2m big wheel

2m big-wheel on its temporary mast

Overall, this antenna is giving me good service and "fits the bill" well for my kind of casual SSB operating. It will be interesting to see how it (the 2m big-wheel) does on 70cms tomorrow in the UKAC.  I start with poor expectations, but certainly hope to work the locals. Although the match is good on 70cms that does not mean the omni-directional gain is good on 70cms! When erected finally I may do a review as I am sure others would like to hear how it performs.

I wonder if anyone has modeled this antenna on 2m and 70cms?

All being well, a very kind local is installing this in its permanent location, clearing the roof and above the window on the LHS of the picture, on Sunday afternoon.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon Sept 7th 2015

Sunspot number is 38 today (K=3) and 10m is expected to remain "poor" today. With Es largely ended now I am awaiting some autumn F2 propagation but, so far, my 500mW WSPR has not been spotted far away this autumn. Last year, it was spotted on every continent including Australasia and Antarctica.  I have the feeling this autumn and winter will still be quite good on 10m but next autumn and winter will be much tougher.

Big-wheel and 5W in the 2m Trophy Contest

Although my voice was poor I managed about an hour of operating in the 2m RSGB Trophy contest at the tail end of the event today. With the big-wheel on a temporary mast and 5W, I had 10 contacts with best DX being a QSO to near Cherburg (IO99pi) in northern France.  If I'd been able to stay on longer and my voice was not such hard work, I am pretty sure I'd have worked much more. An hour and my voice was screaming "help" and "stop". Life is so much harder now.

I also tried the 2m big-wheel on 70cms. The match is very good but I have no idea what the horizontal gain is on that band. I shall try this in the 70cm UKAC contest this Tuesday at 8pm UK clock time as  long as the pole does not blow down in the mean time!  At least I can get on 70cms "after a fashion". I don't think I shall bother with entering the contest today, but yet again it proves that a 2m big-wheel is well suited to my casual sort of operating.

No 10m Es today

So far today, I have seen no Es on 10m WSPR.  The only spots have been by locals G4IKZ (18km) and G4IPX (14km). No sign of any F2 on 10m yet.

At the moment I am on 10m WSPR but have the FT817 rig on 2m SSB. I hope to work a few stations in the 2m contest. I also need to check the 2m big wheel on 70cm SSB. If any good, I shall use it in the UKAC on Tuesday evening. The 2m contest is until 1400z this afternoon.

UPDATE 1520z: Still no Es seen on 10n WSPR here today. 

Sputnik (more from Oleg RV3GM)

29 days before Sputnik launch (this was received Saturday)
 
Dear Space Friends,

Both schemes of original TX's of Sputnik-1 and Vanguard-1 installed on
the page "Sputnik Days" on the Club 72 web - www.club72.su
Also,  on the same page you can hear audio files of both TX's signals
from orbit.

72! beep-beep-beep...
 
Deep Space Communications Center
operator on duty -
Oleg ("Mr. 72") RV3GM / KH6OB

Sunspots - Sun Sept 6th 2015

With a sunspot number of just 24 (K=3) and 10m propagation expected to remain "poor" I suspect we are in for another very poor day on the higher HF bands. 10m is a band of surprises, so you can never be too sure though!

Overnight on 472kHz

Overnight 472kHz was quite productive and certainly the best night so far on the band this late summer.

Best DX copied here using the barefoot and somewhat deaf FT817 and earth-electrode "antenna" was DH5RAE (995km). The best report of my own 5mW ERP was by PA3ABK (306km) overnight. Others who copied my tiny signal were G6AVK (78km) and G8LCO (58km).

Sunspots and 10m - Sat Sept 5th 2015

Sunspot number is 36 today (K=3) but 10m propagation remains "poor". I am not expecting conditions on the higher bands to do much today.

PA3ABK/2 on 472kHz WSPR

PA3ABK/2 (306km) has been spotted here at good strength (around-13dB S/N) several times this evening.  As yet, no-one has yet spotted my 5mW ERP MF signal.

UPDATE 1838z:  Although I am still beaconing on 10m WSPR (500mW) as well as being active on MF, no further 10m Es reports since this morning.

UPDATE 2040z:  PA0A copied and G6AVK has been copying me on 472kHz WSPR.

UPDATE 2224z:  There are definitely more stations being copied on 472kHz WSPR than last month. The latest is F5WK (436km) at 2218z.

Back on 472kHz WSPR

At around 1535z I moved from 6m WSPR to 630m WSPR (80% RX, 20% TX at 5mW ERP). My RX is a bit deaf I know on MF, without the preamp. It certainly cannot be less busy on 630m than 6m, which is a dead loss here most of the time now. There is very very little Es on 6m WSPR, at least for me now. I know my set-up is quite reasonable for 6m Es. Presently there are 23 stations active in the world on 630m (472kH)z WSPR. On 6m WSPRnet shows just 11 active in the world!