This morning, I turned on 10m WSPR early at around 0615z. All was quiet until G8VDQ (93km) was successfully decoded a couple of times in the last hour. He is in IO91um square. There were a few weak and badly Dopplered signals (multiple aircraft reflections) copyable, but these were not decoded. Of course, some of the shift is my rig warming, but multiple aircraft reflections are clear to spot. He is using 5W (antenna not known) whereas my ERP is just 1W meaning I am probably below his noise floor. I use the FT817 (2.5W setting) via a length of lossy RG58 to a V2000 vertical.
Although early still, no Es seen yet today on 10m.
Sunspot count is low at just 25 but 20-30MHz propagation is forecast to be "normal". We'll be lucky to see N-S F2 propagation today I think, but 10m is a fickle band and you never quite know.
16 Jul 2014
15 Jul 2014
10m WSPR spots at last
G8JNJ/A (184km) has been spotted 3 times now. I had a partial decode hours ago (just the QTH locator IO90hx). Spotted between 2114z and 2118z. No Es seen since turning the rig on. Today has been a very quiet day on 10m here.
FT817 - wrong setting!
Just realised that I had my FT817ND set to USB and not DIG, so I was not sending any modulation on WSPR TX! This has now been corrected, so I am hopeful of some spots this evening. This is the second time I have made this mistake. It remains to be seen if this was the reason for no spots earlier.
UPDATE 1820z: Still no 10m spots! Must be conditions. Will leave the rig on 10m this evening to see if things improve.
UPDATE 1820z: Still no 10m spots! Must be conditions. Will leave the rig on 10m this evening to see if things improve.
A quiet radio day
With physio this morning and gardening (as best I am currently able), the radio has only just been switched on to 10m. A few weak and watery signals are visible on the WSPR software with several Doppler shifted traces - obviously GDX - but none of it has yet decoded.
Sunspot count is 109 and 20-30MHz forecast is "normal" meaning some F2 DX may be possible. I see CX2ABP is being spotted over 8000km away in the USA.
No 10m Es seen here yet since I switched on about 1 hour ago.
UPDATE 1745z: Still no 10m WSPR decodes of anyone - no locals no GDX, no Es and no F2. I was even wondering if the software had crashed, but it and the clock are spot-on. It's just a very quiet day on 10n here, so far.
Sunspot count is 109 and 20-30MHz forecast is "normal" meaning some F2 DX may be possible. I see CX2ABP is being spotted over 8000km away in the USA.
No 10m Es seen here yet since I switched on about 1 hour ago.
UPDATE 1745z: Still no 10m WSPR decodes of anyone - no locals no GDX, no Es and no F2. I was even wondering if the software had crashed, but it and the clock are spot-on. It's just a very quiet day on 10n here, so far.
14 Jul 2014
14MHz to Australia - Adelaide
This evening, I went on 14MHz WSPR with a couple of watts and was rewarded with a spot by VK5AK (16224km) just outside Adelaide, Australia. Apart from this spot and K9AN (6505km) the other spots, so far, have been from Europeans and of Europeans. I shall stick on 14MHz for a while longer.
14MHz WSPR this teatime (2W) |
Semi sked 7MHz
This evening, I shall try again to work a local who is on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. Currently he is working in Glasgow but camping on Arran.
I have an S8 noise floor on 7MHz and am limited to 5W pep maximum. Although WSPR On 7MHz at 2W WSPR is pretty easy, it is much harder work on SSB.
I have an S8 noise floor on 7MHz and am limited to 5W pep maximum. Although WSPR On 7MHz at 2W WSPR is pretty easy, it is much harder work on SSB.
10m WSPR this morning - good Es
Whilst cutting the rear lawn today, I have been on 10m WSPR. There is still plenty of Es around on 10m.
Cutting the grass is still challenging: I still get very giddy when on my feet, but stamina is slowly improving. It may be a while before doing the lawns becomes "easy" again. Still, the fact I can do it at all is something that might not have been possible: the worst outcomes of my brain bleed would have been horrendous, possibly leaving me paralysed, deaf or blind. Overall. I was lucky.
Sunspot count today is 102 (good) but with blackouts and 20-30MHz forecast is "good", so surprised not to have seen any F2 propagation (yet) on 10m. Es so far is all from N.Europe including Scandinavia. Nothing yet seen here from S.Europe.
UPDATE 1600z: The Es opening today seems to have favoured N.Europe and Scandinavia with no S.Europeans seen here all day.. The 20-30MHz propagation forecast is now only "fair". As yet, no F2 openings seen here today on 10m. In past years I have noticed more Es to Scandinavia and N. Europe in the later part of the season. There must be some good reason for this, but I don't know why this is.
10m WSPR this morning |
Rear lawn |
UPDATE 1600z: The Es opening today seems to have favoured N.Europe and Scandinavia with no S.Europeans seen here all day.. The 20-30MHz propagation forecast is now only "fair". As yet, no F2 openings seen here today on 10m. In past years I have noticed more Es to Scandinavia and N. Europe in the later part of the season. There must be some good reason for this, but I don't know why this is.
Ultimate 3 kit - offers of help
Our community in Amateur Radio is truly wonderful.
Already, I have had three kind and generous offers to build and test my Ultimate-3 beacon kit, which is currently beyond my building skills because of my brain injury. I still hope to build this myself, but may wait a few more months until I'm less wobbly and clumsy.
This is not the first time I have been touched by the genuine kindness of others. It restores one's faith in humankind: there are some truly kind people around. Thank you all.
Sometimes we hear about all the bad things in this world. Believe me, the world has very many kind and caring people in it.
Already, I have had three kind and generous offers to build and test my Ultimate-3 beacon kit, which is currently beyond my building skills because of my brain injury. I still hope to build this myself, but may wait a few more months until I'm less wobbly and clumsy.
This is not the first time I have been touched by the genuine kindness of others. It restores one's faith in humankind: there are some truly kind people around. Thank you all.
Sometimes we hear about all the bad things in this world. Believe me, the world has very many kind and caring people in it.
Labels:
kindness,
ultimate 3 kit
13 Jul 2014
40m WSPR
Having (unsuccessfully) tried to work a station on the Isle of Arran (Scotland) on 40m SSB, I went on to WSPR and was rewarded with the following in a single 2 minute transmission at 2W to my low (for 40m) end-fed Par antenna.
WSPR really is a great mode. I remember back earlier in the year on 40m when my second spot (on this antenna) was by a VK.
WSPR really is a great mode. I remember back earlier in the year on 40m when my second spot (on this antenna) was by a VK.
CN8LI - 6m WSPR
So far (it is now 1425z) CN8LI (2113km) and I have exchanged WSPR spots all morning since I first went on 6m. We have exchanged spots 14 times already. Es conditions between us are perfect. My TX is on about 16% of the time only.
Unless the storms get a lot closer - currently most are north of Norwich - I shall stick with 6m all day. I can hear thunder, but it is very distant and moving further away currently.
UPDATE 1530z: The "pipe" to CN8LI has been disconnected since lunchtime. I wonder if it will come back at teatime? Es often has a second peak at teatime.
Unless the storms get a lot closer - currently most are north of Norwich - I shall stick with 6m all day. I can hear thunder, but it is very distant and moving further away currently.
UPDATE 1530z: The "pipe" to CN8LI has been disconnected since lunchtime. I wonder if it will come back at teatime? Es often has a second peak at teatime.
http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en |
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