10m USA - again

Yet again, 10m is open to the USA even with my 500mW WSPR-AXE beacon. Not sure when it first opened but several USA stations were spotting me around tea time including KB9AMG, KF4FX and WA0JYF, all over 6300km.

For most of the day UR/SWL56 was spotting my 500mW beacon (76 spots!) at strengths up to an amazing +2dB S/N. For most of the afternoon, the USA stations were not spotting me. I did a re-sync at tea time and since then they have been copying me. This may be purely co-incidental and just "conditions". If I had not been spotted so consistently by UR/SWL56 I would suspect a small buglet in the WSPR-AXE software, but somehow this seems unlikely.

Anyway, now I am getting plenty of USA reports.

UPDATE 1910z:    WG2Z (5600km) was still spotting me at 1850z, but since then just local G4IKZ (18km). We'll soon see if there are later USA spots, but I suspect that is it.

UPDATE 2045z:   The last spots from the USA of my 500mW beacon were KC2GMM, N2NOM and  WG2Z all at 1850z. 10m has opened to the USA every afternoon for weeks and weeks now.

Sunspot number - Nov 14th 2014

The sunspot number is 104 today with 10m propagation forecast to be "good".    Although 10m opened to the USA yet again yesterday, it has been quite quiet here so far today.

Ten Tec Argonauts

http://www.eham.net/data/reviews/images/10849.jpeg

Many QRP enthusiasts have used the various TenTec Argonaut transceivers. I never have, so what follows is not from personal experience. The latest Argonaut VI misses 6m, 12m, and 60m and seems expensive, at least here in the UK.

The image on the LHS (above) resides on the www.eham.net site and will be removed if linking to it is an issue.

To identify the older Argonaut models, Ten Tec have a "knowledge base" page to help.  See http://www.tentec.com/pages/Identifying-the-Argonaut-transceivers.html . Although the latest version is said to be very good, I am afraid I'll not be buying one. Price needs to be £799 or less in the UK and it needs the missing bands before I'd even look.

There are 22 reviews of the Argonaut VI on eHam.net. See http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/10849 . At an average of 4.5 out of 5, the score is not that good. The FT817 scores much better. People seem to love it or hate it. It apparently has a very quiet receiver and a very simple user interface.

I see that Ten Tec have dropped the USA price of the Argonaut VI to $849 for a package that now bundles the mic and 700Hz CW filter too. I suspect this is a desperate measure to shore up sales.  It would not surprise me if they went bust. Personally, I think the latest Argonaut VI was a mistake that Ten Tec now regret. These are personal views. I hope they survive and thrive, but please reduce the Argonaut VI price outside the USA too and, for goodness sake, add those missing bands!

Their Rebel open source CW rig sounds far more likely to succeed in my personal view.

Ten Tec is reputable make, not Japanese or Chinese, and I wish them well for the future. The commercial world is a tough place, so take nothing for granted.

Stateside reports yet again

Yet again, 10m opened to North America this afternoon. The earliest USA spot for me was at 1212z.  In a way, I was expecting to get some real, very long distance 10m DX spots today with my 500mW WSPR-AXE beacon but "only" Europe, Middle East and USA so far. I still remain very pleased with the little beacon.

Unique 10m WSPR spots received so far today (500mW)

UPDATE 1755z:  The last 10m WSPR spot of my 500mW beacon seems to have been at 1722z by WG2Z (5600km). Since then just spots from local G4IKZ (18km).

UPDATE 1840z:  My little W5OLF 10m beacon has just been switched off.

Multi-band WSPRing?

Now I have my fully stand-alone 10m WSPR-AXE unit, I should be able to WSPR on MF (with the earth-electrode antenna) or on 6m at the same time. I have yet to try this out but this means I can WSPR on 2 bands at once should I want. 6m might be fun although I've had no success to date lately on 6m.

10m WSPR-AXE reports

So far this morning (it is now 1045z) I have received 50 separate reports using my 10m WSPR-AXE 500mW beacon (sent to me by W5OLF). The little, fully self-contained, beacon (no PC needed) works very well indeed. After about 20 minutes settling time, the drift is essentially zero. Some of the reports below show the beacon still settling. I thoroughly recommend this unit. It is such FUN to use and see all the reports coming in. Just a single small PCB and it fits in a small enclosure. With my poor voice, it is an excellent way of enjoying the hobby and checking propagation - all at very low cost too. What I like is that it is all on a single PCB. Although the Ultimate 3 kit  from Hans Summers covers more modes and is less expensive, it is on several PCBs and is slightly more complex. The W5OLF WSPR-AXE beacon matches my needs perfectly.

