QRT on 630m and active again on 10m and 6m WSPR

After an evening and night on 630m (472kHz) WSPR, I have QSYed back to 6m WSPR and 10m WSPR. Overnight PA0O/1 (440km) spotted me several times on 472kHz WSPR. He is a new station this season.

Back to 472kHz WSPR

FR1GZ (9724km) was spotting me this afternoon on 10m WSPR but yet again there were no spots of my 500mW WSPR beacon from the USA. It looks like the declining solar activity is already having an impact. To be honest, I was not expecting to notice this until late next year. DK6UG (633km) also spotted me on 10m WSPR - winter Es?

As it is dark here, I have returned to 472kHz WSPR wth 5mW ERP, although I am on RX 80% of the time. Lots of Europeans being copied on MF with best DX on RX again 995km.

G8VDQ (93km) was copied several times on 6m WSPR by aircraft reflection/tropo earlier.

Quiet - NOT amateur radio

The house is very quiet. My XYL is out in Cambridge at her weekly U3AC course and I am just quietly relaxing. It is good to do nothing much and just relax. I think it does me good.

QSYed

About 10 minutes ago I went QRT on MF. I am now on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR instead. It takes a little while for things to settle, but all is very quiet as yet. Certainly no choice DX yet, although I'd be surprised. I shall return to 472kHz (630m) WSPR tonight when it gets dark.

UPDATE 1100z:  G8VDQ (93km) has just been spotted on 6m WSPR.

IARU VHF news

The next WRC, to be held in 2019, could see some threats to some of our microwave bands. I have to confess very little interest in microwaves. I preferred lightwaves as I was able make all my own kit and test gear. Although 10GHz operation is possible without that much test gear, having some decent 10GHz test equipment must help.

At present, the after effects of my stroke have meant very little building, or field work, has been possible. I sincerely hope that things will get better next year.

See http://www.iaru-r1.org/images/VHF/newsletters/Newsletter_68.pdf

472kHz WSPR update

I stayed on 472kHz WSPR overnight but only spotted the same stations again. At breakfast G4AYT (114km) in JO01mi was spotting me from 0732z lots, although he was spotting me through the night at times.

Overnight I received spots from 5 unique stations with the best DX being (again) a report from DL-SWL (701km). I was also spotted by G3XKR (347km) in north Devon. My ERP is still around 5mW from the earth-electrode "antenna", so all credit to these stations for finding me down in the noise! Here, on RX, my best spot was (again) DH5RAE at 995km.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon Dec 7th 2015

Solar flux is 103 today. Sunspot number is 38 (K=3).  10m propagation is expected to remain "poor" today. I do not expect great things on 10m today.

First 10m WSPR spots from the USA

With improved conditions, I was not surprised to see my little 500mW 10m WSPR beacon has been spotted in the USA this afternoon. KZ3X (5737km) was the first at 1508z. I expect there will be some more.

UPDATE 1545z:  We must be on the downward slope of the sunspot cycle now as 1508z was late for a first 10m WSPR spot from the USA. Still, we must be grateful.  This time next year, we'd be grateful if 10m opened E-W at all! Some of us can remember winter afternoons when 6m was wide open to the USA! I recall hearing lots of USA stations on 6m with just a fixed wire dipole. Never again in my lifetime, although I expect to hear the USA on 6m some summers via Es.

UPDATE 1600z:  PA3ABK/2 (306km) has been spotted a few times already on 472kHz WSPR late this afternoon.

UPDATE 1712z:  No further 10m WSPR spots from the USA. KZ3X may have been it for the day.

Storm Desmond - NOT amateur radio

As I write this, storm Desmond is dropping record quantities of rain over northern England and Scotland.  I can imagine little worse than having your home or business flooded out, especially at this time of the year.  My heart bleeds for those affected, who may be without homes for months and, even when they get back, there is the ongoing threat of it all happening again.  There is also the worry over insurance. No,  flooding is going to become a major issue in the years ahead.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35019021 .

Sunspots and 10m - Sun Dec 6th 2015

Solar flux is 110 today and sunspot number is 75 (K=2).  Although the forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor",  it would not surprise me if 10m WSPR was quite decent today.

UPDATE 1356z:  FR1GZ (9724km) spotted me once on 10m WSPR this morning.

UPDATE 1715z:  Did I read the wrong day? Solar flux is currently 100, sunspot number is 41 and K=5. Conditions are consistent with this.  MF is lively with lots of stations being copied.