Getting the shack back

Tomorrow evening my house grows about 200% in size. Actually my 2 delightful young grandchildren and their mums and dads go home meaning I can restore the shack to its main use! At the moment it is a bedroom for the two grandchildren, so amateur operation is impossible. One thing on the agenda is the CQWW SSB contest at the weekend. This is one of the contests I enjoy as it is a good way to work lots of US states and Canadian provinces, even with 5W QRP. Another task is to further optimise the XBM10-2 tiny transceiver, put it in a tiny case and work some more countries with it.

2 countries worked with the 28MHz XBM10-2

Well, off to a good start today with a couple of QSOs with the 2 transistor XBM10-2 60mW 10m CW transceiver. Much to my surprise I got 439 from IT9QAU/QRP at 1547z today.  Distance was 1414km.

Then 599 (with chirp) from M0DRK, who is in the same village as me. So 2 DXCC countries worked already.  On receive, the oscillator will not always start in the latest circuit version in which I've reduced the component count by a further 2 parts (just 11 parts plus crystal and earpiece now).  Still, a very promising start for something so ultra-simple.

UPDATE 1850z 20.11.10: To get the oscillator to always start on RX, to get TX spot-on 28.060 with the right offset for RX I had to revert to the earlier design and put 2 parts back. The revised schematic is shown here. This IS such fun.

2 transistor transceiver for 28MHz CW

This afternoon I built what is probably just about the simplest CW transceiver possible for use on 10m. Based on my XBM80-2 design for 80m, this is essentially the same circuit redone for a 28.060MHz fundamental crystal.

Depending on how much chirp one is prepared to accept (there is quite a bit) the power output is around 50-70mW, which is enough to cross the Atlantic on a good day. With less output the chirp should be reduced. The receiver audio output into the high impedance crystal earpiece is low, but I can hear down to around 2uV (-100dBm) in a quiet room. The circuit is a colpitts oscillator used as a TX oscillator with the key down and as a direct conversion receiver with a single stage oscillator-mixer and separate audio gain stage with the key up.

The rig is full break-in going from RX to TX when the key is pressed. It works as I have already heard Ws on the band today. Broadcast breakthrough does not seem to be an issue. I hope to have a few local QSOs soon, but really believe it will get much further.  It could do with tidying up and boxing and it really needs a small low pass filter for serious use.

More WSPR database issues today

28MHz WSPR this afternoon - loads of signals

Sadly this afternoon the internet WSPR database crashed again, just at a time when 10m propagation was excellent and some decent reports were coming in from the USA and elsewhere with my 50mW to the halo. All afternoon I was getting an endless string of DX stations coming through on WSPR all running 5W or much less but I have been unable to upload these to the database or get my own reports from it. I noticed G4KPX about 15km away from me was testing on 10m WSPR with 5mW and I am sure he would have been getting plenty of DX reports in today's conditions. Let's hope the database is back soon so I can upload spots manually and see what reports I was getting in the last few hours.

My other blog: Miscellaneous Musings

There are times when I want to speak my mind or share thoughts on matters unrelated to amateur radio. Rather than post these here in future, except in exceptional circumstances, I've started a new blog called Miscellaneous Musings which will cover all manner of subjects. Feel free to follow me there too and make comments.

http://qss2.blogspot.com

10m AM DX QSO today

Today I had a nice solid AM QSO across the Atlantic to K2WF in Long Island on 29.010MHz when I was running just 4W to the halo antenna. My report was 55 and I gave Alan 57. He was running 25W carrier. This is my first 10m DX AM QSO in about 10 years and very welcome too.

Nostaglia - listen again to famous shortwave interval signals

If, like me, your first experience of short-wave radio was listening to DX broadcast stations back in the 1950s or 1960s on a simple home built radio you may want to take a nostalgic listen to the recordings of a large number of the interval signals from those far-off days. Even now, those evocative tunes send a shiver of excitement down my spine.  Some browsers may not like the link which is to my public Dropbox folder, but I assure you it is safe.

Superb HF conditions - sunspot count is high

Yet again, 28MHz is buzzing with signals right across the whole band with stations simultaneously coming through from the Far East and the USA. The sunspot number today is 166 which is very high. If the sunspot count and flux levels remain at this level or increase further in the next 12 months I think it is highly likely the peak will be a pretty good one, despite many predicting this would be a weak peak.

What I am hoping for now are some 6m transatlantic openings this winter. I well recall previous good peaks when 50-50.2MHz was filled with Ws and VE stations booming in at 59 on just a small wire dipole.

The Voice of the Common Man/Woman

This picture appeared on my Facebook pages today. It shows someone on one of the marches across the world protesting at bankers and the mess they have caused.  I think it is excellent and speaks volumes about the concerns of good, decent and ordinary people. Stupid bankers have gambled away OUR pensions and OUR livelihoods for the sake of THEIR short-term gain. Power to the people!!

29MHz AM Signals

For the first time in several years I am hearing 10m AM signals coming through from across the Atlantic between 29 - 29.1MHz. Good signals from N1GKX and KA1CU amongst several others including UA and G. For me, 10m AM is like a time warp, reminding me of how the HF bands used to sound in my youth back in the early 1960s. Yet to work any DX AM this season.