As I get so many DX reports with my 500mW WSPR, I no longer tell my XYL. An Australian station was spotting my 10m WSPR again today. I think this is the 6th or 7th time this autumn. With WSPR and a very modest, low, wire antenna I find DX easy. With SSB or CW you are competing against the "big boys".
10m has been good now for about 4 years. This time next autumn things are likely to be much harder. Sunspots are still high but this time next year they are likely to have fallen a fair bit. Somewhere I read that a solar flux of over 100 equated to "good conditions". It is more likely solar flux will be in the 70-80 region next autumn.
The greatest danger is low activity on 10m as people leave the band for lower frequencies. Many times I have said this will be when 10m WSPR should be really useful winkling out those elusive DX openings. Please, still use 10m WSPR even when the band seems dead. I am convinced it will be "open" far more often than people realise. WSPR is so much better than SSB or CW. Using WSPRnet, you can instantly see who is copying your WSPR signal. Low power is all that is needed.
UPDATE 1254z: I see that FR1GZ (9724km) has spotted me on 10m WSPR. This is no longer remarkable! WSPR really is amazing - just 500mW to a low wire antenna. On SSB it is a battle against those using big beams and high power. On WSPR just a few milliwatts and you can find out how your signal gets around the world.
UPDATE 1530z: VE3GEN (5593km) was spotted several times today.
Women I find are not interested in our hobby, I have never bored her with it, I only mention it to her if she asks, or she says move that piece of junk off the dining room table.
ReplyDeleteHowever they do know it stops us from taking off to new pastures, they know where you are in the shack or shed, so sometimes it can help to keep your marriage intact.. :-)
73 Steve
If you're goal is to determine propagation, then WSPR is very useful. But you aren't going to be able to have a conversation using WSPR. It's like someone without a car watching traffic reports on the local freeways.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, it seems that most SSB QSOs are roughly as substantive as a WSPR QSO anyway.