Just tried a PA0RDT designed active antenna (but just used an MPF102 and 2N3904 instead as these devices were to hand) with 1m of wire, later just a small piece of copper laminate (see picture), indoors taped to the window and have just spotted M0BMU running 200mW ERP on 137.45kHz WSPR. Amazing that this can work so well. The antenna looks useful for VLF through to low HF. See also
Just received my first WSPR signal on 500kHz - from SM6BHZ running 1W erp. Signal first appeared at 1916z and was decoded 6 minutes later. This is a screen shot of his signals. Several other stations are also copying Gus if you look on the WSPR database and maps tonight. Later in the evening he was so strong he could have been copied with just 2mW ERP.
It goes on and on and on and on - still not a sunspot in sight and if anything the solar flux is dribbling downwards. See http://www.solen.info/solar/ from where the attached image is extracted (slightly edited). When, if ever in my lifetime, is the sun going to get moving again?
Just heard SM6BHZ beaconing with 1W erp on 505.5kHz both on CW and on SSB. On CW RST559 and on SSB RS53. This is the first time I have ever heard an SSB transmission on the 500kHz band. SSB is not allowed in the UK NoV as the band is too narrow. Distance is 916kms. I've even got a QSL card already from Gus via the internet. Link is http://www.sm6bhz.com
Has anyone had any experience of this very compact HF antenna? the designer makes claims of performance well beyond those obtainable with the Microvert, EH and other small antennas.
Today, out of interest, I made a list of the countries and distances covered just on 10MHz (30m) WSPR in the last few weeks of intermittent operation. So far I've had hundreds of reports from 22 countries in 4 continents with the best DX being 9616kms with 5W. Even 7147kms was covered with just 100mW! Even better distances have been reached on 40m. I've had reports on bands from 160m to 6m. It is truly an amazing mode!
The current antenna farm at the G3XBM QTH is shown in the picture. The 10m antenna is a wire halo. 6m, 2m and 70cms vertical is handled with a V2000 triband colinear. There is also a horizontal 2m halo just below the V2000. Finally, there is an end-fed wire about 15m long running down the garden from just beneath the V2000 antenna to a post at the far end of the back garden. All pretty modest stuff really. Certainly not a beam in sight!
T61AA has been a consistent, if weak, signal here all morning on 17m WSPR. His trace was last spotted at 1052z but too weak even for WSPR to decode. Although I've been beaconing all morning on 17m I've not been copied yet, although T61AA says he has an S9 noise level in Afghanistan. He is located 5564kms away.
Since the 1960s I've enjoyed hearing and working DX via sporadic-E openings in the summer months. For me, it all started with DXTV reception on Band 1, much to the annoyance of my parents when I retuned the TV trying to find weak Italian and Spanish TV stations.
Never tried SSTV before so I used Digital Master 780 (comes with Ham Radio Deluxe) to receive on 20m today. Several pictures came through including this one from JN1VNW, the first I decoded.
A new sunspot prediction from Australia is showing we haven't reached the minimum yet and the new peak won't now be until 2013! If correct we have to get used to conditions remaining poor on 10m F2 for some time yet. See http://www.ips.gov.au/Solar/1/6
Overnight I left my 10m WSPR station running 10% TX at 5W. During the night I was spotted a few times by a couple of Europeans. My best reception was of T61AA in Afghanistan from just after 0600z. 
Unfortunately he was unable to copy my 5W on 10m.
Interesting piece on G3ZJO's blog about 50MHz aircraft scatter using WSPR signals. He has a nice waterfall display showing the strange things that happen to a WSPR signal when aircraft are moving.
"For an answer to your question about relative sensitivities of CW, WSPR, and some of the other modes implemented in WSJT, let me suggest going to the "References" link on the WSJT web site, http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/refs.html ,
and select reference #11. Table 3 on page 9 gives the information you asked about. The difference given there is about 11 dB, in favor of WSPR over ear-and-brain CW. For most operators, the difference is more like 15 dB."
Vojtech OK1IAK has created a tiny WSPR beacon TX based on the KD1JV Altoids tin ATS-3b transceiver kit. He uses the ATS3bv-1.5 firmware. For those not familiar with this creation, it is a tiny 6 band CW/digital transceiver kit fitting into an Altoids tin. See OK1IAK's alternate firmware for WSPR with this rig.
This evening, VK8CH (Australia) copied both my 10W, then 5W QRP 40m WSPR signals. DX was 13800kms - not bad for a small, 15m long, end-fed wire strung down the garden only 6m at the highest end and 2.5m high at the far end!
Having been experimenting with WSPR beaconing, and having a LOT of fun too, I started to ask what constitutes a QSO?
I ran WSPR with 5W out (20%) on 10m overnight and was heard twice by F4VNS in JN36hc (see report screen). Although I did not decode anyone on 10m overnight, this may be because there were few stations active on 10m WSPR. The few whispy traces seen suggest doppler shifting (possible MS)?
Anyone know when the Perseids peaked in Europe? I wonder if between 0230 and 0430z?
Just turned on the FT817 and JT6M mode and copied HB9AGE within the first few seconds on a strong meteor burst. There will be plenty more tonight. The picture shows the capture of HB9AGE's CQ call here a few minutes ago. Also heard M0RJV, G4BAO (local) and PA5JS, all on JT6m.
During the next 24 hours I intend to try WSPR mode beaconing on both 10m and 6m to see if I get any success during the peak of the Perseids meteor shower. I've no idea how this mode will work with MS and a basic QRP system with small antennas. Should you get a chance, do set your WSPR system to listen on 10m and 6m and log any reports to the WSPRnet logging site. Set your RX to 28.1246 MHz USB or 50.2930 MHz USB to receive WSPR signals..jpg)
Although probably not by MS propagation, my 10m WSPR signal was copied by S51CN tonight at 5w, 1W and then 50mW. At my lowest power setting the SNR was -22dB, suggesting that even 10mW would have been copied, but I've now run out of attenuators so can't get any lower tonight!
This month's Practical Wireless makes reference to something called the Joule Thief circuit which allows a very nearly exhausted single cell battery to run a white LED. The article is in G3RJV's regular column. The nifty circuit only needs 4 parts. For a video describing how to build this, see this YouTube item. Another useful resource is http://www.emanator.demon.co.uk/bigclive/joule.htm from which this image was taken.
DH5RAE (990kms away) logged my 5W into just the 10m band halo TXing WSPR on 30m a few minutes ago. So, the system is now fully working, despite the appalling antenna for 30m. Then in the next timeslot I was received by OH2BMH (1759kms away). WSPR is going to be one heck of a lot of fun on bands like 10m and 6m with QRP when the bands open up.
ing" I've now been received in 5 European countries at distances between 594 and 1759kms. The image on the left is of my WSPR log.
Today I made my first foray into WSPR mode (Weak Signal Propagation Reporting).
I missed this news from March 2008 about the earliest recordings of the human voice made in France in the late 1850s and early 1860s. American researchers pieced together a 10sec audio clip of a French folk song which they believe is the oldest recognisable recording of the human voice. A young woman sings from the 18th century folk song Au Clair de la Lune. It was made in 1860 by Edouard Scott de Martinville on a device he called a phonautograph. Listen to the sound clip here:
I've justed added a couple of pages to my website on two Pye Telecom PMR products I had involvement with in my early days in the development labs there.