Unique 10m WSPR spots to 1045z today with WSPR-AXE beacon

UPDATE 1148z:   Spots this morning being received from right across Europe from Finland (OH) in the north to Italy (I) in the south and Ukraine (UR) and Bulgaria (LZ) in the east, plus Israel (4X), all with the tiny WSPR-AXE 500mW unit. Further afield later?

UPDATE 2000z:  Apart from the very many spots from the USA, no other DX was spotting me. I was hoping for a spot from Australia, but that will have to be on another day. Judging by my reports so far, I think this is just a matter of time.

Sunspots

Sunspot number is a little up on yesterday at 89. 10m propagation is expected to be "good" so I am very hopeful of some really long distance F2 reports of my little W5OLF WSPR-AXE 10m 500mW beacon. Already it has received 50 spots from Eastern Europe and Israel.

QRP radios

I continue to be surprised by how few affordable QRP radios are on the market. The FT817ND continues to be the favourite, but recent exchange rate changes have not been matched by decent falls in the UK retail prices. I think we are still being ripped off by dealers in the UK. The IC703 is no longer made and the KX3 from Elecraft is very expensive over here. There are a few lower cost Chinese HF radios appearing. Overall, there remains little choice in QRP transceivers at sensible prices. I am sure the KX3 is a very good radio but for the same price I can buy 2 FT817 transceivers, and these are all mode and to 70cms.

A multi-band, all mode, 5-10W radio would be a killer in this age where people take lots of holidays and are on the move frequently. I still fail to understand why the big Japanese manufacturerers have not got a raft of low cost units on the market. It seems a gold mine opportunity is being wasted. Maybe I have misread the market?

I know if there was a new, attractively featured, QRP transceiver on the market now at a sensible price I'd be in the line to buy. I am sure very many others would be too.

10m stateside

Conditions on 10m today definitely seem poorer than yesterday. I am still using my little 500mW WSPR beacon by W5OLF.  There were spots all day from UR/SWL56 and this afternoon from 4X1RF (3519km), all afternoon. So far, 4X1RF has spotted me 20 times.

My first USA spot was WG2Z (5600km) at 1220z. Since then I have had USA spots from several USA stations, but I think fewer than yesterday.  The W5OLF WSPR-AXE 10m 500mW beacon really does work, without a PC. I am still in awe that something so small and beautiful is copyable so far away. It would fit in an Altiods tin - a real favourite with QRPers.

The beacon is still on and running, but I don't expect any magically far DX between now and switch off, which will probably be around 1830z.

UPDATE 1902z:  I am just about to turn off my little W5OLF 10m WSPR beacon. The last stateside station to spot my 500mW was KB9AMG (6300km) at 1712z - no other spots since. Definitely conditions on 10m were not as good as yesterday.  Still, yet again the 10m band was open to the USA and 500mW was quite enough. Worse report was -25dB S/N with most reports in the teens suggesting even less power would have been enough.

UPDATE 1910z:   10m WSPR beacon is now off.

Using my W5OLF beacon again on 10m WSPR (500mW)

Since about 5 minutes ago, I am again WSPR beaconing using 500mW from the tiny W5OLF 10m WSPR beacon. It is still settling, but already being spotted well in southern Ukraine by UR/SWL56 (2283km) at -14dB S/N.

UPDATE 1055z:   At the moment only UR/SWL56 has spotted me. It looks like conditions are NOT as good as yesterday?

Sunspots

The sunspot count today has hardly changed at 70 and 10m propagation is likely to be "fair". It looks like we can expect 10m to be rather like Tuesday.

How do they ever make a profit?

On the internet you can buy a dual-band handheld with antenna, battery, chargers(2), earpiece and belt clip for just £25.29. At this price I find it unbelievable they can make a profit. I think it is even cheaper if you buy a batch of 3.
 .
See http://www.banggood.com/LBaofeng-UV-5RA-Yellow-Dual-Band-Transceiver-Radio-Wakie-Talkie-p-947385.html  .

Shipping is just 29p. shipped to the UK by registered air parcel. It is available in a variety of case colours.

70cm UKAC this evening (5W QRP)

70cms 5W QSOs this evening from home  
- best DX 105km

After less than an hour I had to stop to save my poor voice from further strain.

