Namibia on 10m WSPR

Just spotted a new one on 10m WSPR today: V53ARC running just 1W from 8473kms away in Namibia was received at -23dB S/N. Also copied G3JKV some 123kms away, presumably by ground wave or tropo.

UK permits for transmissions below 9kHz?

There has been some debate today on the RSGB's LF Reflector about how legal amateur transmissions in the UK would be at frequencies below 9kHz. Apparently the old Radio Communication Agency failed to come back with an answer to a request around 2000-2001. We're wondering what OFCOM would say today, so I've emailed them to ask. They have already replied and told me the query is being forwarded to their Spectrum Management Team and they are considering their answer over the next few weeks.

Communication over any distance at frequencies below 9kHz is a real challenge and the modes used are usually conduction through the earth or sea (so called "earth mode") or by induction. Very little power is radiated unless enormous powers are used e.g. in the USA's Project Sanguine when megawatts were used at 76Hz to communicate worldwide with submerged submarines. Distances much beyond 10kms are highly unlikely with amateur powers and systems.

Reunion Island copied again on 10m WSPR

FR1GZ has been copied very well here again this afternoon on 10m, some 15dB above the typical threshold for WSPR signals. He is running 10W, so there is a good chance he will copy my 5W from the FT817.

Reunion Is on 10m WSPR

This morning I was decoding the 10W WSPR signals of FR1GZ in Reunion Island at 9724kms. I was hoping 10m would open to the USA this afternoon and I'd hear some W and VE stations coming through in the ARRL CW DX contest, but nothing heard so far. 15m is full of USA CW stations though.

RF Cafe

This looks to be a very useful resource for both professional and amateur RF designers with lots of useful links, software and calculators available. See http://www.rfcafe.com/

Iceland to get 500kHz band for 1 year

Hams in Iceland have been given access, by special permits, to the 493-510kHz band until the end of the year with a power limit if 100W.

2010 ARRL International DX Contest

Conditions on 15m were good enough for some solid CW QSOs across the pond this afternoon. Worked stations in New Hampshire, Connecticut and Virginia when running 5W QRP. I did also check up on 10m but didn't hear any stations when I listened between 1600-1720z.

Communications below 9kHz

This has just been posted on the LF reflector by DO1KHS. I wonder how many other people have experimented with communications at radio frequencies below 10kHz? If so, do share your experiences here. See also my website on the subject at http://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp/Home/10khz

Hello,

Some years before, some experimental licences for ham radio below 9 kHz were issued in germany. Meanwhile this frequency range is free as the Bundesnetzagentur has confirmed last year.

Transmitter is an Präcitronic GF62 Level Generator actually at 8,79 kHz. PA is an old homebrew NF-Amplifier with 2x 2N3055 and about 40 Watt at 4 Ohm into a 100V ELA transformer. Antenna is a T-Antenne of 10m with 20m top capacity and poor ground.

Receiver is a portable sferics RX that I built some years before (AATIS). Unfortunately its whip antenne is highly influenced by trees and houses.

The fact that I can hear (!) my beacon in normal CW up to 100m in an city environment with a highly unmatched antenna makes me believe, that in a better environment and with a matched antenne and with help of ARGO one can make tests over longer distances. But even from my QTH in the city the ODX ;-)) surely can be improved.

The mean problem now ist how to match the antenna . . . - or using ground antennas vor TX, RX or both.

vy73 Horst

10m - signs of life

OD5NH has been a decent signal on 10m SSB this morning. Have not managed to work him (yet) but did get a "QRZ the x-ray?" with 5W SSB to the 500kHz vertical. 12m is also open with EA8CQW on CW. You really do sense that the higher HF bands are coming back to life again after a long period of hibernation - great!

Lightbeam communications

Before I became a radio ham, a friend and I had our first phone wireless QSO using a small torch bulb modulated with a couple of germanium transistors. The DX was across the road, about 20m at most. At the far end the receiver was based on an OC71 with its black coating scraped off, which made quite an effective photo transistor. These days there are much better ways. For some examples, see some of the fascinating links at  http://www.carolinaflashers.org/ . One of these days I must revisit optical communications. The picture on the right is from http://www.laud.no/ww2/lispr/index.htm and shows a WW2 lightbeam communications device used by the German Army.