Sunspots and 10m - Monday March 23rd 2015

Sunspot number has risen to 88 and 10m propagation is expected to be "fair" today. The band did open to the USA after lunch with a couple of stations in the USA spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon. W1VR (6965km) at 1446z was the first. With just a couple of stations spotting me this hardly a big opening!

10m WSPR - no USA again today?

It looks like a today will be another day with absolutely no 10m WSPR spots from the USA.  As previously when the 10m propagation was "poor" I still seem to be copied (using my 500mW WSPR beacon) by active stations who are a single F2 hop away. It seems the E-W path to the USA suffers when propagation is poor.

UPDATE 1944z:  No USA spots all day. Will go QRT on 10m WSPR soon.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday March 22nd 2015

Sunspot number is 40 today but all HF looks disturbed. 10m propagation is expected to be "poor".

So far this morning, my 500mW WSPR beacon has been spotted by RK3ABW, LZ1OI, EA8/LA3JJ and G4IKZ. Apart from the local, these all look like single hop F2 propagation. No reports from 4X1RF.

N-S DX on 10m, but again no USA

Despite the lowish sunspot number and a forecast of "poor" 10m conditions I see that FR1GZ (9724km) spotted my 500mW WSPR beacon late lunchtime. 4X1RF (3519km), EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) and G4IKZ (18km) have all been spotting me but, yet again, absolutely no spots from the USA yet again.

It seems we are moving more towards spring/summer conditions with N-S paths still holding up but far less frequent E-W openings on 10m.

Sunspots and 10m propagation - March 21st 2015

Sunspot number has fallen to 27 and 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor". Best 10m DX with the 500mW WSPR beacon this morning is 4X1RF (3519km) but no other DX at all as yet.

10m WSPR - no USA again, well not so far today

EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) and 4X1RF (3519km) and a few Europeans, but no stateside stations today yet on 10m WSPR spotting my 500mW WSPR beacon. With 10m conditions expected tp be "poor", it would not surprise me if the band does not open to the USA today at all.

UPDATE 1528z:  Still no sign at all of any spots from stations in the USA. 4X1RF has been spotting me several times.

UPDATE 1825z:  No spots from the USA again today. I'll leave the beacon on for a few more hours just in case the band opens, but I fear this is just another bad day on 10m.

UPDATE 2057z:  With just local G4IKZ (18km) spotting me now for ages, it is time to go QRT for today on 10m WSPR. Now QRT on 10m. PC clock reset to internet time on 630m (472kHz): after almost 12 hours it is probably in need of being reset. On 10m the WSPR-AXE-CW beacon from W5OLF seems to need resetting far less often, although I reset this each morning to internet time to be sure. I think it would be accurate enough for weeks without doing this.

UPDATE 2120z:   Looking at WSPRnet, I see many USA WSPR stations being spotted in Australia and New Zealand at around 13000-15000km. Maybe we'll see better conditions tomorrow on 10m?

472kHz WSPR

In the last 2 weeks I have been spotted by 27 unique stations on this band. G3YXM (148km) is, I think, a new reporter earlier today. I shall leave 472kHz running, but don't expect any real DX until this evening. Still, it was good to get a report from G3YXM. I think my 5mW ERP from the earth-electrodes is a good test for stations listening on the band. Generally, if you can copy me at any decent distance, it proves your receive system is probably good enough. I know my RX system is capable of further improvement. On RX my FT817 is a bit deaf on 472kHz and I really should add a decent, high dynamic range preamp. Another 3-4dB sensitivity is possible I think.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday March 20th 2015

Sunspot number has gone up to 71 today, but 10m conditions are still expected to remain "poor".

My 10m beacon is still stabilising:  it takes about 20 minutes for the PA to warm up and the box to reach equilibrium and only local G4IKZ (18km) is spotting me currently. I re-synced both the 10m beacon and the 472kHz kit to internet time shortly after breakfast.

UPDATE 1116z:  G4IKZ (18km) has been the only station spotting me so far today.

472kHz WSPR this evening

G8LCO tipped me off that my PC clock looked out of sync with internet time, so I reset it.  It was last synced before 0700z and it had clearly drifted.  I have just done another sync and will check again at bedtime before leaving things running overnight.

Best DX reception of my 5mW ERP from my earth-electrode "antenna" on 472kHz WSPR this evening is a spot by F1AFJ (607km) at 2014z.  I have been received much further (over 1000km) but not this evening so far.

Cameroon and Canaries - but no USA on 10m today

EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) and TJ3TS (5478km) have both been spotting my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon, the former many times, but, no USA spots so far again today. TJ3TS is Cameroon (Africa).  The band is obviously quite reasonable for  N-S paths, but E-W paths don't seem to be as good. Maybe it will open to the USA later?

As the solar conditions decline on the higher HF bands, this sort of pattern will become more common on 10m. Of course, well into Africa and the Americas is possible via Es propagation on some occasions. Best months are June/July. In June we sometimes get weak openings on 6m from western Europe to Japan. Some theories put this down to noctilucent clouds. I think we really don't know, but this is very consistent.  Signals are usually weak and best times are in the mornings in Europe.

UPDATE 1718z:  Still no USA stations spotting me today. I shall be on 10m for a few more hours, but I think there will be no spots from the USA today.  Since 0916z EA8/LA3JJ has spotted me 115 times.

