First cut - NOT amateur radio

The lawns were cut yesterday for the first time this year. I need some weed killer and lawn feed!

Amateur VLF

Amateur operation at VLF is very different from commercial VLF. In order to be detectable with "back garden" antennas and amateur powers, very high stability is needed and very long integration times. The latter may be hours or even days!  

Some years ago I was quite active on amateur VLF. On TX I experimented with 5W earth-mode and on radiated VLF I concentrated on RX and copied several Europeans below 10kHz. The photo shows G3XIZ (45km) although I regularly spotted German stations at far greater range.

Antennas were an 80m loop or my earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground at home and a portable multi-turned tuned loop or earth electrodes in the ground out portable. Out portable, the loop on the ground was the most successful.

Sunspots - Monday March 4th

Solar  flux is 146 and the SSN 90. A=29 and K=2. 

630m QRP WSPR (Sunday)

My 10mW ERP WSPR from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground was turned on at about 2114z. 7 stations have spotted me.

10m 500mW WSPR (Sunday)

At 1443z, the 10m WSPR beacon had its PA turned on, so after that time it is running the full power of 500mW again. 

UPDATE 1456z:  5 spots received already including 2 stations in the USA. It is much easier at 500mW than 500uW!!

UPDATE 1504z:   It is far easier at 500mW!

UPDATE 1722z:  23 stations have spotted me at 500mW 10m WSPR (see table).

Spring sounds - NOT amateur radio

Judging by the sounds, spring has come. This morning I can hear several people cutting their grass for the first time since the autumn. Ours is too wet. Maybe later?

6m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

My 2.5W FT8 to the V2000 vertical omni antenna was turned on at about 1240z. 

UPDATE 1437z:  8 English stations have spotted me.

10m 500uW (0.5mW) WSPR

Today, I was going back to 500mW 10m WSPR (QRO for me!!), but I decided, after the success yesterday, to stick with real QRPP instead.  

So, I am trying again with the beacon PA off at 500uW.

UPDATE 1437z:  No spots.

Over the peak?

My best site for solar data has been updated as it always is at the start of a month. It shows us just over the solar cycle peak. Unless we see a second peak (possible) we could be on a long decline to solar minimum. We can expect good conditions on the higher HF bands for some years yet. 

I remember working South America on 10m QRP SSB (10W pep and a dipole) right at the solar minimum and zero sunspots. With FT8 this should be even easier. 

Stick with the higher HF bands!

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

630m QRP WSPR overnight

25 stations spotted the 10mW ERP 630m WSPR from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.  No astounding DX, but a good haul of stations spotting me.