I worked 8 stations in 3 grid squares before I HAD to stop. I heard a station in IO81 but failed to work him as my beam (5el hand rotated) was way off.  Best DX was just 105km. Had I managed to stay in the contest longer, then I am sure more QSOs would be in the log. My normal 70cms range seems to be up to about 200km.

Conditions seemed poor and activity was lower than in the summer. I guess better weather brings out more portable stations. Most stations worked were fixed i.e at home or on club premises.   At this time of the year people prefer to stay home.  I cannot blame them!

Last USA spot this evening

WG2Z (5600km) seems to have been the last station in North America to spot my 500mW W5OLF WSPR beacon at 1716z. Since then, just local G4IKZ (18km) has been spotting me. I am very impressed with Jay's little beacon - it works very well.

UPDATE 1900z:   Went QRT on 10m WSPR at about 1900z as all DX seems to have stopped now.

70cms UKAC this evening

2000z to 2230z this evening (Nov 11th) is the next 70cms UK activity contest. Although my voice is poor, I shall try to come on for about an hour this evening. Contacts out to around 200km seem to be possible from the home QTH using 5W SSB and my hand-rotated 5 element beam. As it is now cold and dark and autumn, I suspect there may be less activity?   Activity is usually good with plenty of stations to work.

This is a very friendly sort of contest: just reports, serial numbers and QTH locators exchanged.   I only enter contests for fun, never to win, especially with my low power! If you can, come on 70cm SSB this evening.  Your presence would be welcomed warmly.

See http://www.rsgbcc.org/vhf/ for dates and times of all UKAC sessions.  These are excellent sessions.

Using the W5OLF 500mW 10m WSPR beacon today

W5OLF WSPR beacon - complete - no PC needed

This WSPR-AXE really is a very impressive little rig, in my case for 10m WSPR.  Because of my current disabled state -  I find all electronics building just about impossible - Jay very kindly sold me a built unit to evaluate. Results in just a few hours of operating have been truly impressive. No PC is needed as long as the push button is pressed at the start of an even minute. Jay says it stays stable for weeks thereafter. I ran mine for 3.5 hours and got masses of decodes. After lunch it has been getting LOTS of spots from the USA. I am sure it will reach Australia soon.

The unit needs about 15 minutes to frequency stabilise and is always on (the PA can be turned off), but it randomises the slots within the WSPR transmit window. This means it is unlikely to be "clobbered" by more powerful stations or cause others co-channel issues. 500mW seems plenty. In a word - BRILLIANT.

Best DX report (so far) today is FR1GZ (9724km).

10m WSPR - unique spots with the W5OLF beacon today, arranged by distance

If you want to buy one Jay W5OLF may be contacted on w5olf@comcast.net .

Sunspots - Nov 11th

Sunspot number has dropped to 68 and 10m daytime propagation is "fair". 10m is open to the USA again from here with my first USA spot (with 500mW) being at 1206z from WG2Z (5600km).

UPDATE 1510z:   Best DX report today (so far) is from K9AN (6505km).

Sunspots

Sunspot count today is 78 and 10m daytime propagation is forecast to be "fair".  Already by F2, 4X1RF is copying my 500mW 10m WSPR well and Karen RA3APW's 100mW Moscow 10m WSPR beacon is being copied here well.

Amateur radio on Wikipedia

For the current Wikipedia "take" on amateur radio take a look at this link below.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio .

472kHz WSPR

Since just before 1800z I QSYed to 472kHz WSPR using my 5mW ERP from my indifferent "strapped feeder" antenna.  Best DX spot so far this evening is by PA0RDT (243km) at 1900z although I expect better later.

UPDATE 2248z: The best spot, so far, of my 5mW ERP is by G3XKR (347km) in IO70ux square in North Devon.

Australia on 10m WSPR - 500mW

Just before lunch time VK5MR (16144km) managed to copy my 10m QRP (500mW) WSPR at -21dB S/N implying he might just have copied me at 50mW ERP.

Again, the band was wide open to the USA after lunch. The first USA station to spot my 500mW 10m WSPR was W3CSW at 1206z.

Last USA spot of me looks like it was N2BJW (5262km) at 1724z. Since then just locals spotting me.   I have now moved to MF with 5mW ERP.

Sunspots

Sunspot number is 92 today and 10m propagation expected to be "fair" although based on recent days that seems to suggest F2 propagation should be expected.

UPDATE 1900z:   It turned out to be an excellent day on 10m with lots of USA spots and a very decent spot of my 500mW from Australia. 10m is still at its best.

