GB3VHF

The GB3VHF beacon on 144.430MHz  (and soon to be GB3UHF on 432.430MHz)  is 107km more or less due south of here. Although it is decent signal on the 3el beam, it does not move the FT817 S-meter.

Does anyone know roughly the difference in the Cambridge area of this compared with the old Wrotham beacon? As I recall it Wrotham was a lot stronger.

A weaker signal is no problem, but I hope it is not just me that gets the Fairseat beacon on the North Downs in Kent weaker than the old Wrotham beacon used to be.

I expect to be able to copy the GB3UHF beacon when it comes on-air on 432.430MHz. Currently it is awaiting site sharing permission. It already has a licence from OFCOM.

10m - all N-S so far today

No signs (yet anyway) of North American stations. PY4AJ  and FR1GZ are there, along with others, but all these are N-S rather than E-W paths. I suspect this is going to be the pattern in the months ahead with fewer openings across the N.Atlantic. Summer time we will get a few E-W openings on 10m and 6m by multi-hop Es too.

The path to 4X1RF seems to be regularly open. This is a single hop by F-layer.

UPDATE 1800z:  IK1WVQ has been consistent in the last hour. I assume the propagation is Es.  IZ6QZB is spotting me.

UPDATE 1902z:   EA5CYA being spotted. Es.

UPDATE 2050z:    M0MVB (30km) the only station exchanging spots with in last hour. Has the 10m band died out for today?  No, then I spot EA5CYA again!

UPDATE 2110z:  After resetting the clock and restarting the WSPR software (yes, it had stopped) I see that EA5CYA running 200mW WSPR  is still a decent signal. This must be Es.

Unique 10m WSPR spots to 1420z

No stateside spots yet today. These are the unique station spots on 10m WSPR today.  Most were spotted many times.

Slow deep fading on 2m

As the PI7CIS beacon on 2m seems a good propagation indicator it was interesting to see what happened in the rain today around 1325z. Whereas the beacon seems to be nearly always copyable, but not moving the S-meter on the FT817, it was in a deep,slow fade around 5 minutes long just now  - still there, but maybe 6dB weaker. Looks like it is copyable most of the time but a bad fade would make it not readable.

10m WSPR - 0845z start today

An earlier 10m WSPR start today. Sunspot count 81 and 20-30MHz conditions "normal" so expect some Asians and South Americans and even a chance of N.America later in the day.

On 2m, the PI7CIS beacon (228km) is a consistent, if weak but fully readable, signal but the co-sited 70cm beacon cannot be detected at all.

By 0854z EX1UN and DL5ZBS had been spotted here and 4X1RF has spotted my 2W strongly twice. At 0907z FR1GZ (9724km) was spotted with a good signal. Everything as expected.

UPDATE 1120z: As well as a good crop of DX, there are plenty of EU stations in this morning's WSPR log including F, LA and DL These could well be by Es propagation.

10m WSPR this evening and (maybe) PI7CIS UHF?

Because of various non-radio factors I was " late on parade" getting on 10m WSPR today. I did not turn the rig on until 1750z. As yet, no spots given or received, but sunspot count is 80, and 20-30MHz conditions supposed to be "poor" with quite disturbed conditions.

UPDATE 1834z:  At 1832z just spotted CE3YP (Chile, 5W, FF46qn, 11742km) at -24dB S/N.

The other RX (70cms on the 5el beam), may have detected faint traces of the PI7CIS beacon on 70cms. Signals were well LF of the indicated beacon frequency (about 1kHz) and were too weak to copy the callsign. There was something there for about 5secs at RST229. Looks like this beacon will only be copied under lift conditions.

UPDATE 1915z:  At 1906z PY2RN (9550km) was spotted at -14dB S/N. A little later he was -9dB.

UPDATE 2030z:  No further reports in the last hour.  Unless there are very late surprises, like last night, this is probably it for tonight. I was surprised to spot Chile and Brazil on 10m WSPR!

UPDATE 2100z:  I have closed the station for the night.  A last look for PI7CIS (UHF beacon) was not successful.

VHF/UHF beacons PI7CIS Holland

Although I can copy the VHF beacon PI7CIS (144.416MHz) almost 100% of the time on my small 3el VHF beam (callsign clear but S-meter does not move on FT817) I have still to copy the co-sited UHF beacon with the same callsign.  On UHF (432.416MHz) I have the same low loss coax (Westflex) and a co-located 5el beam on the very same beam heading. I know this beacon is not GPS locked, so it may drift, but I am surprised not to have yet detected it at all, even allowing for the additional losses in the feeder (maybe a few dB?).

Indications are this 75W, coastally located (Scheveningen) beacon, is operational, unless anyone knows better? The antenna is reported to be a dipole aiming 90/270 degrees which would be poor in my direction.

Anyone know the PI7CIS UHF beacon's current status please?

The next solar cycle?

Many are suggesting the next solar cycle (cycle 25) will have a very small peak and that we may even be entering a period with very few sunspots, not unlike the Maunder Minimum of the late 1600s. Truth is no-one can be sure. If it happens, the best propagation on 10m will be summertime Es - no bad thing. We will have to use 10m mainly for local traffic - it is a big band and a good choice for this.

Beacon hunting

Maybe tomorrow evening I need to do a good search for 70cm beacons in range under (near) flat conditions. There is a distinct lack of UK 70cm beacons, with even the very good GB3BSL beacon near Bristol now QRT. This would have been copied, I feel sure, at this QTH.  Some of the nearer European ones may be  receivable.  PI7CIS (on 70cm) is probably my best hope. I can copy the co-sited 2m beacon.

10m WSPR - April 29th 2014

Nothing spectacular so far today. Sunspot count 79 with 20-30MHz forecast to be "normal" whatever that means. So far, since turning on at about 1020z, just a couple of spots from 4X1RF (3519km) in Israel.

10m WSPR this morning - very quiet so far.

I have doubts the 10m band will be open to the USA and Canada today, although openings to South America would not surprise me.

Bottom rig on 28.1246MHz WSPR, top one on 2m beacons

UPDATE 1250z:     CX2ABP (11127km), in GF15wc square, spotted my 2W WSPR at 1136z, so the band has opened to South America albeit briefly here.

UPDATE 1720z:  No stateside spots here,  given or received,  today. Others may have been luckier.

UPDATE 1836z:  Just about to switch to MF when I see I've just spotted the 5W from LU8ENU (11208km) in GF05rl square (Buenos Aires) on 10m WSPR. At 1840z he spotted my 2W.

UPDATE 2000z:    Stateside was being worked from GM, UA6 and EA5 but not from here.

UPDATE 2100z:  A few Europeans but little else (Es?).

UPDATE 2114z:  Well, well, stateside at last! AK4T (6733km), EM74vb square,was spotted running 500mW.   I was just about to turn everything off but will leave a bit longer now.  At 2122z his drift was -4Hz suggesting moving F layers.   I suspect spread-F and reflections from near the equator?

UPDATE 2135z:  A most interesting day on this fascinating band.  4 continents after all.  Time for bed!