Originally Posted by
Going Boeing
There is a lot of conjecture as to the application of WSPR to this task for a number of reasons. Using WSPR to find detections of MH370 was first proposed by Dr Robert Westphal some months back.
Earlier on one noted MH370 researcher, a physicist Dr Victor Iannello, wrote,
..., I’ve seen an excitement about WSPR that I believe is premature. I haven’t seen any data that definitely shows that WSPR can detect an aircraft, and I also am skeptical that the underlying physics is valid. Long range propagation on HF bands is due to F-layer refraction at altitudes around 150 km, and I doubt a plane at 10 km over an ocean (which is an excellent reflector) will have much of an effect unless the plane is close to the receiver or transmitter. Also, propagation in the HF bands is subject to large changes in signal strength over short periods of time due to changes in the ionosphere, multipath interference, and even changes in polarization, so it becomes very, very difficult to discriminate natural effects from changes in signal strength due to a plane.
Another MH370 researcher and amateur radio operator comments on potential deficiencies in the approach and the interpretation of the data
here.
It's certainly an interesting approach, certainly the only active new element in the search effort, but it is unlikely that it is capable of producing the quality data currently being attributed to it. Never say never though, right?