6m - all quiet here at 2015z

It is now 2015z and 6m WSPR has only been good for locals and GDX  here today.

I hear 6m was open to South and Central America earlier (but this was NOT the case on WSPR - no stations active!) and there have been transatlantic openings on SSB/CW. In the past (summer 2007) I have worked the USA on 6m real QRP CW, but I'd really like to spot, or be spotted by, USA or Canadians on 6m WSPR this season. As mentioned before, power is unlikely to be the issue. The main issue will be active WSPR stations in the USA and Canada.

Super DX on 6m WSPR - a lost cause?

Yet again, there are ZERO stations active on 6m WSPR in the north eastern USA and eastern Canada. There have been decent 6m transatlantic openings on 6m today but without participating WSPR stations WSPR is a dead loss!! I shall give 6m WSPR a few more days before I give it up in disgust.

6m WSPR should be the ideal mode to seek out such openings but only if stations bother to use the mode. Please, please give it a try if you are on the east coast of the USA and Canada.

Set to 50.293MHz USB dial.

Ten-Tec Argonaut VI

See http://www.tentec.com/argonaut-vi-qrp-1-10-watt-transceiver/

Despite missing some key bands, all reports are this is a very good QRP radio from Ten-Tec. However at $995 in the USA (similar in £ in the UK with import duty and VAT tax) it is simply too expensive to ever consider.

All I can say is are Ten-Tec in financial trouble? The true market price  here in the UK must be less than £700, so they are about £300 adrift in my estimation.

Even in the USA $995 for a rig with no 60m, no 12m and no 6m is way over the top. Just compare with the FT817ND for example. Even the Elecraft KX3 is much better value,  in my view.

Views?

6m GDX today

G8JNJ/A  (184km) and G0OQK (98km) were both spotting my 6m 1W ERP this morning and I have just spotted G4HBA (189km) on 6m WSPR.  G4HBA's spots (several now) are with a fair bit of Doppler, so I am sure aircraft reflection is involved over this longish GDX path. G4HBA is using 10W.

No Es seen here on 6m so far today, but it is early still with Es peaks around lunch and teatimes usual.

UPDATE 1225z:  No 6m Es here this lunchtime, at least not yet.

UPDATE 1246z:   Still no Es today here on 6m. All seems very quiet with just GDX (9 spots of G4HBA so far today).

UPDATE 1945z:   Still no 6m Es here today. Unless things change later this evening, I think that is it for the day - just GDX.

Apparently there have been good transatlantic openings on 6m today. But where are the USA/Canadian WSPRers?

UPDATE 2130z:  Still no 6m Es here today.  Will reset the internet sync'ed PC clock but not really expecting Es now, but on the "magic band" it is possible.

Back to 6m WSPR

10m is becoming too easy: there was Es from early hours today, so I have decided to move back up to 6m again today. There will be no F2, just GDX and (hopefully) some Es propagation. As yet, just G4IKZ (18km) is spotting me at the usual strong level (+10dB S/N). Not sure if it is -1 to -2Hz Doppler (aircraft reflection) on my signal or just warm-up drift.

Early still: anything is possible on the "magic band".

10m Es - more and more

It is now 2015z and on 10m the Es keeps on coming. This is a good, solid and widespread Es opening.

Recent 10m WSPR spots this evening

UPDATE 2110z:   10m Es still going strong a few minutes ago.

UPDATE 2145z:    Es seemed to have stopped (here) at about 2100z. Oh no it didn't! IK1WVQ  was spotted at 2134z and 2142z..  HB9JOI spotted me at 2138z.  The Es is still going strong.

UPDATE 2220z:   Although Es has been good on 10m all day and F2 was good to FR1GZ earlier, there has been no F2 to South America on 10m WSPR at least not yet. This was surprising. EB3EPR  is still spotting me at 2218z.

UPDATE 2232z: Bed time, but 10m WSPR still running overnight, unless the PC does an update and closes the software again!

DK6UG, DC3RJ and EA1KV by Es on 10m WSPR

As teatime continues, yet more Es 10m propagation is evident.

DC3RJ (817km) is the latest who spotted me at 1754z. Earlier EB3EPR (1248km) spotted me twice. Now EA1KV (1304km) and DK6UG are spotting me at 1806z.

Some weeks ago I was questioning the propagation to a GM reporter on 6m, but realise now the distance is comparable with parts of Germany, so an easy Es single hop.

UPDATE 1840Z:    HB3YHB (793km) was spotted at 1838z on 10m WSPR.

More 10m GDX, Es and F2

During the afternoon G4FFC (45km) and M0BOB (74km) were both copied on 10m WSPR. These are both outside local range and I would class these as GDX (just). Both show some Doppler so may be helped by aircraft reflection.

On F2 FR1GZ (9724km, Reunion Is) was being copied until 1512z, so good F2 propagation. I wonder if we'll see South Americans later?

Es disappeared (here) at 1404z but may return this teatime.

UPDATE 1740z:  EB3EPR (1248km) spotted me at 1736z and 1746z so Es is back (it is teatime!).

10m F2

FR1GZ (9734km, on Reunion Is, south Indian Ocean) is still coming through here on 10m WSPR at -27dB S/N at 1444z  and again at 1504z at -25dB S/N.  F2 propagation N-S is still there when HF conditions are good.

Sunspot count today is "only" 80 - a year from now this will sound amazingly high - although 20-30MHz conditions are forecast to be "good".

F2 on 6m is very rare except at high sunspot peaks and in latitudes nearer the equator. TEP involving F2 over the equator is more common, but it requires stations to be in the right places to work.  On 6m the paths from CN8 to FR1 were open by TEP this spring. Also 4X to FR1  and VK to JA.

On 10m TEP should be more frequent. Sometimes F2 links with Es further from the equator, allowing TEP to be extended to stations in higher latitudes.

WSPR software had stopped working

LB9YE on www;qrz.com

For about an hour my WSPR software was not working on 10m. It happened sometime between 1130z and 1230z. All is now fixed: the internet clock was resync'ed and the WSPR software closed and restarted.  I have no idea what I missed in that hour.   Pretty sure this is a Windows 8.1 issue as it never happened with the old XP PC before it died. It is not a big deal - one has just to keep an eye on things, which one should always be doing. Biggest issue is if this happens overnight. It has not yet.

UPDATE 1254z:  On 10m  LB9YE (1533km) is still being spotted (many times), as he was before the software crashed. Now also SI9AM (1503km at 1252z) - looks like a good Es opening to Scandinavia. LB9YE seems to be a very consistent signal today and last evening on 10m.\

UPDATE 1340z:  SI9AM still being spotted. 10m open to Scandinavia still.