From Oleg...
Dear Club 72 members and friends,
See the weekly QRP Rendez-Vous report and "soapbox" here -
http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
Visitors of the week: UR7VT, UA1ADF, UR5EFD, RN4NAA, UA1CEX, OM6TC, OH6NPV, RU3NJC, RA1M/mm, UA4NU, 9A6DR, G3UD, RA3AL, SM7RYR, DM4RW, G4HOM, LZ2NV, 9A1AA, HB9DAX, DL7MA, RA6YA, ON6KZ, PD0HRS
Schedule of the weekly "rendezvous";
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 9 UTC on 14060 kHz +/- QRL, QRM, VXO (alternative 10116 kHz if Contests QRM)
Welcome all QRP operators!
72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"
=== In QRP We Trust! ===
19 Dec 2015
472kHz WSPR
DL-SWL (701km) spotted my 5mW ERP 472kHz WSPR signal at 1628z today, which is very early. He must have a good RX system.
PA3ABK/2 (306km) has been spotted here throughout the day on 472kHz WSPR.
PA3ABK/2 (306km) has been spotted here throughout the day on 472kHz WSPR.
Winter Es on 10m WSPR
So far today, WSPRnet has been OK. Not sure why. Lots of short-skip spots on 10m WSPR that I presume are a result wintertime Es (EA, DL, I). I may well try JT65 and JT9-1 later.
UPDATE 1608z: It is getting late so JT65 and JT9-1 will have to wait until Sunday. I shall go QRT on 10m WSPR soon. I have been on 630m (472kHz) WSPR all day and will remain on for the evening and night.
UPDATE 1608z: It is getting late so JT65 and JT9-1 will have to wait until Sunday. I shall go QRT on 10m WSPR soon. I have been on 630m (472kHz) WSPR all day and will remain on for the evening and night.
Sunspots and 10m - Sat Dec 19th 2015
Solar flux is a respectable 116. Sunspot number is 49 (K=1) but 10m propagation is expected to be "poor" today. Yesterday 10m was again disappointing. In all, 21 unique statio (ns have reported my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon in the last 2 weeks, including several in the USA. I thought it was fewer than this. The majority of the USA spots were earlier in the month. Best DX spot was by FR1GZ (9724km). No Australian spotters in the last 2 weeks on 10m.
UPDATE 1005z: All quiet on 10m and 6m WSPR so far.
UPDATE 1009z: This often happens! Just after my last entry I was spotted on 10m WSPR by DF4UE (758km) by wintertime Es I assume. Far too short for F2.
UPDATE 1005z: All quiet on 10m and 6m WSPR so far.
UPDATE 1009z: This often happens! Just after my last entry I was spotted on 10m WSPR by DF4UE (758km) by wintertime Es I assume. Far too short for F2.
18 Dec 2015
JT65 and JT9-1 tomorrow?
From Sunday we have grandchildren here for over a week, so amateur radio will take a back seat. I may set WSPR running some of the time, but that will be all.
Tomorrow, as WSPRnet seems so "hit and miss" at the moment, I may well try JT65 and JT9-1 to see how I get on. I've used these modes in the past, but not for some while. My fellow blogger PA4BAS Bas in the Netherlands tells me that beaconing is possible in these modes, although the watchdog timer only allows 6 transmissions before the TX has to be reset. I may well try 20m initially to make sure all works first. After that, I may give 10m a go although it has been quiet on 10m WSPR of late.
See http://pe4bas.blogspot.nl/2015/12/beaconing-with-jt-modes.html .
Tomorrow, as WSPRnet seems so "hit and miss" at the moment, I may well try JT65 and JT9-1 to see how I get on. I've used these modes in the past, but not for some while. My fellow blogger PA4BAS Bas in the Netherlands tells me that beaconing is possible in these modes, although the watchdog timer only allows 6 transmissions before the TX has to be reset. I may well try 20m initially to make sure all works first. After that, I may give 10m a go although it has been quiet on 10m WSPR of late.
