Lack of WSPR2 activity on 137kHz

Having run WSPR2 now for a couple of days on 137.5kHz, I have still only received reports from 2 different stations, although I have had LOTS of their reports, suggesting my signal is consistently reaching 250km. My signal is clearly visible to at least this distance, but without people looking I cannot be sure how much further can be expected with the earth-electrode antenna and 30uW ERP.

Although I will box up the new 137kHz transverter and tick the "finished" box I am disappointed that there is not more activity. Most LF/MF people are exploring the new 472kHz band, so interest in Europe for 137kHz is not high apart from DK7FC who is putting out a massive signal that is being copied in both North and South America.

So, what next?  My mind is beginning to think of my new QTH in the village, which we expect to move to in the summer.  What antennas can I put up without upsetting the neighbours? What will the noise floor be like? How much better will VHF/UHF coverage be from the top of our little "hill"?

Main G3XBM website facelift

Revised G3XBM main website

This week I have been doing some housekeeping on my main website www.g3xbm.co.uk .  At the moment the content is much the same as before, although some old pages have not been recreated.  Hopefully the new site layout will be easier to navigate using the sidebar menu. Please let me have any feedback or errors that you spot with links or content. Over the coming weeks I hope to add further new content.

If you bookmark the site please bookmark www.g3xbm.co.uk and NOT the page it automatically redirects too. You will no longer be able to reach the old site and I do not propose to grant individual access permission to the archived old site. Already I have had several requests for access to the old pages.

My new WSPR DX record on 137.5kHz

Having run the 137.5kHz transverter with WSPR-15 (15 minute on periods) overnight - around 30uW from the earth-electrode antenna - I wasn't too hopeful about my chances with WSPR-2 this morning. WSPR-15 failed because of the thermal drift in the 15 minute on period I think.

Anyway I put the TX on WSPR-2 on 137.5khz this morning and let it run. After a couple of hours with no success I was VERY pleased to see I had been spotted several times by G8HUH at 250km. My previous record a year or so ago was just 148km (G3YXM) so this is considerably further and entirely in line with my predictions based on the QRSS3 beacon results.

WSPRing again on 137.5kHz

Today I built a breadboard version of my transverter for 137kHz and now I have it running WSPR-2 for the evening.

RF power from the IRF640 transverter PA is around 30-40W (depending on the PA voltage) and the ERP should be around 25-30uW using the earth-electrode antenna.  At present, the transverter is only on 20% duty cycle TX and I have still to add the RX preamp and switching.

My recent 137.766kHz QRSS3 tests using a measured just 6.6uW ERP from the earth-electrode antenna have now concluded.  Best reports were G3WCB (101km), G3XDV (61km) and G4FEV (56.7km).

G3XBM just detectable on G3WCB's trace at 101km

Stronger signal with G3XDV at 61km

Similar signal at G4FEV at 56.7km

Judging by the QRSS3 results with 6dB lower ERP than my WSPR signal, I think reports out to >100km should certainly be possible as long as people are looking.  WSPR2 is able to detect at about the same level as QRSS10, so overall I have around 11dB more "system gain" (5dB QRSS3 to WSPR, 6dB ERP improvement).

Oscar 6 and 7 satellites

Way back in the 1970s I took my first steps into amateur space communications by listening to the SSB and CW signals coming down from the new (then!) Oscar 6 and Oscar 7 satellites as they passed over. Equipment was an HB9CV antenna in the loft, a 2m-80m homebrew converter feeding a Codar T28 receiver. It was crude, but it worked fine. The same set-up worked well for monitoring 2m CW and SSB terrestrial activity as well.

Using my "osculator" - a map with the satellite paths and an overlay showing when the satellite would be in range on the various paths I could predict when signals would first appear from the south and disappear in the north.

Best passes were ones over the mid Atlantic when , for around 10-15 minutes, sometimes less, US and Canadian stations would appear at the top of the 2m band. It was very exciting at the time. If I recall correctly HB9HB was a beacon near the top of the band and that could be copied too via the satellites.

Although I had one satellite QSO years later with a 10m-15m transponder on one of the later Oscars, I never did get into it on TX.  In the Southgate News today I read that Oscar 7 is still good for DX QSOs even though it is now 37 years old. Whatever happened to the Phase III satellites in geosynchronous orbit like Oscar 40? Did that fail to work?

You can see where the satellite is now at various websites allowing tracking. For example http://www.n2yo.com/?s=7530 .

137.766kHz ERP - now measured at 6.6uW

So, today I repeated my field measurements to establish the ERP of my 8W 137.766kHz beacon feeding my earth-electrode antenna. This time I did the measurement correctly. Here's how.

