Sunspots and 10m - Mon July 27th 2015

Sunspot number today is 38 (K=2) and 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor". We will probably have to wait until the autumn for better 10m conditions, although some N-S F2 propagation can occur. 10m (or even 6m) openings to North America may occur by Es. Even QRP SSB can work the USA in the right Es conditions on 10m. I worked the USA in summer 2007 with real QRP (about 1W ERP) CW on 6m.

472kHz WSPR overnight

Overnight I was spotted by PA0RDT (243km) for my best DX on the band. Even though summer time, it is good that stations are still able to copy my weak 5mW ERP signal.

Blog post numbers

I never fail to be amazed by what is popular on my blogs. Today, nothing special (I thought) was posted yet we seem to be heading for a new record number of visits. I have no idea why.

Now QSYed to 472kHz WSPR

OK, so I have now left 6m and QSYed down to MF instead. I am still on 10m WSPR at the same time.

It is still summer time and I think people will struggle to copy my very weak (5mW ERP) signal, especially in daylight. Anyway, I am still using the earth-electrode antenna for now. At least I have a better chance on 472kHz. As mentioned before, with some help, I hope to erect a better antenna that will raise my ERP on 472kHz. This may not happen before late autumn.

UPDATE 1510z:  I see that G6AVK (78km) is spotting me on 472kHz WSPR. This is daylight. So far, I have not copied anyone, but at least I am getting out OK on MF. I am not sure why I like MF so much, but I guess it is because I am using my homemade transverter and a fairly unique "antenna". Let no-one tell you you cannot radiate a useful signal on 472kHz. If I can get out with my low ERP (I have been copied over 1000km away on this set-up) and just a couple of earth-electrodes about 12m (at most) apart in the garden, I am sure you can do at least as good or better.

UPDATE 1535z:  No further Es on 10m WSPR since the Italian earlier today.

UPDATE 1645z:  G6AVK (78km) is now getting me at 5dB S/N better than earlier, not sure why. Still no reports of others or reports from anyone else yet. Things may change as night falls.

UPDATE 1655z: WSPRnet show 17 stations worldwide on 472kHz WSPR. I need a few more "in range" stations active this evening, such as G8HUH (250km) who copied me last time I was active in the summer.

UPDATE 1840z:  Plenty of spots by G6AVK but no-one else spotted or spotting me so far on 472kHz WSPR.

UPDATE 1910z:  G6AVK spotted (eventually) in the last few minutes. Also G8LCO (58km) spotted me.

UPDATE 2102z:  PA0A (417km) and G8HUH (250km) are the best DX on 472kHz WSPR today, well so far.

Chinese factory video

Steve G1KQH sent me this link to a video. It shows the Quixang factory in China. Few people and lots of automation. Watch out Japanese amateur companies! Change or die. The writing is on the wall for Icom, Kenwood and Yaesu. I can see these will go under unless they cans lash prices by designing in Japan and making in China.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2FOZvtD9wU .

Last day on 6m WSPR?

Today will probably be my last day of this Es season on 6m WSPR. I am not ruling out the occasional outing to 6m, but I do not intend to be on 24/7 as I have largely been for months. Apart from 4X1RF (3519km) no great DX was had on the band (given or received spots). This was disappointing but I am flogging a dead horse on 6m WSPR. We need hundreds of active stations and, sadly, these are just not there.

It is getting harder now on 10m WSPR too with less activity, but I intend to run the 10m beacon 100% of the time when not doing anything else. I am still hopeful that this will show up fleeting 10m openings in the quieter years. I just hope a devoted core of WSPRers stick with 10m. In the quiet solar years there may be days with nothing before a fleeting N-S opening. I think this autumn and winter we will still have decent 10m conditions although autumn 2016 onwards may be much harder. There will be openings even in the quiet solar years, especially N-S.

UPDATE 1150z:  This morning, just 6m WSPR spots exchanged with G0OQK (98km). No Es DX seen on the band, well not yet. G0OQK seems to be nearly always there, although sometimes a 2min WSPR transmission is too long to decode. I think some of the problem is drift as I go from TX to RX in the FT817. WSPR software can handle with a few Hertz drift, but more than that and it just cannot cope. This is one reason why other modes may be better: JT65 and JT9 only need 1 minute TX times. Although not as sensitive as WSPR the shorter transmission time may be better.

UPDATE 1316z:   EA1KV (1304km) has been spotted by 6m Es WSPR since 1154z. He has also be spotting me. No other Es seen on the band.

UPDATE 1320z:  IK0OKY (1480km) was spotting me on 10m WSPR just now. No other Es seen so far on 10m WSPR.

Sunspots and 10m - Sun July 26th 2015

Sunspot number today is 41 (K=1) and 10m is expected to remain "poor". We are hoping that Es will liven up what otherwise may be a quiet band.

Low WSPR activity

Worldwide, the total number of stations shown as active is just 46 for 10 and 6m combined. With this low level of activity it is hardly worth continuing. I shall continue with 10m WSPR but I may leave 6m as early as tomorrow and head to MF.

UPDATE 2145z:  I have come to the reluctant conclusion after trying for 2 summer Es seasons that WSPR does not appear to be the best mode to capture real DX openings. VE7SL reports trans-Pacific openings on 6m to Japan, but it seems very high power and big beams are necessary. This mode does appear to need mesospheric reflections (not Es) and these occur in June and July. We still have a lot to learn but WSPR does not appear to be much help sadly.  As I run neither high power or a big beam on 6m, I shall leave exploiting these very long polar paths on 6m to the grown ups.

Historic adverts?

Thanks to Phil G4HFU (see earlier post) I have been reacquainted with the old PW adverts that got me dreaming over 50 years ago. I wonder if other blog readers can point me in the direction of old UK magazines and adverts? I was first interested in radio and SWLing in the early 1960s.

Back then, the world was a very different place. The Beatles were still in the future.  We lived under the constant fear of all out nuclear war (I was terrified in the 1962 Cuba crisis) and most amateur DX was by CW or AM. Although RTTY was around, most digital modes were not. Magazines like Practical Wireless, Radio Constructor and Short Wave Magazine were filled with goodies I drooled over, but could not afford. Even now I do not like parting with money for amateur gear unless there is a good chance of getting very many years of good service from it.

Swifts - NOT amateur radio

This evening, in a further attempt to beat my giddiness, I went for a decent (for me!) walk. One of the joys of an English summer evening is seeing swifts on the wing high in the sky and hearing their calls - a high pitched scream. To me, this is the sound of summer. Their wings are scythe like and they spend most of their lives on the wing.

They arrive late (around the end of April) and go before summer is done. It an ephemeral sound that they make. When you hear it, it is truly late spring or summer. Soon the summer migrants will head south to warmer skies and we will be joined by migrants from the north such as whooper and bewick swans from the high Arctic and Russia as well thrushes like redwings and fieldfares from Scandinavia. To them we represent warmth and mildness!

For now I am content to hear those swifts, although they will soon be on their way. Hopefully, I'll still be around for their return in the spring. Seeing the first swifts in late April brings joy to my heart. The cycle of life that has happened for thousands of years goes on. No doubt this cycle went on when we still lived in caves and when Roman soldiers walked these lands and this cycle will still be going on long after I am dust again.

See http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/s/swift/ .