Half century reached on 472kHz with 10mW ERP

After less than a week on the 472kHz band, I see that my tiny QRP signal has now been copied by 50 unique reporters in 8 countries so far with the best DX over 1000km.

If anyone thinks they have no chance on this new MF band then please note my antenna has just 6m outside the house which is vertical - the other 6-8m is in the loft against copper pipes and wires. This wire is just the coax to my 10m halo taped to the aluminium pole and my ground just my central heating copper.  ERP is around 10mW from my transverter producing around 10W (i.e. about 30dB antenna efficiency loss because of the short size and compromised feed). The ATU is still just a ferrite rod coil on my desktop! I tune the antenna for maximum current and do not have an SWR meter for this band ( when matched the PA runs cool and the antenna current is highest).

My apologies for the small type size below, but I had to reduce the browser size to get all the reports on a page I could screen capture. Getting a signal out on MF is honestly not difficult at all.

50 unique reports on 472kHz WSPR so far with 10mW ERP

In the next few days I want to try my earth antenna (20m spaced earth electrodes connected by a wire only 1.5m above ground) used on VLF earth-mode TX to see how reports compare. Tests on 500kHz suggested reports were around 8dB down on my loop used at that time, but I have not yet compared results against my compromised 1/100 wavelength high vertical. It will be intriguing to see how I get on.

First JT9-1 QSO on 472kHz

This afternoon I had my first digital 2-way QSO on the new 472kHz band using JT9-1 mode created by K1JT. The contact was with G3ZJO in IO92. Solid -15dB S/N reports were exchanged. I am still getting to grips with the JT mode procedure.

QRP JT9-1 QSO with G3ZJO today on the 472kHz band

 I also tried to work G3KEV on CW but he was unable to hear my QRP signal. I will try for more JT9-1 QSOs over the weekend.

Chinese all-mode, all band handheld for under £300

The Yintong HVU1 is an all-mode, all band 1.8-1296MHz handheld designed as a real competitor to the FT817, KX3 and Ten-tec Argonaut VI and priced at around £299 in the UK and $299 in the USA. It comes with a 3 year warranty.

Small in size (about 80% the volume of the FT817) with Li-Ion battery, internal auto-ATU, OLED colour display, speech processor, DSP audio processing, with full support for digital modes like PSK31, JT65 and other WSJT modes. Power out is 5W pep on all bands apart from 1296MHz where the power is 2W pep. Control of the rig by PC is via USB. Free CD software is supplied with the rig to allow easy memory programming and to set up digital mode interfacing.

It is just about everything QRPers have been looking for at a price that people can afford, except that I woke up and realised I'd been dreaming.

Happy New Year everyone .............and dream on.
                                                                                                   

First CW QSO on 472kHz

Although my local noise level is a little lower on 472kHz than on 500kHz it is still not low, so working stations with the current TX antenna (using it on RX and TX) is not the best of set-ups. Nonetheless, this evening I had my first 2-way QSO (on any band) of 2013 and this was on 472.5kHz CW with G3XIZ in Biggleswade. We exchanged 579 reports, although I was rather generous with my report really because of the local SMPSU noise. Also heard was G3YXM who was rather weaker than Chris.

I am now continuing with WSPR beaconing and will run the beacon (TX and RX) through the night for the first time on the new MF band. So far my best DX report is from Germany, but I would dearly love to be copied, if just once, by TF3HZ in Iceland. Haldor is monitoring and it is just about at (or just beyond) the limit of range with my 10-20mW ERP.  With QRP I have learned that nothing seems to be impossible with a bit of perseverance and good luck.

Hello 472kHz!

Today I did my first proper transmissions on 472-479kHz, although I did operate for a few hours before Christmas when there was some confusion over the NoV start date. Results today have been excellent with just ~10mW ERP from the short vertical antenna.

14 unique stations reporting my QRPp WSPR today on 474.2kHz

 Best DX is 990km, a very promising start on the new band. In addition, I appear to be suffering less noise on the new band than on 500kHz so I have been able to copy 6 unique WSPR stations so far.

In summary, a good few hours on the new band.

Goodbye 500kHz - it was good to know you.

This evening the 500kHz band is being withdrawn from UK amateurs at midnight, as it is in most other countries too, to be replaced by the 472-479kHz band. So, this evening is the end of an era.

With 2 young grandchildren staying with us for a few days (and using the shack as a bedroom), opportunities to get on the band have been very limited, but I did manage an hour of WSPR beaconing around tea time tonight as my way of saying "farewell" to the band. There were plenty of stations active as the reports below indicate.

So, I'll be QRT for a few days then starting up on 472kHz, although if I get a chance I shall be WSPRing during some of the day on New Year's Day.

Stations receiving my 10mW ERP 500kHz WSPR signals this evening

Recording the last hours on 500kHz?

Back in the late 1940s G5UM and others recorded the last few hours of operation on the old 56MHz (5m) band on an old 78rpm disc. Sadly this disc and copies of it appear to be lost forever.

I am very much hoping that a few stations in the UK and Eire will record the last hours on the 500kHz band which is being withdrawn on Dec 31st for ever, to be replaced by 472-479kHz.  Such recordings are a valuable piece of amateur radio history which will be treasured in years to come.  It would be a pleasure to pull such recordings together for posterity, but I shall be unable to listen myself because I'll not have access to the shack at that time.

If YOU can listen between 2300-2400GMT on Dec 31st and make a few recordings of the CW activity, please send me copies and I will produce a CD or MP3 file of them all.

472kHz (quiet) RX preamp

When the grandchildren and family have all gone home next week, my first project will be to improve the RX antenna system for 472-479kHz receive. As mentioned before, I am suffering badly from SMPSU noise pick-up inside the house, so plan to install a magnetic loop and preamp somewhere towards the bottom of the garden in an attempt to minimise pick-up from my own home and from neighbours. With a loop there is also the ability to sharply tune the antenna and to null interference from the worse directions. The circuit I propose to use is a version of my 9kHz tuned preamp, which has been used to copy G, DL and OK amateur stations on 8.97kHz last year. The loop will simply be retuned to the new MF band.  Not sure whether series or parallel connection to the loop will be better as both should work depending on the FET stage configuration (common base or common source).

Proposed tuned preamp, but with values changed for 472-479kHz

Last days on 500kHz

With just a few days left before the 500kHz permits are withdrawn for ever I've been doing a last gasp bit of WSPR beaconing. It is not easy to get on as we have grandchildren sleeping in the shack, but I managed to get on for a couple of hours early this evening.

Recent 500kHz WSPR reports (10mW ERP)

Reports were received from G, PA, DL and F stations. My local noise from the central heating controller prevented me copying much on the band. Before many days I shall have to erect a separate RX antenna for 472kHz.

A Happy Christmas

A very Happy Christmas to everyone who reads this blog. Today has been spent with some of the family enjoying good food, drinks and games. More of the family comes here tomorrow and yet more later in the week. We are now sitting down watching the typical Christmas TV fare in front of the roaring fire.

Quietly in the background, my WSPR beacon has been running with best DX 2-way reports with Brazil and best reception the Nambian WSPR beacon. 

One of my presents was a book of maps of the South Devon Coastal Footpath and another the second edition of QRP Basics. In a later blog I'll review the new version.

But now it is back to mince pies and a cup of tea!