More VLF DX TX tests by DK7FC planned

Stefan DK7FC is applying for permission from the German authorities to erect a 300m long kit supported antenna for his next transmitting tests on VLF. Before this is possible he hopes to test with a 200m long kite antenna. The main concern now is summer noise levels on VLF and the effect this will have on DX possibilities. Some ionospheric propagation simulations by SQ7MPJ suggest that attenuation over an 800kms+ distance would be a few dB less if the TX frequency was reduced to around 5-6kHz instead of 8.97kHz because of the effect of the D-layer.

OY1OF on 10m WSPR - Doppler shifted

OY1OF was already receiving signals from me and G3ZJO at 0724z today on 10m WSPR. His signal with me had very distinct Doppler shift on each transmission suggesting that the E layer is moving or at least is unstable. The sunspot count (unrelated to Es I think) was at a very high 77 today. I've now reduced my TX power back to 1W as 5W is probably too much. I must try WSPRing on 10m with very low mW levels soon.

My shack in 1977

Thumbing through some old family photos in a box tonight, I found this one of my shack as it was in 1977 when my son was about 1.5yrs old.  It was interesting to see what gear I had then. On the far right  of the table is the Liner-2 144MHz 10W pep SSB transceiver. Next to it is a 28MHz 1W crystal controlled CW TX (xtals on the log book) and below that I think it was a 15W PA for 28MHz that I used briefly. On the left of this is the Eddystone EC10 receiver which was used with a down converter to RX on 28MHz. I had more space then than now!

The Heathkit Lunchbox on 75m AM

K6KWQ has just built a Small Wonders Lab "Retro-75" QRP AM transceiver kit into an old Heathkit HW30 (Lunchbox) case. The Retro-75 puts out 2.5W AM on 80/75m and is a nice way of getting back on AM on the band. AM is quite popular in the UK with stations active around 3615kHz.  Dick has made a very neat job of re-labelling the old Heathkit box so it looks like a genuine Heathkit rig, but for 75m AM.

Photo of a man born in 1746

Looking through my old photos I found this today. This appeared in a newspaper some years ago and it shows a man who was 102yrs old when the photo was taken in 1848. This means he was born in 1746, 10 years before Mozart was born and was a middle aged man when the Bastille was stormed in Paris. The calotype photo was taken by William Collie who I believe was a photographer on Jersey in the Channel Islands. See also http://www.all-art.org/history658_photography5-2.html

Sunspot count 61

Although conditions have been a bit disturbed lately, the sunspot count reached 61 today. This is a decent sunspot number and conditions are certainly on a generally upward trend now. This autumn should see conditions very much better on the higher bands than for many years. Whoopee!

10m WSPR - real DX

Here's a shot of the shack since it's been repainted. All is back in place and I've just been rewarded with a WSPR report from CX2ABP at 11127kms by F2 TEP mode when running 5W to my 10m wire halo Homebase-10 antenna. I wonder if this is a combination of Es and F2 TEP as I'm also getting WSPR spots from Spain.

10m WSPR - interesting short skip

This morning and lunchtime I've been running 5W WSPR on 28MHz. There was some Es propagation but the most interesting reports were from Holland with two reports at around 450kms. Now this is usually too short for Es propagation, so I wonder if this was tropo?

8.97kHz noise levels

DK7FC has delayed further DX tests on 8.97kHz because of thunderstorms in Germany. Stefan comments that the noise levels appear to be rising as thunderstorm activity increases as we move towards summer. He is wondering if further VLF DX tests should be postponed until the autumn when the noise will lower again. You can check UK thunderstorm activity on the Nowcast website.

QRP AM TX for 12m or 10m (ON6MU)

Just spotted this little circuit on ON6MU's website: it's a small 100mW QRP AM transmitter for either 12m or 10m using a single stage modulated crystal oscillator. AM can be quite a lot of fun on 10m around 29-29.1MHz.