10m early start

4X1RF was spotting me from 0442z today which is very early indeed. Are we in for a good day? Sunspot count is 137 and 20-30MHz conditions meant to be "good". We'll see.

At the moment (0830z)  4X1RF and 4X1DA are the only stations spotting me. Sometimes their reports are identical whereas at other times they differ by 11dB, I assume because of different antennas and the exact path by which my signal arrives at their stations.  Fascinating.

UPDATE 0840z:  Just been spotted in Norway by LB9YE (1533km) presumably by Es. No "decent" DX yet.

UPDATE 1245z:  Still very quiet on 10m WSPR.   Mainly 4X1RF and a few spots from LB9YE. A very quiet day on 10m.

UPDATE 1515z:   Just one South American spotted me - PU8MET  (7842km). So far today conditions have been dire.

UPDATE 1745z:  10m is an amazing band: just when I was ready to give up on the band WA6JRW (8664km) in DM14he was spotting me at -24dB S/N. A little earlier I spotted K9AN. Maybe there will be others?

UPDATE 2020z:  No more North or South Americans? I think the DX has passed now: 4X, DH and GM only now.

UPDATE 2015z:  Sorry, this is 10m, the band filled with surprises! In the last few minutes W1 call area spotted and being spotted. Probably yet more to come?

UPDATE 2100z:    WSPR spots exchanged 2-way with a couple of stations in the W1 call area. Conditions really are surprising after the lack-luster N-S conditions earlier in the day.

UPDATE 2130z:  Still DX about and those mysterious spots from Scotland again:

Recent 10m WSPR spots

GM4WJA yet again on 10m WSPR

Yet again GM4WJA (624km) has been spotting me on 10m WSPR. This is an odd distance as it seems far too close for F2 propagation. He must have spotted me nearly 60 times in all now.

There was an absence (here) of DX from South and North America: I was expecting decent conditions on the band but here at least there was nothing like real DX around.

2m UKAC this evening

The 2m UKAC contest was my first opportunity to try 2m under contest conditions with the FT817ND and the 3 el beam (hand rotated). In all I operated for 90 minutes before I had to stop because of my strained voice (stroke). Using my voice was hard work this evening!

Best DX was G4CZP/P in IO90jo (212km) and M0KJR in IO81vh (202km) but I heard (but did not work) GD8EXI on the Isle of Man who was called several times without success at the 5W level. To be honest, turning the beam was a pain and I suspect results would have been (at least) as good on a pair of stacked and phased big wheels (5dBd).  Perhaps it was my technique with the beam that needs to be learned? I wanted to peak the beam whereas I should have kept the beam heading and tried to work what I could hear well?

Conditions did not seem above normal to me. It was raining during the contest here. Compared with the halo (used before), results were definitely better.

Next Tuesday it will be the 70cm UKAC contest - that will be interesting if my voice is any good.

2m GB3MCB - 410km: no luck at all

The mid-Cornwall 2m beacon GB3MCB is 410km away on an all-land path and, as yet, I have still to receive it, even for very brief periods. I keep looking, but without any success so far.  By now I would have expected the odd MS ping or aircraft reflection but, so far, an absolute blank.

Can anyone confirm it is on-air?

UPDATE 1900z: A very weak signal,somewhat low (144.46802MHz CW) may have been a weak ping from this beacon? Too weak to tell and no callsign copied.

10m WSPR - the same faces?

One of the drawbacks of WSPR is that you seem to have the same people on day after day. This is "a good thing" if comparing reports day to day, but it means the reports tend to be from the same sub-set of the amateur community.  There would be more variety on some other modes. For this reason, I shall be trying some other modes in the coming days. The advantage of WSPR is it does not require me to speak (good with my stroke) and it works with very low power.  As I tend to use 2W and very modest (low gain) antennas, this mode usually suits me fine.

UPDATE 1645z:   Openings to South and North America have been noticeable by their absence here so far today. Yesterday, when conditions were supposed to be worse, the openings were quite decent. This afternoon 4X1RF and DK6UG were my main spotters, in fact my only spotters.

10m good today?

With a sunspot count of 131 and a forecast of "good" 20-30MHz conditions, 10m ought to be good today. Already UA6AAK has been spotted many times at 2780km and, as usual, 4X1RF has spotted my 2W. I confidently expect the band to open to South America shortly and to North America later.

If we didn't have visitors this afternoon,  it would be time to try JT65/JT9-1 on 10m for some 2-way QSOs.

UPDATE 1035z:  FR1GZ (9724km) has just been spotted at 0950z and 1030z.

Surprise, surprise! North America on 10m

K3NAL has been spotted here on 10m WSPR at 1918z, 1948z and 2008z.   At 1936z, 1942z and 2016z WB5WPA (7591km) was spotted.

I was quite surprised to see the band open in this direction. Conditions N-S were just average only so I thought N.America was unlikely. Again, WSPR indicating openings.  WB5WPA and CX2ABP had quite a bit of Doppler at times - equatorial spread-F the mode involved indirectly or directly? Wondering if the N.Americans we coming in via an indirect path?

UPDATE 2050z:  Just been spotted by VE1MDO at 2046z.

South America on 10m WSPR

Another relatively quiet day on 10m but CX2ABP was spotted just now so the band was open (still is?) to South America. Sadly no North Americans yesterday here, despite reasonable sunspot numbers and the band opening well N-S.  I do not expect 10m to open to the USA or Canada today, but this band is full of surprises.

UPDATE 1908z:  CX2ABP still being spotted, seen 9 times so far this evening,  but seen no others from that continent here .

Doppler on WSPR

On shortish distance WSPR , especially on 6m and shorter wavelengths, Doppler shift from aircraft is a real issue: signals arrive directly and reflected off aircraft and sometimes WSPR cannot decode (often quite strong) signals. G0LRD has been analysing my signals and believes these have been frequently reflected off planes around Stansted Airport.

I have also seen large Doppler shifts on some trans-equatorial 10m signals and wonder if this is spread-F , moving F layers either side of the equator? Sometimes it is kit warming up, but I quite often see large Doppler on TEP signals and also signals crossing auroral (polar) paths.

On 6m and 2m, Doppler can make some VHF paths inter-G almost unworkable - strong signals but too much Doppler for the software to cope.

2008/2009 sunspots

Just looking back and I noticed a graph showing solar activity just 5-6 years ago. When conditions are pretty decent - as at present - it is hard to remember just how dire they were back then.  We thought the minimum would never end - it went on for years and years with hardly any sunspots.  Next time, around 2019/2020, the minimum may last for many years if we are indeed entering a Maunder minimum.  It is possible hardly any sunspots will be present even at the next maximum.  Only time will tell. Whatever happens we have to enjoy our bands in an appropriate way.