6m activity

In the summer Es season there is usually no shortage of 6m WSPR activity, but once the main Es season has gone, activity takes a nosedive. This is a pity as it is outside of the Es season when WSPR is so useful. In the main Es months I can work all over Europe, North Africa and occasionally further with a few watts of SSB and a vertical omni on 6m. I regularly spot, and get spotted, on 6m WSPR out to 200km+ in the Es season with QRP WSPR by tropo and by aircraft reflections.   The better equipped stations can probably work real DX by scatter at most times of the year.

Please, can we have a few more on 6m WSPR at the quieter times of the year?

Giving 6m WSPR another try

Well, I must get points for effort!  Yet again, I have both 10m (500mW) and 6m (1W) WSPR running. Whilst the 500mW is getting plenty of spots on 10m, my 1W ERP on 6m is being spotted by no-one and I am spotting no-one either!

In the last few days I have exchanged 6m WSPR spots with G6AVK (78km) a few times and no-one else. I was expecting some winter Es but no luck on 6m as yet. GDX should be possible out to around 200km on 6m by tropo and aircraft reflection but there is very little activity on 6m within range at this time of the year.

Sunspots and 10m

Sunspot number today, Jan 2nd 2015, is 101.   10m propagation is expected to be "fair".   So far my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon is only being spotted around Europe.

On 472kHz WSPR again

Since about 2010z I have been back on 472kHz WSPR using 5mW ERP from the short baseline earth-electrode "antenna".  These are the results in the first 44 minutes on the band (TX and RX).

472kHz Jan 1st 2015 - results in first 44 minutes

UPDATE 2130z:   Since this chart was created I have spotted G8HUH (250km) and PA0A (417km).

UPDATE 2212z:    Best DX (on RX) so far this evening is F1AFJ (607km). I shall leave the 472kHz system running overnight.

QSY from MF to 6m WSPR (still on 10m WSPR too)

At 1415z I QSYed my FT817 from MF (via the transverter and earth-electrodes) to 6m WSPR. On 6m WSPR I am running 1W ERP at 20% TX and 80% RX using my V2000 vertical omni-directional antenna.

I am still also on 10m WSPR 100% TX using 500mW using the Par tri-band end-fed antenna.

UPDATE 1806z:  No spots given and received on 6m today. A very disappointing day again on 6m. I'll give 6m a little longer, then QSY to 472kHz WSPR.

UPDATE 1902z:   Still no luck at all today on 6m. Time to QSY down to 472kHz within the hour.

UPDATE 1958z:  Still no results on 6m today so time to QSY down to 472kHz now.

No USA yet on 10m!

For the first time in months, there is no reception (yet) of my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon in the USA. Things way well change later this afternoon. Conditions certainly have started poorly on 10m this year.

I notice the path from the USA to Germany was open earlier though.

UPDATE 1356z:  I spoke a moment too soon!  W3CSW (5886km) was copying me just a few moments ago at a respectable - 19dB S/N.  Later than in previous days, but there! Since then, there are plenty of 10m WSPR spots from the USA.

UPDATE 1746z:  10m was closed to the USA very early today with K9AN (6505km) spotting me last at 1556z. This is is the earliest for months, even though the evenings (not mornings yet) are getting a bit lighter.

Sunspots and 2015 predictions

Sunspot number today is 94 and 10m propagation is forecast to be "fair". We'll soon find out just what this means.

I turned on the 10m 500mW WSPR beacon about 15 mnutes ago. Best DX so far this morning is 4L1QX (3299km). I'm still on 472kHz too, but will QSY to the 6m band soon.

In 2015 we might expect the following:

• Declining sunspot numbers. We could see peak numbers in the 40s by the year end;
• Possibly a new contiguous 60m band (with a favourable WRC meeting outcome);
• The USA on 472 and 137kHz properly at last;
• More interest in optical comms,especially IR and NLOS (non line-of-sight);
• Possibly world-wide DX on amateur VLF frequencies below 9kHz.

I sincerely hope my health picks up too as I am keen to do field work again.

Best wishes for 2015

As I write this, it is still 2014 here in the UK but in most of Europe, Asia and Australasia it is already 2015. I wish all my blog readers the very best for 2015.

I really hope my health improves in 2015 so that I can resume field experiments!

QSYed to 472kHz WSPR

As I was getting no results (apart from G6AVK earlier) on 6m, I have decided to QSY down to MF for the rest of the evening and overnight. I am still using 5mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna".

Already, I have been spotted by G7NKS (46km), M1GEO (79km) and G8LCO (58km).

So far I have copied G3ZJO (79km), G7NKS (46km), G0LRD (25km), G4KPX (14km) and G8VDQ (93km).

I've only been on the band for about 15 minutes. It is currently 2211z.  There are currently 61 active stations on 472kHz WSPR.

UPDATE 2300z:  Also now copied DK7FC (669km),  G8HUH (250km), M0PPP (182km) and PA0A (417km) on 472kHz WSPR. All stations that I have copied before.

An observation on 472kHz operating: there are those who take 472kHz (and 137kHz) very seriously and who invest serious effort on rigs, antennas and ground systems and those, like me, who take MF and LF altogether less seriously and attempt to get results with the simplest systems. DK7FC is certainly one of the first type: he puts out excellent signals on MF and LF and is widely copied in the USA, something I could only dream about.

10m WSPR spots from the USA

First USA spot on 10m WSPR today was at 1312z by WG2Z (5600km). Last spot (as of 1736z) was by  KE6BID (5295km) at 1720z but there could yet be later spots from the USA.

UPDATE 2020z:   KE6BID did turn out to be the last USA spot.

UPDATE 2035z:  Went QRT on 10m WSPR at 2030z.  Still on 6m WSPR TX 20% and RX 80%.