Same callsigns?

One of the drawbacks of WSPR (currently) is you tend to get spotted, or spot, the same stations over and over again. I am even seeing the same stations being spotted on 10m and on 6m.

It would be very nice if there were a lot more active stations, so spots came from a variety of stations. I am even seeing this on JT65 and JT9-1.

Perhaps people think these "new fangled" digital modes are hard and so only a limited number of people (currently) use them. Let me say, if even I can use these modes then anyone can! All these modes are great with low power and have really opened my eyes as to how far very low powered signal can be detected.

10m unique WSPR spots this afternoon (duplicates not shown)

Over priced KX3 options

Steve G1KQH has spotted the price of "after-market" mics on eBay.  Under £5.

"The price of a Microphone:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171263089606?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Someone is having a good laugh at stitching folk up with those KX3 Mics.  The whole KX3 price is through the roof but there are plenty on the bands?"

I stand by my assertion that, sadly, the KX3 is overpriced, certainly over here in the UK. I know that it is a truly exceptional radio with a first class specification but, as I have said before, for my sort of operating - mainly from home and occasionally /P, the FT817ND is FAR better value and it covers 432MHz all modes too. I cannot fault the FT817 although I appreciate the KX3 is better on RX. My FT817 has worked the world on SSB and always with simple wire antennas. I have worked a lot of continents with whips on the rig indoors too.

Back on 10m WSPR

For the next several hours I have gone back to 10m WSPR.  This means I can monitor progress in the lounge. So far, SI9AM (1503km) from Sweden, running 200mW, is coming in pretty well by Es.  I am running about 2W ERP on 18% TX duty cycle, so mostly listening/looking.

Sunspot count today is good at 143 and the 20-30MHz forecast is "normal", so I am hopeful of some F2 propagation on 10m today.

UPDATE 1435z:  OH6GKW (1839km) and I have just exchanged WSPR spots on 10m.

More JT65 and JT9-1 operation

Over the lunch period I operated JT9-1 and JT65 on 20m. Although I got plenty of reports of my CQ calls on JT9-1 (via PSKreporter) not a single QSO. When I went to JT65 on 20m I had a decent 2-way QSO with EA3KU (1307km) in JN00 square. Seems JT65 operators outnumber JT9-1 operators by about 10:1.

100kHz - 1.7GHz SDR

This data was passed to me by Steve G1KQH (again). It looks like an SDR in a screened box with proper interfaces. It comes from Hong Kong. Price is £36.99. I have never played with SDS dongles.

See

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100KHz-1-7GHz-full-band-UV-HF-RTL-SDR-USB-Tuner-Receiver-R820T-8232-Ham-Radio-/191241138400?pt=UK_Mobile_Phones_Communication_Ham_Radio_Receivers_Transceivers&hash=item2c86dc30e0

 

Near miss - 11742km on 10m JT65

This evening CA3SOC (Chile) was calling CQ on 10m JT65. I called and called him - he called CQ about 14 times - but I was unable to raise him. At the start he was -16dB S/N but in the end was down to -22dB S/N. I was copied in Sweden at the same time, but that was no compensation.

Earlier in the afternoon I worked an E74 on PSK63, my first ever QSO on PSK at that speed. I am finding real-time keyboard operating in PSK modes quite "challenging".  Whenever I use the keyboard e.g to write this blog, I make lots of errors that need correcting. This is hard on PSK31 and PSK63 in real time.   JT65 and JT9-1 are a lot easier. Currently I am using Digipan software which is simple and basic for PSK modes. I am using WSJTX V1.3 r3673 for JT65 and JT9-1.

PSK Reporter maps

See https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html.

This is a really useful resource when using modes like JT9-1 and JT65. Even if you get no replies, the map gives a good idea of where your signals are reaching. As an example, I recently transmitted JT65 on 20m and worked OE5DML. As the map shows, my signals were widely received including in the USA.

https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html

10m - JT65 QSOs first thing

Well, I've had success on 10m digital with a couple of JT65 QSOs on 10m. Managed to work CT1AYO and LY3OO on 10m JT65 early this morning.

No success this time in JT9-1 on 10m. I listened for a while - heard nothing - so put out some CQ calls in JT9-1, but sadly without success. It was a case of lack of activity. Currently I am monitoring (i.e. not TXing) on 50.276MHz JT65.

Tried 7.076MHz JT65, but the 40m band was very noisy.

Although PSK reporter maps show I've been copied outside Europe, I have still to work anyone outside Europe this summer since I started on digital 2-way modes a few days ago. It will certainly happen as JT9-1 is only about 2dB worse than WSPR.  JT65 is about 4dB worse.  So, on many stations, I should be in range, even with my compromise antenna system on 20m and 10m.

Second JT9-1 QSO today

This evening I worked my second station on JT9-1, again on 20m as 10m was dead when I listened. The station was DL1KCQ (475km) in JO22 square. He was running 10W to a vertical.  I was using 5W to my Par 10/20/40m end-fed.

I have still to try JT65 and JT9-1 on 10m as the band has not been open when I listened. 20m seems to be an ideal band as it is open pretty often. Although I heard some stateside stations on JT9-1,  none were worked or indeed called. So far 4 JT65 QSOs and 2 JT09-1 QSOs in the log since yesterday.

Anyone know the recommended JT65 and JT9-1 preferred operating frequencies on 40m?  7.076 and 7.078MHz?

A real advantage of JT9-1 is it only occupies just over 16Hz of bandwidth whereas JT65 is about 10 times this bandwidth.  JT9-1 is really only suited to lower HF, MF and LF bands as the tone separation is very small and HF Doppler and rig drift can play havoc.

KX3 antenna failure

I read on the M1KTA blog that an antenna lead on one of his Elecraft KX3 units has failed. I know these have seen some harsh portable field use but I would not have expected this.  I have owned an FT817 for close on 14 years and, touch wood, it has never once failed me - still the same PA, same everything.

In my view, the KX3 is overpriced (over here in the UK) and not well built for rugged field use. I don't doubt it has excellent features and an excellent receiver, but it is still over twice as much as an FT817ND which covers DC to blue light, out of the box ready built. The KX3 is a mess for leads, coming out all over the place. The FT817 is neat, rugged, and compact.

For me, the FT817 still wins.