Sunspots and 10m - April 22nd 2015

Things look promising with a sunspot number of 153 (K=2) and 10m propagation expected to be "good". So far just G4IKZ (18km) but it is very early.

UPDATE 0912z:  Still just G4IKZ (18km) spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR. No DX yet but I am hopeful.

UPDATE 1100z:  Still just Nick G4IKZ spotting me on 10m WSPR.  Another disappointing day so far.  Maybe there will be some Es to liven thing up?  I now have grave doubts there will be any USA spots later.

Optical testing - too easy?

Before dark, I tried TXing from one side of the house to the other reflecting my 481THz optical beacon off the windmill. Even by ear in 600 ohm phones the signal was very clear and very easy to find. This was only about 100m path length, but I wanted to check the gear still worked as it is a long time since I used it. Not sure what to try next as I still feel very wobbly on my feet and tire easily. At least I know my homebrew optical gear all works still.

10m USA - none today again?

Although I have again had plenty of reports from G4IKZ and EA8BVP (2986km) to my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon, it looks like there will be no DX reports and no USA reports again today on 10m WSPR. We seem to be moving more towards summertime 10m conditions.

UPDATE 1734z:  So far EA8BVP (2986km) has spotted me 25 times today since 1400z but a total absence of spots from stations in the USA.

UPDATE 1852z:  So far EA8BVP (2986km) has spotted me 31 times this afternoon, but still no spots from across the Atlantic.

UPDATE 1906z:  WSPRnet is currently showing 51 stations active on 10m WSPR.  There are probably more who have not spotted or been spotted in the last 10 minutes.   I guess it is just propagation that is against us.

UPDATE 1914z:   I see 10m propagation has been downgraded from "good" to "fair". Well, here it has been poor!

Next field test - optical?

After my very disappointing results on VLF earth-mode yesterday - I must get to the bottom of why results were quite so bad - I think my next test will be at the other end of the spectrum. We have a windmill very close so I may try bouncing optical signals off this to test my optical gear is working still.   It is a long time since I have done any optical experiments.This will not be too far initially, more a test of the gear before venturing any distance.

Sunspots and 10m - Tues April 21st 2015

Sunspot number is still high at 125 (K=3) today. 10m propagation is expected to be "good" although I have not been spotted by really DX stations for some days. Up to now (it is currently 1042z) I have been spotted on 10m by G4IKZ (18km) only with no DX reports at all on 10m, using my 500mW WSPR beacon.

UPDATE 1052z:  Only 42 stations shown as active worldwide on 10m WSPR according to WSPRnet. 10m activity is lower than it was and this is not helping.

USA - no luck on 10m today

10m WSPR was a dead loss today with not a single spot on 10m WSPR all day from stations in the USA. EA8BVP (2986km) has spotted me very many times.

UPDATE 2125z:  Time to go QRT.  Tomorrow remind me to switch on the mains lead to the PSU!

VLF field test - a total failure!

Well, I did my first VLF earth-mode field test today since my brain bleed in Sept 2013. Sadly, it was a total failure. I am at a loss to explain the results.

Tuned VLF loop

I put the 5W, 8.976kHz, beacon on into the same earth electrodes used successfully on 472kHz (best DX on TX over 1000km) and went about 1.6km to a car park where I always had strong signals using a tuned loop on RX and earth-electrodes on TX from the old QTH in the same village. Nothing at all copied today - absolutely nothing. I waited in case I was in a pause between QRSS3 callsign transmissions, but no absolutely nothing at all. Not even the tiniest hint of a signal.

Deploying the VLF loop (Burwell in the background)

So I parked in the road about 0.3km from the home QTH and again nothing at all. At this point we drove home. What a dismal failure this was turning out to be. I am sure it is telling me something but I cannot work it out.  Sure enough, everything was still working at the TX end.  I am using one remote ground and the mains ground at the shack end, exactly as for 472kHz.  I did check this mains ground was grounded to real ground.

Checking Spectran on the PC - nothing !

Whatever utilities assistance I was getting before at the old QTH is not the same at this newer QTH. All very very odd. I was expecting to see something. In the past I received transmissions from the old QTH at the new QTH (about 0.3km away) using just an E-field probe on the car. From the old QTH I spanned 6km!

In summary, this VLF test was a total failure. I am at loss to explain things. Not only that, but the work has left me very exhausted. My brain is still foggy, but the results today were not due to any mistakes with the HW gear or PC Spectran settings.

I am not having much success today.

Confirmed - yes I am stupid!

After receiving no spots at all on 10m since yesterday afternoon I just realised one possible reason: although my 10m WSPR beacon was on, the mains switch (on the wall) was OFF!! So since sometime yesterday afternoon I had been syncing to internet time with no power at all on the WSPR beacon! I have now turned the PSU on (at the mains) and resync'ed to internet time. Hopefully I might be spotted now.

Talk about stupid.  Sometimes I amaze myself.  How could I be quite so daft?

UPDATE 1304z:   Now receiving spots from G4IKZ (18km) again. It will take about 15-20 minutes to stabilise as the PA warms.   I wonder what I missed this morning?   I shall never know.  Just been spotted by EA8BVP (2986km). Both EA8BVP and G4IKZ gave me good reports.

UPDATE 1404z:   Just EA8BVP and G4IKZ spotting so far. At least I know the beacon is now actually ON and working!  Oh I am so stupid at times!

UPDATE 1650z:  Still just G4IKZ and EA8BVP spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR so far this afternoon. No "real DX" DX as yet.

UK General Election - NOT amateur radio

A reminder than the UK General Election, which is only a few weeks away, is "first past the post" so if you are just one vote behind you lose everything. In the European elections I voted Green, but fear this will be a wasted vote in a "first past the post" contest.  Tactical voting will be needed.

For example, in my constituency Labour really have no chance of winning as they only got 6.5% of the vote last time. The Lib Dems (currently in coalition with the majority Conservative government) have a real chance of winning - they came a good second last time - especially as we have UKIP nowadays and the Conservatives could lose some votes to them. The most probable outcome is a Conservative win again in this constituency.

Nationally, the outcome is almost certainly another coalition government as the polls show Labour and Conservatives neck and neck nationally. UKIP support nationally is fading, although I always suspected this would be the case.

Sunspots and 10m propagation - Mon April 20th 2015

Sunspot number climbed further to 142 today (K=3) and 10m propagation is again forecast  to be "good". Results yesterday on 10m were very disappointing with no DX spots at all. Today, sunspot number is higher still but conditions are a little more disturbed. I am not expecting much, if any, DX on 10m today, but hope to be nicely surprised.

UPDATE 0844z:  So far today on 10m WSPR my 500mW beacon has been spotted by no-one at all! Even G4IKZ (18km) who regularly spots me must be beaming away from me and is not spotting me, assuming he is on. It is early yet though and there might be some single hop F2 stations in range active later.

UPDATE 1050z:   Still no spots at all on 10m so far today. I am quite disappointed as, with a decent sunspot number and a decent 10m propagation forecast, better things were expected. I guess it is still early though. G4IKZ (18km) is not shown as being active according to WSPRnet, although he could be on but has not spotted anyone in the last 10 minutes. When I last looked there were 41 active 10m WSPR stations worldwide - fewer than a few months ago, but not too bad. Some of these would be single hop F2 away from me. I guess the propagation is just not there.