Amateur VLF transmissions

Although my health has rather put a stop to VLF earth-mode tests here, I see that radiated tests are still happening. Uwe, DJ8WX has been doing radiated VLF tests at 8.27kHz recently.

Brazil on 10m WSPR

KD0VWO (7412km) monitoring in Brazil was the only person to spot my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon this morning.

472kHz WSPR overnight

It was good to see EA5DOM (1525km) in the 472kHz logs on RX several times. At some points he was strong at -11dB S/N.  In all, he was spotted 38 times last night. Again this was just using the earth-electrodes and the FT817 without a preamp. He  have a very effective MF system as he gets out well.

I went QRT on 630m (472kHz) WSPR at breakfast and am now active in 6m and 10m WSPR

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs Dec 10th 2015

Solar flux is 108 today and the sunspot number is 77 (K=4). Predictions for 10m propagation remain "poor". 10m cannot be worse than yesterday!  With quite disturbed conditions, I have doubts about 10m WSPR spots from the USA today.

UPDATE 1000z:  All quiet so far on 10m and 6m WSPR.

2m and 70cm UKACs

It must be my age!  My XYL said last Tuesday "have you got a contest tonight?" I said, "no" thinking it was the end of November. Somehow I also read my email reminder of the 70cm UKAC too late last night.  So, I managed to miss both the 2m and 70cm December legs of the monthly RSGB activity contests, thinking it was the end of November still!

Incidentally, my article on the big-wheel antenna for 2m is in the January RadCom. If I had remembered, this is the antenna I would have used! It works well and is a horizontal omni with gain. Mine was very kindly erected by David G0LRD, to whom I am much indebted.

Steve's blog (G1KQH)

A reminder to check out Steve's blog from time to time:

More from the Blog:

http://g1kqh.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/usb-simple-idea-of-attachment.html

 

73 Steve 

http://www.g1kqh.talktalk.net/

 

Sunspots and 10m - Wed Dec 9th 2015

Solar flux is 105 and sunspot number 58. K index is 1 so quite undisturbed today. I think 10m WSPR should open to the USA this afternoon. If not, there is little hope for the rest of the winter and spring! The forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor" though.

UPDATE 1104z:  No spots at all on 10m WSPR as yet. By now, I'd have expected a few Russians on 10m WSPR at least.

Return to 6m and 10m WSPR. QRT on MF

Just before breakfast I returned to 10m and 6m WSPR. G8VDQ (93km) has been spotted several times on 6m WSPR.

Back to MF

I have closed down on 10m and 6m WSPR and returned to 630m (472kHz) for the evening and night. G8VDQ (93km) was spotted 3 times on 6m WSPR probably by a mixture of tropo and aircraft reflection. On 10m WSPR only the single spot of me was by DK6UG this morning. Where are the USA WSPR reports?

UPDATE 2148z:  On 472kHz WSPR just the same stations copied on RX with best DX, so far,  DH5RAE (995km). No-one has copied me yet this evening.

UPDATE 2238z:   PA0O/1 (440km) has copied me this evening on 472kHz WSPR as has G4AYT in Kent.

Stroke exhaustion - NOT amateur radio

It is perhaps surprising that well over 2 years since my stroke, I still get very exhausted so easily. We have had good old friends staying for a couple of nights and after helping to prepare lunch, I was totally exhausted. After 10-15 minutes I am OK again, but anything physical or mental gets me very tired after a short time. I guess I have to accept this is how it is going to be, although people tell me I am getting slowly better. They can see progress, although I cannot generally see it.