10m WSPR - results overnight

G0LRD (25km) running 50mW was coming through all night. At around 0630z UA6AAK (2780km) started to come through by F2.

10m WSPR overnight

Rather than QSY to MF I have decided to stick with 10m overnight tonight. Just G4IKZ spotting my 500mW since tea time, but it will be interesting to see who I spot first in the early hours and who spots my 500mW outsie of the UK. I have a good idea who this might be!

10m WSPR - 500mW from FT817, some good DX

KZ8C (6290km) was the first to spot my 500mW in the USA today. So far, 8 spots with 500mW from all over Europe, Asia and now the USA again. There were more at 2W this morning before I dropped down to 500mW. Some recent USA reports suggest much lower power would still have resulted in spots from the USA. 10m WSPR - unique spots to 1334z with 500mW UPDATE 1404z: Who needs high power?  Just been spotted on 10m WSPR by CE4RWS (11974km) when I was using 500mW. UPDATE 1623z: TI3/AB4AW (8752km) has recently been spotting my 500mW. UPDATE 1743z:  My 500mW is now being spotted in Canada and in Nuuk in W.Greenland.  500mW seems quite enough on 10m WSPR most of the time. UPDATE 1810z:  K1PLL (5367km) - nice call - has spotted my 500mW several times and, for now, looks like being the last to spot me today from the USA. UPDATE 1938z:  The last spot by a USA station was indeed K1PLL at 1758z and my last spots of US stations were of K1PLL and KZ3X at 1804z. Since then, just G4IKZ (18km) spotting me now.

10m WSPR - 2W ERP

After recent total disappointments on 6m - total blanks after 5 days attempts - I have returned to 10m WSPR at 2W ERP from my Par antenna. So far, results both given and received, are encouraging.

Sunspots and 10m

Sunspot number today is 96 and 10m daytime propagation is forecast to be "fair".

I am already copying RA3APW's 100mW WSPR beacon from Moscow, HS0ZKM (9485km) is also coming through via F2 on 10m WSPR. There are lots of Europeans coming through on 10m WSPR.

QSY down to 472kHz

At 2020z I QSYed back down to 472kHz WSPR and was immediately exchanging spots despite running just 5mW ERP from a very indifferent antenna and ground system.

472kHz is a most interesting band and I urge more people to give it a try, even if just on receive initially. Here, the FT817 is used directly on RX and certainly hears stations right across Europe.  I am able to hear from LA to I to EA and right across the continent between.

UPDATE 2045z:  M0PPP is putting in a massive -2dB S/N 472kHz WSPR signal currently. G8VDQ (93km) is a new station in the last 2 weeks copied here this evening.

472kHz spots so far this evening (to 2052z)

Trying 6m WSPR again today

Well, I must be a masochist! I am yet again trying 6m WSPR in the hope of some GDX, Europeans or even some TEP. As yet, nothing at all - dead.  I am using 30dBm ERP from my vertical V2000 VHF/UHF antenna.

UPDATE 1130z:  So far on 6m it has been totally dead with not the slightest hint of signals - no MS pings, no aircraft Doppler from possible GDX - absolutely nothing seen at a.ll.  It looks as if today will be as bad as the other recent days when I tried 6m WSPR. A pity, but I'll keep trying.

UPDATE 1404z:  Still absolutely nothing at all on 6m WSPR.  I'll keep going for this afternoon, but I really am getting nowhere on the band.  It suggests the Europeans on 10m are probably F layer backscatter otherwise I might have expected some Europeans on 6m Es too.There are no stations at all copyable on 6m.

UPDATE 1635z:  6m still absolutely DEAD here still.  Will continue to try until after tea time.

UPDATE 1715z:  I have (reluctantly) concluded, again, that out of season 6m WSPR is a total waste of time. Today is the 5th day in recent weeks I have tried and not a single station has been seen on the screen (even those not decoding ) or spotted me. I think it is time to call it a day on 6m WSPR. Tomorrow iI shal try on a different band.

UPDATE 1930z:   That's it then.  After 5 DAYS of trying on 6m WSPR I am now going QRT as I have been spotted by no-one and no-one has spotted me. It was a dead loss and total wasted effort. QSYing shortly to MF.

Kempton Park Rally

Sunday 9 NOVEMBER : WEST LONDON RADIO & ELECTRONICS SHOW (Kempton Rally)
Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road East, Sunbury on Thames, TW16 5AQ. TI, free CP, OT 9.50/10am. TS, FM, B&B, SIG, C, DF, WIN, LEC. Paul, M0CJX, 08451 650 351, info@radiofairs.co.uk. www.radiofairs.co.uk.

