6m WSPR and 10m WSPR soon

Very shortly I shall be turning on the WSPR station. I plan to be on 10m (TX 100%, randomised TX frequency, 500mW) and on 6m WSPR (1W ERP 20%, 80% RX, V2000 vertical). With the Es season here, there is a chance of catching some European short skip on both bands.

UPDATE 0918z:  Now active on 6m WSPR and 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 0942z:  No spots yet on 10m WSPR, but G8VDQ (93km) spotted on 6m WSPR at -16dB S/N.

UPDATE 1530z: On 6m WSPR just G8VDQ (93km) spotted many times. On 10m WSPR my  500mW WSPR beacon has been spotted in Germany and Italy with the best DX I4ZTO (1185km). Not a bad Es day.

QSYed

Since about 1830z I have been on 472kHz WSPR. No spots yet. Tomorrow, during the day, I shall probably be on 6m and 10m WSPR. What I do in the evening tomorrow is still to be decided. I really should try a different band.  472kHz is now past its best this season I think. For the last few nights my best DX on TX (5mW ERP, earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground) has been Holland. Best 472kHz WSPR TX DX this season remains Norway.

Stroke update - NOT amateur radio

Not a lot of change really.

My biggest issues are not being able to speak easily, drinking liquids and feeling so profoundly tired so often, even though I sleep well. The fact that I feel wobbly when on my feet I have learned to live with. The tiredness is debilitating.  I feel as if I have drunk 8 pints of beer most of my waking life. I can assure you it is no fun. Sitting down is OK. No-one, and I do mean no-one,  seems to understand what a struggle it is. The comment I get is, "you do look well". If only they understood just how difficult life really is on the inside.

Garden in Spring - NOT amateur radio

This is a photo of our front garden yesterday. The windmill is in view on the right. Spring has nearly sprung: all the trees are now starting to look green or are in bud. Mind you, we still had a frost on Sunday morning.

Exclusive 24-hour Sale! Up to £18 off - NOT amateur radio

Alibris UK of course!  I'm sorry but this sort of marketing ploy does not impress me one bit. Every week there is an offer. It is stupid.

10m WSPR so far today

Just G stations being spotted and spotting me so far. G0VUH (157km) is a new one for me. G4CUI (172km) is best DX so far.

UPDATE 1140z:  HA9AL (1455km), OZ9QV (864km) and OZ7IT spotted me and I spotted OZ7IT (853km). It looks like we are now seeing Es on 10m WSPR.  It will soon be time to return to 6m WSPR.

UPDATE 1235z:  Now OK2SAM (1283km) has been spotted on 10m WSPR.  Lots of Es I think.

UPDATE 1615z:  HA9AL (1455km) is being spotted again. This is classic Es with a second peak around teatime. I may start 6m WSPR from tomorrow and revert to my 500mW 100% TX only beacon on 10m at the same time on a different antenna. 

481THz lightbeam experiment?

Our local windmill. Me seated. XYL on RHS.

It is getting close to the time when I fancy some field work! My first experiment will be to detect QRSS 481THz (red light) at some distance by reflection off our local windmill. It will need my XYL to accompany me as it will involve night driving but it will either work or not. This will be my first field test in a long long time.

This picture was taken in 2014 and the laurel hedge has grown quite a bit since. Look at a later post to see how it looks now.
Small steps...

Sunspots and 10m - Mon April 18th 2016

Solar flux is 103 today and the sunspot number 35 (K=1). The forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor". Yesterday there was some short-skip (Es?) on the band and we can expect more of this during the coming months.I have been on 10m WSPR since 0630z this morning.

Return to 472kHz WSPR

Well, as I think the opportunity for 10m DX has now gone for the day, I have again QSYed down to 472kHz WSPR. I hope WSPRnet is working this evening and overnight.

It will soon be time to fire up the 6m WSPR station as the Es season approaches. There have already been hints of Es on 10m and soon it will be 6m. In the last two Es seasons 4X1RF (3519km) has copied my 1W ERP 6m WSPR signal several times, although I dispute the conventional multi-hop theory. I personally think this is (maybe) some sort of E layer tilt without an intermediate hop on the ground. I may be wrong.

Back on 10m WSPR

WSPRnet seems to be working again. I have been on 10m WSPR for about 20 minutes so far but I am only being spotted by local Jenny G0VQH who is 15km south of me. No DX yet.

QRP station. Currently on 10m WSPR

UPDATE 1615z:  Apart from a single spot this afternoon by OZ9QV (864km) nobody else at any range has copied me on 10m WSPR today. I have copied Norway and Sweden on 10m WSPR today so there is short-skip (Es?) around.  I'll leave the rig running a bit longer on 10m WSPR in case there are any S.Americans. In the coming months you sometimes get mixed modes on 10m with Es joining with F2 further south and some remarkable distances are possible.   USA DX by multi-hop Es on 10m and 6m is usually later in the summer. In past Es seasons I have copied USA, Caribbean and S.Americans by Es on 6m. I have only worked the USA once on 6m CW QRP but that was by Es. At the time 6m sounded like 20m!