My beacon has been on since just after breakfast. Several spots via F2 propagation. See table.
Simple QRP projects, 10m, 8m, 6m, 4m, FT8, 160m, WSPR, LF/MF, sub-9kHz, nanowaves and other random stuff, some not related to amateur radio.
In a word - pathetic.
Every few weeks I take peek at activity of this geosynchronous satellite. It is very very low. I cannot say how disappointing I find this.
The following have been notified to me. Always check before going far.
My tiny stand-alone 10m QRP WSPR beacon was turned on about 0812z.
UPDATE 0851z: Plenty of (I think) F2 spots.My 2.5W to the horizontal low dipole was turned on at about 0812z. The usual "watering hole" for both FT8 and WSPR is 40.680 MHz USB dial. If you set your receiver here you will catch most of the activity.
UPDATE 0951z: G0KTN (211km) has at last spotted me. Pretty sure he has been trying for some time. Not sure if he has a better antenna, higher antenna, more sensitive RX or if conditions were up. Also spotting me was EI3KF (574km).
UPDATE 1000z: It would appear that every time I try 8m QRP FT8, I get spotted by several stations. If I get spotted with my very tiny power (2.5W) and low dipole then imagine the results with 50W and a beam. There have been some amazing 10mW FT8 QSOs. Under ISM rules many countries can TX on the band without a special permit or even a licence. Check what the rules are in your country.
Stations spotting my 8m FT8 today |
In amateur radio different people enjoy the hobby in different ways. It is a good thing we are all different! In my case, I enjoy getting t...