Merry Christmas to all readers

May I take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very happy Christmas and all the best for 2016?  I try to write about what I have done and what interests me and hope you are able to find something of interest here or on my webpages at www.g3xbm.co.uk .

Most days the blog gets updated, unless I am away or too unwell.

Returned to 472kHz WSPR

There seemed little doing on 6m WSPR so I have returned to 630m (472kHz) WSPR now but using WJST-X 1.6 software to see how this does. No spots yet either given or received.

10m WSPR to the USA again

10m seems to be in good shape with K9AN (6505km) spotting my tiny WSPR beacon at 1430z. 10m WSPR has opened to the USA for several days in a row now.

New WSPR software

Interesting news from G8LCO:-

"Have been trying out WSJT-X 1.60 over the last two days. The 1.60 version -not long out!- includes WSPR alongside JT65 etc. It is a nice package, had one setup issue with the sound card rate but now it works very well.

You have GAINED around 3 dB of signal level on 472KHz- the decoder is more sensitive.I am hearing better than ever on MF and Top Band.

One very nice feature is the ability to scan bands, there is a menu to list the bands you want to include, this is split by time of day into four zones night, dawn greyline, day and dusk greyline. The software switchs the bands automatically without screwing up the band data!

Having the other modes too and a spectrum view that can be taylored to your needs is very useful.

All in all it's a nice Xmas freeware present to the Ham community. They have 1.70 in development- not far from release- that has even more good features. It looks like the merge of packages is a good way forward from the old arrangement."

UPDATE 1342z:  I have just loaded WSPR-X 1.6  onto the current shack PC. It is currently running WSPR on 6m (RX and TX).

Sunspots and 10m - Dec 24th 2015

Solar flux is 132 and sunspot number is 63 (K=3) today. The propagation forecast today is "fair". There were early winter Es spots from Italy and France on 10m, but this would not be related to solar conditions. As far as I know Es is not related to sunspots. The RA and LZ spots received on 10m are more likely to be single hop F2.

10m USA WSPR spots today

Several USA spots today on 10m WSPR. Not a bad day at all. The first at 1454z was K4BYN (6231km) with several since.

I am also active on 630m WSPR and DK7FC (669km) was the first to be spotted. I went QRT on 6m when I turned on 630m (472kHz) WSPR.

6m and 10m WSPR

G8VDQ (93km) has been spotted on 6m several times already, but no 10m WSPR spots of my signal apart from the stations spotting me earlier.

IC7300 and FT991 prices

Well, the IC7300 has not yet been sold in the UK (as far as I know) although the FT991 has. The price has still to drop in my view, but it looks like the dealers are trying to maximise their profits from early adopters. I have no idea when this price will finalise.  Easter or summer 2016?

630m (472kHz) WSPR

Overnight the same stations were spotted on RX and M0LMH (223km) and G0HWW (29km) spotted my 5mW ERP on TX.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed Dec 23rd 2015

Solar flux is respectable at 128 and the sunspot number is rising. Today SN is 68 (K=2) so 10m WSPR might be quite good. The 10m propagation forecast is "fair".

UPDATE 1104z:  I have just switched on 6m WSPR and reset the 10m WSPR beacon. I am now QRT on 630m (472kHz) WSPR.

UPDATE 1114z:  10m WSPR spots from FR1GZ (9724km) and RA3UDF (2693km) quite early today, which is encouraging.