16 Mar 2013

24 hours with 1mW output on 40m

Well, that was fun: a 24 hour period with my WSPR beacon running at just 1mW RF output on 40m into the Par 10/20/40 antenna at just 5m up in the garden and yet still plenty of reports from around western Europe. Best DX reports were from F6HTL (737km) and F1ING (581km) with reports from G, PA, and F.  I shall now have a try at the same power level on 10m or 20m and see how it goes. It was interesting that there were few reports last evening and overnight on 40m, possibly because my 1mW signal was being crowded out by others running "high" power like 1-2W, HI.
Some of the reports with 1mW on 40m WSPR
A WSPR beacon TX at the 1-5mW power level is feasible with just one transistor and a single balanced diode mixer and may be one of my next "just for fun" projects.

UPDATE 1700z: on 20m WSPR with 1mW output I managed just one report this afternoon from F1JRC/2 at 971km.



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