UKAC contest - 70cms

This evening being the second Tuesday of the month is the first 70cm leg of the monthly UKAC activity contests. The contest runs from 2000z to 2230z   However, I have a problem. My antenna  (5 el) is stuck aiming SW. I'll give the contest a brief go, but with 5W, being unable turn the antenna and my poor voice I don't think I shall be on too long!

70cm QSOs this evening

UPDATE 2130z:   I was on for only 1 hour (poor voice!) but, at this time of year, most activity was from fixed stations. Even with a beam fixed in a SW direction, I managed to work 5 stations with 5W on 70cms. Best DX this evening was G3MEH (84km) in IO91QS although I was copying further. By next month the beam should be rotatable again and there may be more /P activity I hope. One of the stations heard (but not worked) was my old university colleague G3XBY who was giving a JO02 locator, so I am wondering if Dale has retired not too far from here?

10m USA spots today

The days are getting slightly longer now.  The very first USA spot of my 10m 500mW beacon today was KC1AWS (5308km) at 1204z. The openings seem to be getting slightly longer? Several spots by 4X1RF (3519km) in the 10m log too today.

UPDATE 1835z: at the moment, the last spot from the USA was WG2Z (5600km) at 1824z.

UPDATE 1925z: WG2Z does seem to have been the last USA station to spot me today. Only local spots since 1824z.

Sunspots and 10m

Sunspot number has fallen back a little to 111 (still respectable) but 10m propagation is forecast to be "good" today. Getting spotted by the usual Europeans (LZ,OH, UR).

10m WSPR-AXE-CW beacon, no PA

I turned on my 10m WSPR-AXE-CW beacon and resync'd the clock at 1007z this morning. Up to that time the PA had been off since yesterday. Imagine my surprise to see 3 spots in the log before that time from CT1JTQ (1843km). These were about 16-18dB down on normal levels but would have been at the low milliwatt level - whatever the beacon power is with the PA off. Even though reporting I was running 500mW (this is hard programmed in) I was using very low power indeed. Seasoned WSPR users will not be amazed.

I have now turned the PA on again, so am using close to 500mW again on 10m WSPR. This now seems like high power!

Eclipse in UK in March

 This was posted on the RSGB's LF reflector a few hours ago:

Alan Melia	15:37 (2 hours ago)
To rsgb_lf_group, rsgb_lf_group

Hi all, it may not have registered with many yet as it has not made the National TV news but there is a partial eclipse of the sun due on March 20th 2015.

As part of my involvement with the RSGB Propagation Studies Committee it occurs to me that this is a fine opportunity to roll out the capabilities of Opera, and WSPR and the monitoring network on 136 and 477kHz.

The path of the totality passes due north of the UK with only Shetland seeing a full eclipse. The majority of the UK is rated around 80%. The most interesting paths are those from the opposite side of the path of totality. Unfortunately (or otherwise :-))  ) the only LF-active area on the other side is Iceland, and I know there is a "grabber" operator active there. I suggest some interesting results could be obtained if European stations could be active into the Iceland grabber during the period of the eclipse which is 07:40 to 11:40 UTC (I think we should be on GMT still in the UK at that date :-))  ) I am not fully sure what facilities the Icelandic operator has but maybe someone who knows him better could liaise a suitable set up.

It is obviouly not as big an event as 1999 but could prove interesting.

USA 10m WSPR spots today

KC1AWS (5308km) was again the first to spot my 500mW WSPR beacon today, at 1218z. He was first yesterday too. Since then, other USA stations are spotting me.

UPDATE 1752z:  At the moment it looks like KB9AMG (6300km) was the last USA station to spot my 500mW WSPR beacon at 1706z at -17dB S/N. No other stateside station has spotted me since then. It is interesting that the report suggests 20mW would have been enough. Then the path just dies out within minutes.

ARRL membership renewal - no thanks

Living in the UK, last year I joined the ARRL so I could access the digital edition of QST. I shall not be renewing. Why? Well, the ads are the same, more or less, as those in RadCom and Practical Wireless and there are better articles in SPRAT. Most of all it took over a week to sort my access out when I mislaid my password. The online help was, for me, useless. No, I am happy to let others join their national amateur radio society but I shall not be renewing my ARRL membership. I remain an RSGB member and GQRP Club member.

MF instead of 6m WSPR

This morning, I have decided to give 6m WSPR a miss: for several days I have been trying but with very limited success at this time of the year. Instead, I am using the FT817, transverter and earth electrode "antenna" with around 5mW ERP (probably less) with success on 472kHz WSPR. G7NKS (46km) has copied me well on several occasions already. As yet, no other spots given or received on MF this morning so far.

I am also active (500mW) on 10m TX only.

UPDATE 1125z:  12 spots so far of my 5mW ERP and all from G7NKS (46km).

UPDATE 1345z:  27 spots by G7NKS (46km) so far today. Almost all his spots are within +/-1dB of -15dB S/N.

UPDATE 1633z:   Now 44 spots on 472kHz from G7NKS today so far, but no-one else spotted or spotting me, as yet.

UPDATE 1757z:  Now 52 spots of me by G7NKS.  Still no-one else.

UPDATE 1846z:   G3YXM (148km) was the first MF station to be received here this evening at -9dB S/N, i.e. strong.

Recent 472kHz WSPR results on TX and RX this evening

Sunspots and 10m propagation

Sunspot number today is a respectable 133 and 10m propagation is forecast to be "good".

Almost since I switched my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon on, I have been copied by the usual European stations and 4X1RF (3519km) in Israel.  No real DX seen on 10m WSPR as yet, but it is early in the day still. An opening to the USA after lunch on 10m is almost a certainty.  It would be good to have my 500mW WSPR beacon copied in Australia,  S.Africa and S.America today.

QRT on 6m and 10m WSPR

At 2300z I went QRT on 6m and 10m WSPR. Will be on 10m again after breakfast. I shall probably give 6m a miss though.