Change to 500kHz ATU

This evening, as an experiment, I rewound the tapped coil on on ferrite rod based table-top ATU for 500kHz using 0.56mm enamelled wire rather than 0.2mm. The antenna current was up by (at most) 20%,  but on-air it made no difference with reports on 500kHz from M0BMU being the same as before. Before I put away my 500kHz kit for the summer I may try an L vertical with a 15m long horizontal top as I have access to a nice tree in my neighbour's garden which would provide a convenient support for the far end.

A new personal WSPR DX record

This evening I put the WSPR beacon first on 20m and then 30m running 1W into the 5m long vertical matched with the Elecraft T1 auto-ATU. First came a report from a VE6 in Alberta on 20m then a new DX record on 30m with a report from VK2/VK6DI at 16969kms. Not bad going for 1W to an indifferent antenna. Some of the European reports suggest that I'd still have been heard in Europe with just 5mW. VK6DI is a QRSS and weak signal mode enthusiast: see his site at http://www.users.on.net/~davroz/vk6di/

Receiver for 8.97kHz DX experiments

Jim M0BMU successfully copied signals from DK7FC on 8.97kHz VLF last weekend using a small loop antenna and preamp feeding into a Spectrum Lab soundcard VLF receiver. I've put a copy of Jim's latest preamp on my 9kHz page on my website. Others have tried voltage probe antennas.

Talk Invites

Sharing the real fun of ham radio is important to me and so I enjoy giving the occasional talk to clubs on subjects such as QRP, simple radio fun, WSPR and the like. The Chelmsford ARS has asked me to do one on 500kHz and WSPR in November. Not liking night driving, I'm hoping someone there will offer me a bed for the night.

Litter in the UK

Some parts of the UK appear to have a problem with litter on the roadside verges. In our area this is only collected once every 6 months, so bad areas can look awful after a few months. There are several initiatives to help co-ordinate local "self-help" groups where volunteers go out in groups to tidy up particularly bad patches. See http://www.thebigtidyup.org/default.aspx . I'm hoping to get involved in East Cambridgeshire where I'm sure a few of us can make a difference.

More amateur VLF DX on 8.97kHz

Since I was last at home there have been further tests from DK7FC on 8.97kHz. His signal has been received in Germany, Netherlands, Italy and the UK at better strengths than a week earlier as he managed to get the ERP up a bit more. These experiments are truly ground breaking with amateur signals being successfully received by ionospheric propagation on VLF. See http://abelian.org/vlf/9k/ for some reports from the UK station who received these signals. Jim Moritz M0BMU also received the signals last weekend using a small loop antenna at a portable location near Tring.

Back from (rainy) Devon

Got back from our week in Devon today. Although I packed my VX2 dual band mini portable it only got used to listen to BBC Radio 4 I'm afraid. All week, apart from a couple of brief breaks it rained and rained. There is an old saying, "come to sunny Devon where it rains six days out of seven". As much as I love the county where I, and my ancestors back to at least the 1400s lived, sadly the saying is true! Get good weather and there's nowhere else to beat it. Get a wet week and it's a bit bleak. This is a picture of Bolt Tail in better weather last Sunday.

QRP 2m FM

For the next few days I'm going to stay with my brother in S.Devon. I'll be taking along little ham gear, just the VX2 handportable to see what I can work out /P on the cliff tops. Usually I find activity levels down there very quiet but occasionally I manage to surprise myself by working some simplex DX. The weather forecast is normal for when I go to Devon - rain, then rain and then some more rain :-(  The VX2 is a rather good little 2m/70cms portable - very small and light - but it works better with a decent antenna such as a 1/4 wave whip on 2m, which also works pretty well as a 3/4 wave on 70cms too.

Sub-9kHz NoV application being processed

Rod Wilkinson confirmed that he's received my application today at OFCOM:

Hi Roger,

Many thanks for your email and you will be pleased to know that your application has arrived on my desk this morning, I am sure all will be in order.

As mentioned earlier my colleagues have contacted the Met Office but we are awaiting their response, I am afraid this may not be a prompt process.

I will keep you updated as we progress but if you do wish to check on the status please do contact me.

Vy 73

Rod

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.