See http://pe4bas.blogspot.nl/2015/12/beaconing-with-jt-modes.html .
More WSPRnet issues?
Yet again, WSPRnet seems to be struggling. If this continues I think I shall be forced away from WSPR, which would be a great shame in my current state of health.
The choices are to move to PSK31, JT65, JT9-1 and OPERA on MF. I can use SSB and CW, but I find these modes hard at present. Unlike WSPR (which is mainly a beacon mode) these digital modes are really 2-way modes, so I'd have to be in the shack rather than the lounge. Maybe this is no bad thing as I need to make more 2-way QSOs. Maybe my challenge for 2016 should be to see how many countries I can work with QRP using these digital modes?
WSPRnet is a core benefit of WSPR as it allows everyone to see who is spotting you and who you are spotting. Feedback is almost instant, which is great for those interested in propagation or experimenting with antennas or rigs.
The choices are to move to PSK31, JT65, JT9-1 and OPERA on MF. I can use SSB and CW, but I find these modes hard at present. Unlike WSPR (which is mainly a beacon mode) these digital modes are really 2-way modes, so I'd have to be in the shack rather than the lounge. Maybe this is no bad thing as I need to make more 2-way QSOs. Maybe my challenge for 2016 should be to see how many countries I can work with QRP using these digital modes?
WSPRnet is a core benefit of WSPR as it allows everyone to see who is spotting you and who you are spotting. Feedback is almost instant, which is great for those interested in propagation or experimenting with antennas or rigs.
Big-Wheel review
The first article that I have written since my stroke has been published. This was a 1 page article about my Big-Wheel 2m antenna in the Jan 2016 edition of RadCom. David G0LRD kindly did the erection for me. I was really grateful to him. He just came over and did it. A true hero in the real spirit of amateur radio. A million thanks David.
The short article was a start. I hope I can do a few more in 2016.
The short article was a start. I hope I can do a few more in 2016.
Very early 10m WSPR spots and 6m WSPR
SP9LJE (1261km) has already spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon this morning. This is probably winter Es as it is rather close for F2 propagation.
On 6m WSPR, I am giving the usual spots to G8VDQ (93km). He is coming in yet again by tropo and aircraft reflection. There were 3 spots of him earlier. If there is winter Es then it would be good to get few Europeans in the log on 6m WSPR too.
Currently (and all day) I shall be on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR. WSPRnet again seems very slow.
UPDATE 1354z: No further 10m WSPR spots since those by SP9LJE earlier. I have spotted G8VDQ a few more times on 6m. I'd be interested to know what gear/antenna he uses on 6m. He uses quite a bit more power than me. For aircraft reflection I am not convinced that antenna polarisation matters too much whereas for tropo it does matter.
On 6m WSPR, I am giving the usual spots to G8VDQ (93km). He is coming in yet again by tropo and aircraft reflection. There were 3 spots of him earlier. If there is winter Es then it would be good to get few Europeans in the log on 6m WSPR too.
Currently (and all day) I shall be on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR. WSPRnet again seems very slow.
UPDATE 1354z: No further 10m WSPR spots since those by SP9LJE earlier. I have spotted G8VDQ a few more times on 6m. I'd be interested to know what gear/antenna he uses on 6m. He uses quite a bit more power than me. For aircraft reflection I am not convinced that antenna polarisation matters too much whereas for tropo it does matter.
Grass cutting - NOT amateur radio
So it is Dec 18th 2015 and as I write this I can hear someone cutting their lawn! Yesterday somewhere in Scotland hit over 17 deg C. The grass is still growing here - quite incredibly mild for mid-December.
Sunspots and 10m - Fri Dec 18th 2015
Sunspot number today is 52 (K=1) and solar flux is a respectable 117. 10m propagation is expected to be "poor". Yesterday was a washout here on 10m with no spots at all, which rather surprised me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
