How ghost radio signals could hold the key to finding missing flight MH370
Transmissions from amateur radio enthusiasts may hold the key to locating the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished a decade ago in one of the greatest aviation mysteries. The Malaysian government announced on Friday that it had agreed to resume the search for the remains of MH370, the Boeing 777 that disappeared in March 2014 while carrying 239 people. Efforts will focus on a new area of seabed covering around 5,800 square miles – slightly bigger than Northern Ireland – according to Anthony Loke, the Malaysian transport minister. The search will be led by underwater exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which conducted the last sweep in 2018. This time around, the investigation is expected to draw on a new area of research involving so-called WSPR – pronounced “whisper” – transmissions from amateur radio operators. An acronym for Weak Signal Propagation Reporter, WSPR was designed as a way of sending and receiving low-power transmissions to test the capabilities of antennas used by amateur radio enthusiasts – known as radio hams – and the extent of their reach. WSPR transmitters send thousands of low-power radio pulses around the world every two minutes, with any given signal disturbed should an aircraft cross it, or so the theory goes. Richard Godfrey, a retired aerospace engineer, who has worked with Nasa, Boeing and Airbus, has advanced the theory that an examination of historical WSPR data might help pin down the flight path of MH370. His own analysis pointed to a search area with a radius of less than 20 miles, some 1000 miles west of Perth, Australia. Godfrey told The Telegraph he understood the target zone he identified would be covered by Ocean Infinity’s new search. The company will also examine parallel strands of research such as examinations of hydro-acoustics data from the time of the disappearance.<br/>
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How ghost radio signals could hold the key to finding missing flight MH370
Transmissions from amateur radio enthusiasts may hold the key to locating the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished a decade ago in one of the greatest aviation mysteries. The Malaysian government announced on Friday that it had agreed to resume the search for the remains of MH370, the Boeing 777 that disappeared in March 2014 while carrying 239 people. Efforts will focus on a new area of seabed covering around 5,800 square miles – slightly bigger than Northern Ireland – according to Anthony Loke, the Malaysian transport minister. The search will be led by underwater exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which conducted the last sweep in 2018. This time around, the investigation is expected to draw on a new area of research involving so-called WSPR – pronounced “whisper” – transmissions from amateur radio operators. An acronym for Weak Signal Propagation Reporter, WSPR was designed as a way of sending and receiving low-power transmissions to test the capabilities of antennas used by amateur radio enthusiasts – known as radio hams – and the extent of their reach. WSPR transmitters send thousands of low-power radio pulses around the world every two minutes, with any given signal disturbed should an aircraft cross it, or so the theory goes. Richard Godfrey, a retired aerospace engineer, who has worked with Nasa, Boeing and Airbus, has advanced the theory that an examination of historical WSPR data might help pin down the flight path of MH370. His own analysis pointed to a search area with a radius of less than 20 miles, some 1000 miles west of Perth, Australia. Godfrey told The Telegraph he understood the target zone he identified would be covered by Ocean Infinity’s new search. The company will also examine parallel strands of research such as examinations of hydro-acoustics data from the time of the disappearance.<br/>