1. Travel 2km from the home QTH with E-field probe, FT817 and PC running Spectran.
2. Choose a location in the best direction for the "loop in the ground" so the measured signal strength is close to the maximum possible i.e. not off the sides of the loop.
3. Set up FT817 so the RF gain is adjustable and turned well back and the AGC is inactive.
4. Tune in my LF beacon and adjust the RF gain to the lowest possible detection level.
5. Measure the S/N of my signal with Spectran and note reading.
6. Retune to DCF39 (138.830kHz) and, without adjusting the RF gain at all, measure the S/N with Spectran.
7. Repeat these measurements 5 times.
8. Calculate the difference in dB between my signal and DCF39 (in my case 41.3dB)
9. Using the assumption that DCF39 has a field strength of 1mV/m, work out my own field strength (in my case 9uV/m)
10. Using the formula ERP = (E^2 * d^2)/49 work out the ERP.

Answer? My measured ERP on 137.766kHz is 6.6uW

Caveats:

1. If DCF39 is not approx 1mV/m then the ERP needs to be adjusted up or down proportionally.
2. Measurement error is +/- 2dB.
3. The ERP is the figure measured in close to the best direction. Off the sides of the loop the ERP will be much lower.

Conclusions:

1. Stations able to detect the QRSS3 signal at any distance are doing well as the signal is very weak indeed.
2. Using my proposed WSPR transverter at 32W, for example as a reasonable target output, would give me 6dB more ERP at around 25uW.
3. Based on results with QRSS3, I should be able to be copied using WSPR-2 at up to 100km on ground wave. At night with sky wave, considerably further is possible. 
4. Using WSPR-15 and 32W my ground wave range should be up to around 200km, possibly a little more. 

The QRSS3 beacon is still running over the weekend and more reports would be welcomed

SMA version of the G3XBM 472kHz transverter

In an email,  John G4BAO tells me he has built an SMA version of my 472kHz transverter. At present, he is getting 5W RF out using standard SMA parts and a different FET.  If you wish to enquire about this version please contact John and NOT me!

G4BAO's SMA version of the G3XBM 472kHz transverter

Amateur activity on VLF in the last few days

Several amateurs in Europe have reported strong signals on 8970.022Hz VLF, a frequency used in the past by DJ8WX near Hamburg. It is some months since there has been any amateur "dreamers band" activity, so this is very welcome. This is the signal as seem in the Czech Republic on the OK2BVG grabber. Note the timescale on the grabber picture. It is necessary to watch the signal for very many hours to see the signal appear. Hence, very stable transmissions are needed, and a receiving system that is able to hold to a few uHz for hours and hours on end. Just listening on VLF and you will have ZERO chance of detecting such signals.
Amateur VLF reception is usually a "whole new ballgame" compared with listening for the strong MSF signals sending to submarines which are very strong.

VLF amateur signal, believed to be DJ8WX yesterday seen on Lubos, OK2BVG's grabber

My ERP on 137.766kHz is.......

Thanks to G4FEV, I've just realised that I made a fundamental mistake measuring my field strength, forgetting to turn off the AGC when taking the measurements of my signal relative to DCF39. Whereas my initial measurements indicated the ERP was in the low mW region, in reality my signal is much, much weaker. For example, G4FEV reckons my signal is some 70-80dB weaker than DCF39 where he is, if not more! So, tomorrow I shall have to try the test again and see if I can get a sensible figure with AGC turned OFF.

G3XDV's screenshot of my QRSS3 LF signal this afternoon.

Mike G3XDV (61km) has just sent me a very comprehensive report with 178 screenshots of my QRPp signal over the last 30 hours. Copy was remarkably good considering everything. Again, I am amazed how well this works.

G4FEV reports my QRSS3 LF signal at 56.7km

Path between G4FEV and G3XBM

This afternoon I was out and about with my E-field probe checking signal levels of my little 137.766kHz QRPp QRSS3 beacon at various locations around the Cambridge area. The furthermost point I tried was near Comberton, 21.5km WSW of the home QTH in Burwell. I have taken a lot of measurements, including the level of DCF39 at the same locations so that later I can work out my field strength and thence ERP.

G4FEV's screen shot of my QRPp QRSS3 137.766kHz beacon at 56.7km

When I arrived home I had an email from Dave G4FEV 56.7km due west of me to say he had copied my signal and had sent a good clear screenshot. Signals with Dave looked quite good, suggesting the signal due west may be stronger than signals in the Cambridge direction (SW - WSW). The earth-electrode antenna has directivity but, aside from a zero copy at one location orthogonal to the "loop" I have still to work out exactly which directions have the strongest signals. Based on the above I think it is close to W-E.