Sunspots and 10m - Fri Aug 21st 2015

Sunspot numbers are rising again. Today it stands at 68 (K=2) but 10m is expected to remain "poor". K=2 is quite low disturbance and in the past "poor" 10m conditions have surprised me with some good DX. This is another "magic band" so go for it and expect to be surprised!

Overnight on 10m and 630m

I went on 10m WSPR late last night and see that a couple of Italians were spotting me around midnight local time by Es. No other spots received since on 10m. On 630m (472kHz) WSPR overnight on the earth-electrode "antenna" was a total blank with no stations spotted or spotting me. I think the band is too noisy still?

UPDATE 0834z:  At the present time I am on 10m and 6m WSPR. On 10m 100% TX 500mW (frequency randomised) and on 6m 20% TX (1W ERP) and 80% RX using the V2000 vertical. As usual, G0OQK (98km) is being spotted on 6m WSPR (he has spotted me once so far) by a combination of tropo and aircraft reflection.

UPDATE 0940z:  I wonder if G0OQK spots me less on 6m WSPR (than I spot him) because he has a noisier RX set-up or because my ERP is lower than his?

472kHz WSPR

Overnight I am on 472kHz WSPR. I have not been on 10m or 6m for some time.  I hope the PC does not close down to install updates! This is rare but happened last time I was on MF. Yes I know I can change the PC settings so that the uploads are downloaded but not actually installed.

Thank you David

A near local has very kindly offered to erect my 2m big wheel.  I hate having to ask for help, as a few years ago this would have been trivial. These days I am just so grateful. It should mean I'll be back on 2m sometime in September.

Autumn/winter priorities

My overriding priority is to get back to full health again with my poor speech,swallow and giddiness being the largest remaining issues. I am now eating most foods and drinking more liquids of different sorts. Although I still get tired I seem to recover more quickly.

My priorities for the coming autumn and winter centre on operation from home rather than field work. This autumn/winter I want to have a few more SSB QSOs if my voice improves. I want to use 2-way digital modes like JT65 and JT9 more and possibly PSK31. I'd like to keep a regular log of all the 2m beacons I can copy and of course take part in the 2m UKAC sessions each month.

Overall, all I really want is good health. Until you don't have it, you don't realise how important this is to so much that one does. I do so miss my good health.

Autumn projects

I am afraid my still poor health is still getting in the way of experiments in the field.  At the moment then, my main aims for this autumn (all depend on help of others sadly) are:

• Erect my 2m big wheel on the side of the house as high as I can.
• Erect a long-wire for LF/MF use.

This autumn I'd like to put out a decent 2m SSB signal and a decent signal on 472kHz WSPR. My earth-electrode "antenna" on MF is very much a compromise and another 10dB ERP would be great. This would still be low ERP, but I'd be in with a better chance.

472kHz WSPR overnight

A disappointing night on MF last night with just spots by G6AVK (78km) received last night before the PC decided to close down sometime in the early hours. I think the band is still rather noisy and it is a bit early for my weak 5mW ERP signal to be copied easily. I was surprised not to spot others though.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs Aug 20th 2015

Sunspot number is 36 today, marginally up on yesterday (K=3) and 10m propagation is yet again expected to remain "poor". The consensus seems to be that this has been a below average Es season too. Roll on the autumn and winter and (I hope) some decent 10m F2 propagation.  At the moment we are seeing a gradual decline, on average, in sunspot numbers but I think 10m will still be useful for one more autumn/winter period before life gets tough on 10m. The moral is never give up. I am sure 10m remains open far more often than people realise. How often have you heard 27MHz CB humming yet the 28MHz (10m) amateur band is quiet?

UPDATE 0945z:  A promising start on 10m Es today with a couple of spots by IU1DZZ (973km) quite early on 10m WSPR. On 6m WSPR I am exchanging WSPR spots yet again with G0OQK (98km) but no Es seen yet on 6m WSPR.

UPDATE 1312z:   ON7KB (299km) presumably by tropo is the only non-G spotted on 6m WSPR. I have seen no evidence of Es on 6m today and, so far, just IU1DZZ on 10m.

UPDATE 1855z:  We seem to be in "in-between" conditions at the moment with fewer Es openings and not that many F2 openings on 10m. As for 6m, there was zero Es evident here on WSPR today.

10m Es but nothing seen on 6m WSPR

In the end, 10m WSPR sprang to life later in the day, but only Gs seen on 6m WSPR. This was not the great Es opening I was (half) hoping for today.

UPDATE 2050z:   I think I might QSY from 6m to 630m (472kHz) overnight with my earth-electrode "antenna".

UPDATE 2106z:  QSYed from 6m to 630m and did a hard reset of the 10m beacon. Will be on 10m and 630m WSPR overnight. 6m was a dead loss today, so hoping for better luck on 630m despite the lower ERP on MF.

WSPR

Although I enjoyed WSPR long before my stroke, I have used this mode a lot in recent times.  My voice is still poor and I find speech modes tiring. WSPR is a one-way beaconing tool. It is ideal for antenna work and propagation experiments. I enjoy using it especially on 6m, 10m and 630m although I have used it on other bands too. You only need very low power. Even with just 5mW ERP from my earth-electrode "antenna" on 630m it has spanned over 1000km. On 10m my 500mW WSPR has been copied on every continent. WSPR is a good test of receiving systems too, especially on MF and LF.  If you have not tried WSPR, I can recommend it. Start by looking for WSPR signals and be sure to upload what you copy to WSPRnet.


UPDATE 1105z:   So far a very quiet morning on 10m and 6m WSPR.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/wspr .