UPDATE 2040z:  No USA spots at all today again on 10m WSPR, so now going QRT on that band. EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) has spotted me 130 times since breakfast time.

472kHz WSPR

Just the "usual suspects" being spotted and spotting my 5mW ERP this morning and overnight. Best spot of me in the last 12 hours was from PA3ABK/2 (306km) before breakfast time today. I hope being active will encourage others to come on to this wonderful band.

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday March 19th 2015

Sunspot number has dropped back to 44 today. 10m propagation is again expected to be "poor".

UPDATE 0833z:  So far just G4IKZ (18km) and G4CUI (172km) spotting  me on 10m WSPR .

UPDATE 1003z:    EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) has spotted me several times now.

Return to 472kHz WSPR

After an abortive couple of days (and overnight) on 6m WSPR I have abandoned 6m WSPR as a right off and returned to 472kHz WSPR this evening.

Within the first few minutes I have been spotted by 5 unique stations despite running only 5mW ERP from my earth-electrode "antenna". Certainly, 630m (472kHz) is far more productive than 6m at this time of year. No great DX, as yet, this evening, but at least there is activity!

Initial 472kHz WSPR results this evening

Another total blank on 6m WSPR

After another whole day on 6m WSPR not a single spot was given or received. This is the last time I try until the Es season. Really, I am wasting effort on 6m.

No 10m USA spots again today

Although several spots were received by EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) and 4X1RF (3519km) on 10m WSPR today of my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon, not a single spot was received again from the USA.

Conditions have been disturbed but they are also on the change. I shall continue to WSPR beacon on 10m in the weeks and months ahead.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed March 18th 2015

Sunspot number is 60 today but conditions remain disturbed with 10m propagation expected to remain "poor".

So far this morning on 10m WSPR, apart from local G4IKZ (18km), I see my 500mW WSPR beacon has been spotted by 4X1RF (3819km) at 0722z and by EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) several times. It is now 1045z.

Auroras and WSPR?

I have never (before) now used WSPR on 10m and 6m during an auroral opening.  Certainly on 2m the Doppler is likely to make it impossible, I would think.  On 10m ,and maybe 6m, I think the mode might have some promise.

I have decided to leave both my 10m and 6m WSPR systems running overnight just in case.

Anyone know what happens to WSPR in a typical auroral opening?

UPDATE 2128z:  Well 10m and 6m WSPR are dead currently, with just local G4IKZ (18km) spotting me on 10m. No-one at all on 6m WSPR.

UPDATE 2140z:  Just checked outside for signs of visible aurora but street lights and poor weather make it impossible. I saw a visible aurora once at the old QTH years ago and once out of a plane window at night when returning from the west coast of the USA near the North Pole.

10m and 6m - both hopeless this afternoon?

Since getting lots of WSPR spots from around the borders of Europe this morning, I have only been getting spots from  local G4IKZ (18km) all afternoon.  No signs of USA spots on 10m today.

I have been on 6m most of the day but not a single spot given or received - totally hopeless.

I shall stick around on both 10m and 6m for several more hours yet, ever hopeful.

UPDATE 1950z:   I think today is only the second day since last September when I was spotted by not a single USA station on 10m WSPR.  On the vast majority of days someone over there has spotted my 500mW WSPR beacon, but not today.  I know conditions are badly disturbed today (a visual aurora is forecast down here, which is very rare) and conditions are starting to change. Only EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) has spotted me late this afternoon apart from local G4IKZ.   EA8/LA3JJ is probably single hop F2 although the time of day and distance could possibly suggest Es?  On 6m I have had no success at all on TX or RX. I shall now abandon 6m until the Es season starts.

6m WSPR

Not quite sure why I bother as I usually get no spots (TX or RX) but I am again WSPRing on 6m. TX 20% 30dBm ERP vertical and 80% RX on 50.293MHz USB dial setting.

At this time of the year, outside the Es season, the most likely propagation is tropo and aircraft assistance up to about 200km. I am not expecting Es or F2 propagation on 6m.

UPDATE 1654z:   So far, not a single spot given or received all day on 6m. Outside the Es season 6m has proved useless here with 1W ERP from my V2000 vertical.  I shall stick around longer today (ever hopeful!) but I probably won't bother with 6m again for several weeks.

Sunspots and 10m - Tues March 17th 2015

Sunspot number today is 57. 10m propagation is expected to be "poor" according to the forecasts I have just seen.  So far 10m spots have only been received from local G4IKZ (18km), but it is still very early.

UPDATE 0925z:   4X1RF (3519km) has already spotted my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon twice.

UPDATE 1052z:  4X1RF has spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon 17 times already today.   So far, my 6m WSPR attempts (TX and RX) have again drawn a total blank so far.

UPDATE 1155z:  Now being spotted in UR, CT, G, LZ, and 4X1.  Nothing outside Europe and near Asia yet today. I think the non-G spots are F2 propagation?

UPDATE 1225z:   4X1RF has spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon 45 times so far today.

UPDATE 1700z:  No USA spots received all day, well not so far. Yesterday, 10m did open to the USA  very very late in the afternoon and my 10m 500mW  WSPR beacon was copied only by 3 unique stations. Today, so far, looks dire on 10m to the USA. All HF bands have "poor" predictions so maybe it is a bad day, full stop.