10m - late finish last night and early start today

Transatlantic spots were being exchanged here with the USA at 2W as late as 2252z last night and with Israel at 0610z (very early) this morning. I have the feeling that today will be good on 10m WSPR. Sunspot count is extremely high (245) but conditions on higher HF are said to be disturbed with blackouts and "poor" .

Recent 10m WSPR spots

Interesting that since 0612z 10m seems to have gone very quiet. Maybe blackouts? Only G7FYO copyable here now this morning (162km) at -19 to-24dB S/N.

I am periodically checking the WSPR software is still running and the clock spot on internet time. Usually there are several Europeans visible as well as FR1GZ if active.

VHF/UHF antenna arrives

A large package arrived today: my 3el/5el VHF/UHF beam, brackets and feeder cable. I must now await Andrew G6ALB to help me erect it.

We have grandchildren here over Easter, so I am hoping Andrew can help next week or the week after in time for UKAC Tuesday evening contest sessions. I am quite looking forward to having some modest gain on 2m and 70cms SSB/CW/digital. I gather there are also Sunday and Wednesday activity sessions on 70cms.

10m update - 2200z

Well, the PC is still running and there are still lots of WSPR spots from both North and South America. I shall reset the PC clock and WSPR software (DONE) before going to bed so I  hope to catch any very late openings on 10m tonight and early in the morning. A few days ago 10m was open until past midnight local time and conditions this evening look good.

UPDATE 2154z:  8 spots as a result of my 2W WSPR burst at 2154z and 7 of these were from the USA.

PC turned off WSPR - again

Yet again, the afternoon appeared very quiet on WSPR until I realised my main shack PC had decided to close the WSPR program yet again.  I have only just turned it back on again and am seeing W4 and PY in the logs. I thought it very odd not to be seeing any USA transatlantic reports: it helps if the program is actually running!

The turning off seems to be a bi-product of Windows 8.1 as this never occurred with my old XP machine. It is not a major issue.

Station seen since restarting the software:

1602 -16 -1.4  28.126026  0 WB4KLJ FM18 33
1602  -5 -0.8  28.126066  0 PY5EJ GG54 40
1604  -3 -0.8  28.126096  0 WA9JWL EN70 37
1606 -11  0.5  28.126161  1 K3NAL FM18 37
1610 -18 -0.8  28.126080  0 CX2ABP GF15 37
1614  -3 -0.8  28.126065  0 PY5EJ GG54 40
1624 -17 -0.5  28.126079  0 CX2ABP GF15 37
1624 -21 -0.7  28.126089  0 KZ8C EM88 37
1628 -26 -0.5  28.126003  0 PY2RN GG66 30

PY2RN WSPR analysis

Bert PA1B has analysed my recent reception on WSPR by PY2RN to see just how little power could have been used and still be successfully decoded in Brazil - the answer is very little for a lot of the time! Most times even 1mW should have been enough. This of course assumes local noise levels allow decoding to the lowest levels for WSPR at around -30dB S/N. In some cases this may not be possible because of local QRN/QRM.

Late evening reports on 10m

Before my program stopped running, 10m WSPR was in good shape up to (at least) 2200z last night. TI3/AB4AW (Costa Rica, Central America) was last reported (by me) at 2200z.

10m 2W WSPR spots last evening until very late

It may well have been open later still, but my WSPR program decided to close! This morning, I have re-opened the WSPR software and reset the clock to internet time. This morning, sunspot count is 149 with "stable/good" propagation forecast. 10m should be good today.

Some building in the shack!

For the first time since my stroke last year I decided to build and test something in the shack (other than a loading coil). For my very wobbly self, this is a major step.  I decided to have a go at the Petitico 10 parts rig from PY2OHH shown a few posts back.

Somewhere I have a 7MHz crystal, but I could not locate it, so I built a bench version, for 3.560MHz instead. I still haven't managed to optimise values yet.

On RX the sensitivity with 600 ohm headphones was, at best -70dBm, so a strong signal is needed to hear anything. It was less sensitive with a crystal earpiece. It is possible that further optimisation might yield a few dB more, but this level I expected. The RX-TX offset seems ideal. The only real operating technique, with this sort of sensitivity, is LISTEN (for a good, strong signal) and then POUNCE. I have yet to check TX output power.

 I'd like to try it on 7MHz really and may buy some 7.030MHz crystals from GQRP club sales. On 7MHz I have an antenna and can listen for my signal on the Twente SDR RX in Holland.

The actual results are almost academic. What mattered was that I actually built something with my soldering iron, didn't burn holes in the carpet and, sort of managed, despite my severe balance problems.

I am wondering if I should open the Ultimate 3 Beacon kit box and build it or wait a few more weeks. At the moment I think I should wait. My confidence levels are still low.

The 481THz NLOS test I had planned will have to wait until I feel less giddy I have decided. Everything for now will be shack based.

Slow start on 10m this morning

Time now is 1030z and so far only DK3SML (733km) at 0854z has been spotted on 10m WSPR.  Sunspot count is 105 with "normal" HF conditions, so hopeful of improvements as the day progresses, but signs are not encouraging: it was better at this time yesterday and yesterday was not a very good day.

UPDATE 1148z: spots exchanged with PY2RN,  also CX2ABP (11127km) spotted here. The band is livening up on N-S paths only so far here. No transatlantic stations yet copied.

UPDATE 1950z: transatlantic spots, 2-way spots by exchanged with CX2ABP (11127km) into S.America with 2W, and a TJ3 - in all a good day on 10m, despite the slow start.

UPDATE 2042z: still being spotted by K1OF (5500km).

Unique 10m WSPR spots of my 2W signal today

481THz RX issue - now fixed

As mentioned in an earlier post, my sensitive non line-of-sight NLOS optical (red LED at about 481THz) RX packed up when I clumsily dropped it yesterday when out in the field at the test site. An investigation this morning revealed a wire had dropped off the battery feed and this was easily fixed. The  RX now works as before.
 
I shall have to try the NLOS test again when my wife can drive me out there. I shall have to do it soon as tree leaves will soon obscure the path at the home QTH end. Just wish I was not so clumsy still following the stroke last year. In the field I feel so much less able than last year. I feel really disabled and hate being so useless and clumsy.

UPDATE 2050z: for now, all my tests will be shack-based because of my poor health, so no immediate plans to repeat NLOS tests until I feel a lot less wobbly.

10m - mixed fortunes

Today was an odd day on 10m WSPR - some good propagation N-S but very marginal indeed transatlantic.  The band did open up but hardly any transatlantic spots.

I think we are now moving towards summertime conditions and are gradually starting the slide down towards the next minimum. We will have a very long journey downwards and some days conditions will be excellent. On many days, the band will be closed. On some days propagation will be mainly N-S only.

With luck, Es will help to liven up the band in summertime. Just occasionally, mutli-hop Es will support transatlantic 10m and 6m propagation as well as propagation into the Middle East. Also, sometimes the first hop is Es then linking up with F layer propagation further to the south.  Even in the quiet years, 10m has surprises.

At 2142z NA4U (6533km) was spotting my 2W still. Surprise!