QRP News: Beacon Hunt

From Oleg:

Dear QRP Friends,
keep in your diaries, please. Friend of mine Igor R2AJA ask me to help
in  announce original game - Beacon Hunt. He'd like to invite as much
QRP operators as possible. Detailed rules on his blog page - http://lavrinenkov.blogspot.ru/2016/05/beacon-hunt-v.html
Wish you all the best, 72!
Oleg "Mr. 72" RV3GM / KH6OB

472kHz WSPR overnight

Much to my surprise, my 5mW ERP was copied by G8LCO (58km), PA7EY (306km) and PE1RKT (285km). The reports from the Dutch stations were marginal but at least I was copied. Both the Dutch stations were in JO22 square.

QSY to 472kHz WSPR

As 6m WSPR was not at all productive all day, I have QSYed to 472kHz WSPR, which I shall stay on all night. I started on MF about 10 minutes ago. I also did a time resync. I am still on 10m WSPR too.

UPDATE 2020z:  PA3ABK/2 (306km) has been spotted on 472kHz WSPR already. The last 10m WSPR spot of me was at 1906z.

UPDATE 2044z:  G8LCO (58km) has spotted me on 472kHz WSPR.

Evening walk - NOT amateur radio

As it was a lovely evening, we decided to go for a walk in our local meadow this evening.  At the moment the cow parsley is splendid. Altogether, a perfect late spring evening.

Still no 6m WSPR spots

Although 10m WSPR is still very good for Es with spots received from all over the place (in Europe), 6m is still not producing any spots here. Maybe later?

I was also hoping for some brief N-S F2 DX on 10m WSPR, but it has just been Es so far. My 10m antenna is not the best, so others may fair better?

UPDATE 1905z:  Still no spots given or received on 6m WSPR, although 10m WSPR has been good with Es all day long. I shall probably QSY from 6m to MF later.

Spanning the Atlantic on 2m

Southgate News reports that a Cornish amateur was copied in Newfoundland using the International Space Station as a passive reflector. At some point the Atlantic will be spanned by "natural" means (not including EME), probably by Es, MS, aurora or tropo or a combination of these modes. It has happened on 6m and 4m. It is only a matter of time.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2016/may/gk4loh_received_over_3467_km_on_144_mhz.htm.

QRP and QRP Club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Just reminder about QRP Net schedule (QRP Rendez-Vous round table). Weekly  on Tuesdays,  Thursdays, Saturdays at 9 UTC on 14060 kHz +/- QRM,  QRL  (alternative 10116 kHz if big contests). Comments, results and pictures are appreciate direct to "mr72" e-mail, please.
Weekly reports published at the Club 72 blog page - http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
All visitors and "Honor Frequenters" lists you can see on the Club 72 web-page - www.club72.su "72 Net" in the menu.  Welcome all QRP operators! Enjoy 2-way QRP QSOs on the "72 Net"

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs May 26th 2016

Solar flux is 93 today and sunspot number 27 (K=1). The forecast for 10m F2 propagation is yet again "poor", although Es is definitely livening things up on 10m.

10m Es

I did time resync not too long ago. 10m has been wide open with Es spots from all over Europe this morning. On 10m I am running 500mW WSPR (100% TX). There have been no spots given or received here on 6m WSPR so far.  LA3JJ (864km) was spotting me on 10m WSPR in the middle of the night! I have the feeling that 10m is going to be very with Es today.

Australian in-laws - NOT amateur radio

For the last few days we have been hosting our son's Australian in-laws so my amateur radio and blogging have been restricted. This morning, they returned to my son and family in Kent. It was very good to see them.