelength bands and the global coverage of WSPRnet propagations ensure a high level of detection and reliable tracking of aircraft.

“The WSPRnet technique is, in its simplest form, statistical post-processing of the meta-data from a communications link. We combine the reflection of radio waves by aircraft as used in radar, with ionospheric propagation and the WSPR protocol to detect and track aircraft over long distances. 

“This technique was used to track MH370 from the last confirmed radar detection on 7th March 2014 at 18:00 UTC until the end of the flight on 8th March 2014 at 00:28 UTC. A total of 313 anomalies in the signal level or frequency of the WSPR signals were detected at the estimated position of MH370 at 130 different points in time.

“The crash location of MH370 is at 29.128°S 99.934°E, which is just outside the previous ATSB and Ocean Infinity underwater search areas.

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