Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday October 4th 2016

Solar flux is 89 today and the sunspot number 32. However K=5 and the 10m F2 propagation forecast remains "poor".

Yet again - South America on 10m

This evening, South Americans stations, lots, were received on 10m JT65. The conditions did not look that promising, but yet again 10m using JT65 has proved to be "open". There were quite a few Europeans copied and copying me today. I love 10m and JT65.

QRP News - Sputnik days

From Oleg earlier:

Some years ago, G6ALB and I made a simple QRP CW rig, using Sputnik valves, for 21MHz and we worked a stateside station who replied to my CQ call.

Dates: October 4 to 18 annually
Mode - CW, output power less than 5 watts
Bands  -  all,  including  WARC  (it's  not  a  contest),  around QRP
frequencies recommend
Categories:
"Sputniks"
-  use old type valves(50'th)  TX, output power recommend less than 1
watt.  To  identification  add series of "dit" (beep-beep-beep...) in
start or/and finish of transmission
"Vanguards"
-  use  old  type  Ge (germanium, 50'th) transistors TX, output power
recommend  less  than  100 mW. To identification add series of "V" in
start or/and finish of transmission
SWLs
- copy time and freq of Sputniks and Vanguards (CQs or QSOs). Use main
callsign as SWL.
Each  operator  may  take  a  part in any categories sending separate
reports/logs for each category. Any QSOs in account. Same station may
operate on other bands or in other category on the same band.
Reports/logs  must be send daily (preferably) to the "Center of Space
Communications" :-) to - mr72@club72.su
Add  photos  of equipment, antennas including any comments. Dead-line
for reports/logs before October 25. Memorably certificate will be sent
to each station/SWL.
See totals log/comments/pictures since October 4 on the Club 72 page - www.club72.su
Ask  "Mr  72"  to add your e-mail in the special "Sputnik" discussion
group (reflector)
72! Deep Space Communications Center
Operator in duty -
Oleg "Mr. 72" RV3GM / KH6OB beep...beep...beep...

BREXIT - NOT amateur radio

It is now 4.40pm local time and both the UK FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 share indexes are well up. The pound has weakened somewhat making UK goods even better value overseas. BREXIT will mean a break from the EU, but I do not think we will see the "melt down" many were expecting. If anything, this is an opportunity to forge our destiny in the world.

The next few years will be bumpy, but it is ours, and ours alone, to make successful. I honestly think the EU is in deep trouble: it would not surprise me if radical changes were to be made in the years ahead within the EU. They have the Euro, Greece, high youth unemployment, migration and stagnation to deal with. One of the most important players - the UK - will be gone by 2019.

SPRAT and GQRP Club

Today SPRAT 168 arrived. This is the quarterly magazine of the GQRP Club. Every one is excellent and full of ideas. As I have said in the past, if all other mags had to go, this is the one I'd keep.

By the way all SPRATS 1-160 are available to GQRP Club members on a DVD for £5 plus postage - a real bargain.

See http://www.gqrp.com/ .

Weak signal modes

This has been said here many times, but weak signal modes like WSPR and JT65 are ideal running  "in the background" modes for bands that seem dead but that may not be. At the moment and for the coming years 10m is in this category for many months of the year.

If it is SSB contacts you are after, then move down a few bands. If, like me, you are interested in "pushing the boundaries" then I recommend JT65 or WSPR is left running in the background on 10m. Both modes are ideal for beaconing and there are usually plenty of monitors. On JT65 I send "B callsign locator" when busy or not looking for 2-way QSOs and this then shows up on PSKreporter if I am copied. On WSPR the standard format is used. Both modes only need low power. JT65 seems to get more results than WSPR,even though not quite as good theoretically. The 1 minute TX period may also help.

No, I am convinced that 10m is "open" far more often than was previously thought. It is just we have not had such effective weak signal modes in the past. As we go down cycle 24 and into cycle 25 modes like JT65 and WSPR will really "come good" on 10m.

Join those of us out to prove the experts wrong!

UPDATE 1704z:  In the last week alone 19 countries have been spotted here on 10m JT65. Sunspot count is low or very low and South America as been copied most days, as have stations in Europe. There is still life on 10m for those prepared to look, even with very simple gear and antennas.

UPDATE 1836z: Best DX on 10m JT65 RX is LU3VCC (12470km).  So far this evening, 4 South American stations spotted here as well as Canary Is and several Europeans.

Sunspots and 10m - Monday October 3rd 2016

Solar flux is 84 today and the sunspot number 13. K=4. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

10m JT65 this morning

This morning, I decided to give 6m a miss and started on 10m JT65 before breakfast. I am only active on 10m JT65. At 0650z I checked the PC was aligned to internet time.

So far just G4KPX (14km) spotting me.

UPDATE 1217z: DO5GLM (833km) in north east Germany was spotted on 10m JT65 in the last 30 minutes. Es? Nearly every time I go on 10m JT65 I spot, or get spotted, by stations in Europe. I remain convinced that modes like JT65 and WSPR are ideal to "smoke out" openings than otherwise would be missed.

10m Es "out of season"

As if to prove a point, there has been some E layer propagation just about every day I have tried in recent weeks on 10m. 10m is certainly far from dead out of the Es seasonal months. My recommended mode is JT65 which can be used for 2-way QSOs or beaconing. WSPR should be better, but activity seems lower.

UPDATE 1544z: Plenty of Es on 10m JT65 today. I think the spots of Holland and Belgium were probably by aircraft reflection. No South Americans yet.

UPDATE 1705z: 2 South Americans (near Rio) have been copied on 10m JT65. Sunspots? Who needs them?

UPDATE 1826z:   12 South Americans spotted on 10m JT65 so far this evening (best DX Chile and Argentina), although no-one has spotted my 2W yet. Is this TEP?

UPDATE 1915z:  20 South Americans spotted on 10m JT65. This is very high, when the sunspot count is zero! Nothing today from the Caribbean or North America.

Just QSYed to 10m JT65 (QRP)

With just local spots on 6m and nothing at all on 10m WSPR, I have just moved to 10m JT65 only. I am hoping to catch some F layer DX later, but with a sunspot number of zero, I may be unlucky today. I am now QRT on other bands and modes. I changed to 10m JT65 at 1308z.

UPDATE 1322z: SP5UAF (1424km) has already spotted my 10m JT65, so there must be Es about again. I also spotted SP4TKR at a similar distance.

UPDATE 1330z: G0LRD (25km) is also copying me, but much weaker than on 6m. I think my antenna is far less efficient on 10m, at least in David's direction. Our antennas are cross-polarised, which will not help on 10m.

UPDATE 1335z: The nearest storms are in Denmark, so I think I should be OK on 10m JT65 this afternoon and evening.