18 Mar 2010

A WSPR first on 8.97kHz

This afternoon I set up my "earth-mode" station using a pair of electrodes about 10m apart in the garden, one near the house and one at the bottom of the garden. Using my 4W audio amp driven from the WSPR software in the PC I transmitted a WSPR signal on 8.97kHz. With a separate PC at the other side of the house and with 1m of wire as the "antenna" plugged into the mic socket of the PC I went listening for my WSPR signal.  Sure enough, there was my earth-mode transmitted signal at -15dB S/N. Distance was only about 10m but at least the TX, WSPR system and ground electrodes work, so I now can go out into the fields behind my house to look for my WSPR beacon using a decent, sensitive 8.97kHz RX next time. Strictly I need my sub-9kHz NoV to do this test, but as nothing is radiated I doubt anyone will care.

As far as I know this is the lowest frequency on which WSPR has ever been successfully used.

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