USA 10m WSPR spots and MF today

The first USA station to copy my 500mW WSPR-AXE-CW WSPR beacon on 10m today was K3ZV (5692km) at 1214z. I have been spotted by lots of USA stations all afternoon on 10m.

UPDATE 2015z:   The last 10m USA WSPR spot today was K3EA (5657km) at 1846z

Whilst on 100% TX on 10m (500mW) I am still active on 472kHz (630m) WSPR (5mW ERP) and the earth-electrodes on both RX and TX. Unlike yesterday, I have mainly been spotting others today.  These are some of the MF spots today.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday Feb 8th 2015

Sunspot number is much the same as yesterday at 80 today although 10m is expected to be "good", which is better than yesterday when the forecast was only "fair".

UPDATE 1050z:   Best 10m DX report (this morning so far) of my 500mW WSPR-AXE-CW beacon by Jay W5OLF is 4X1RF (3519km) although I have had quite a few spots from European and Russian stations this morning on 10m.

472kHz WSPR today

I am still active on 472kHz WSPR with 5mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna"  My best DX reports today has been from PA0RDT (243km) and G8HUH (250km).  On RX my best spot so far is of PA0A (417km).

Interestingly today more stations were copying me than I copied on MF. Although the FT817 is a little deaf on 472kHz, it has not stopped me copying most active stations. I do sometimes wonder if a few more dBs of front end gain (with good large signal handling) would allow me to receive any more MF stations?

UPDATE Feb 8th 1053z:   My best 472kHz DX report overnight with 5mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" was by PA00 at 440km. G8HUH (250km) has spotted me very many times today.

FT817 sensitivity

Today I checked the sensitivities of my FT817 and FT817ND using a loaned signal generator. Although about 10dB deaf at 472kHz (expected) both were easily able to copy down to -127dBm on CW on all bands to 70cms. -127dBm is as low as the generator would go.  I could have added a 10dB attenuator, but did not.  I also managed easy access of GB3PY and GB3OV 70cms repeaters at the 500mW level into the V2000 vertical.  My conclusion is things are OK at my end and I wonder if G6ALB has some additional cable loss at 70cms at his end (water in the feeder?).  My antenna has been up for about 2 years whereas his has been up for around 20 years.

A pity we don't have an 8m (40MHz) band.

An amateur band at 40MHz would be really useful as I suspect the F2 MUF has been in this region several times in the last few years. There are a very few beacons around 40MHz (UK and Denmark only I believe) but wouldn't it be good to have even 100kHz around this frequency? Sadly it is very unlikely, but I would happily lose 100kHz at the top of 10m in exchange.   It would also be a very useful Es band.

Somehow I can't see this happening, more is the pity.  The world of radio science would really benefit. This would have been so much more useful than 146-147MHz recently released to UK amateurs by NoV.  I know a handful of UK amateurs are trying narrowband DTV but the 2m band is mainly Japanese "black boxes" and is mostly white noise in most areas.

Radio Shack going?

Radio Shack is a familiar name in the USA, but maybe not for much longer? This news from Steve G1KQH yet again. I hope you can access the link as sometimes ARRL links can only be seen by ARRL members.

Is this the end of Tandy’s original owner? 

http://www.arrl.org/news/view/radioshack-s-long-slow-downward-slide-nears-the-end

73 Steve

http://www.g1kqh.talktalk.net/

Looking at some of the range claims by Radio Shack for their handhelds I expect they get lots of returns from very disappointed customers.    I am sure that these ranges are achievable from hill and clifftop, ideal,  locations, but such ideal conditions are rare.  In the UK and the rest of the EC  such claimed ranges would be illegal. Much more realistic would be ranges of 0.5 to 2 miles at best, and often far less.  Caveat emptor!

10m WSPR USA spots today

Although I have been copied much further today, my first report from the USA was from KZ8C (6290km) at 1258z. This is quite a lot later than yesterday.

UPDATE 1356z:   Although I am being spotted in the USA, early indications are that there are fewer USA stations spotting me than yesterday.  Of course, it may be that some stations who were using WSPR yesterday have chosen other modes today.

UPDATE 2030z:  The last spot of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was by WG2Z (5600km) at 1954z, which is quite late.

More VK (really long distance) reports on 10m WSPR today

My little 500mW 10m WSPR beacon has been copied in Australia 3 times today already, and conditions are meant to be just "fair"! VK6XT spotted me a couple of times this morning (again) but the best was VK5MR (16144km) at 1230z.

It never fails to amaze me that this tiny little stand-alone 500mW WSPR-AXE-CW WSPR mode beacon is copyable in a shack on the other side of the planet. I have now been copied at this range many times.

Reports from YV5ESN (7294km) in South America seem almost local, HI.  USA stations really do seem like locals now!

4X1RF on 10m

4X1RF (3519km) was spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon early today at 0854z.

UPDATE 1425z:   4X1RF has spotted by 500mW 10m WSPR beacon no less than 30 times so far today.

Sunspots and 10m - Feb 7th 2015

Sunspot number today is 71 and 10m propagation forecast to be "fair". It sounds quite similar to yesterday. So far only G4IKZ spotting me, and now 4X1RF.

UPDATE 1354z:  With the 10m band open (even for me using 500mW WSPR) to North and South America and Australia, it seems much better than a "fair" day.