Distance from Cambridge : 75 miles
Estimated Journey Time  : 1 hour 40 mins

A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

Sunspots today

The sunspot number today is 107 and 10m daytime conditions are forecast to be "fair".  If recent days are typical, this means 10m should be good for some F2 propagation, including North America after lunch.

MLS are moving

From Steve G1KQH comes news of the up-coming move by Martin Lynch and Sons to new, and larger, premises in the New Year. I dealt with MLS earlier in the year and found them very helpful.

Martin Lynch & Sons to move premises early in the new year.

Join then at the Farewell to Chertsey party:

http://www.hamradio.co.uk/hogroast.php

Last spots of my 10m WSPR at 50mW in the USA

KU4QI (6406km) was the last to spot me today at 1648z. Since then, just local G4IKZ (18km) has been spotting me.

I think it is time to QSY to MF (472kHz) WSPR for the night.

UPDATE 2036z: have now QSYed to 472kHz WSPR.  DK7FC (669km) is, as always, putting in a very decent signal here. Just G0LRD (25km) spotting my 5mW ERP so far.

UPDATE 2200z:  8 unique stations seen so far on 472kHz WSPR this evening so far.  Several have been spotted many times.

Unique stations spotted on 472kHz WSPR so far this evening

W5OLF WSPR kit

Jay has been working on new versions of his little WSPR beacons. All being well I should receive a 10m 500mW out version in the next few weeks.

Jay is writing the manual(s) and has asked me for my feedback, which I shall, of course, provide. The new version is a single board (again) but transmits continuously, randomising the TX frequency on each TX burst to minimise interference to/from others. It needs several minutes to thermally stabilise but uses the uP to generate everything needed such as the WSPR tones, so no PC is needed. The transmission is started manually on the start of an even minute with a push button. The PA can be separately enabled.

This should be fun. I'll give more information when it arrives and I get a chance to try it on the air.

Plenty of stateside 10m WSPR spots at 50mW

I think the 10m band has now closed here for the day to the USA with 50mW on WSPR. In the end,  there were plenty of USA spots at this power level. As I said yesterday, 500mW will seem like high power! 28 spots (if I counted right) since 1150z and I was only on 20% or less TX.

Tomorrow, I may try a different band completely for a change.

Inspecting antennas - by radio controlled quadcopter!

Some years ago I went to a BBQ where someone had a wi-fi controlled quadcopter remotely controlled from an iPad. It was very impressive with its on-board cameras for navigation and filming what was happening down below.

I see AE5X has a video showing the inspection of his antennas (from above) using one of these. My antenna farm is trivial by comparison and can be pretty well examined at ground level.

See http://www.ae5x.com/blog/various/youtube-de-ae5x/ .

First 10m WSPR 50mW stateside reports today

At 1312z, W3CSW (5886km) and WG2Z (5600km) were the first USA stations to spot my 50mW WSPR signal today, at -26dB S/N and -21dB S/N respectively.  Others are now following. KB9AMG (6300km) has spotted me twice now. At the moment there seem to be fewer USA spots with my 50mW on 10m WSPR than yesterday? Early in the day I guess. Things may change.

UPDATE 1536z: W3CSW is now copying my 50mW 10m WSPR at -19dB S/N, implying he would probably copy me on 5mW or even less if his noise floor is low.

Sunspots

Sunspot number today is 113 and 10m daytime propagation is forecast to be "fair". Still VK5MR (16144km) audible despite the 10dB pad in my antenna lead is OK. He runs 5W. He has already copied G0LRD's 50mW 10m WSPR beacon.

10m WSPR 50mW

VK5MR (16144km) was still being copied on 10m WSPR this morning despite the 10dB pad in my antenna lead.

So far, the first USA station copied here was W3CSW (5886km) at 1220z.

Best DX spots of my 50mW on 10m WSPR this morning came from LZ1OI (2153km), CT1JTQ (1843km) and UR/SWL56 (2283km). Generally, running very low power results in fewer reports but not really fewer reporters. The active stations get you weaker and less often.

10 USA reports running 50mW on 10m WSPR

I think 10m has closed for me to the USA for the day.   I'll leave 10m WSPR running a little longer just in case.  At 2010z, 10 reports had been received, all at 50mW and all from stations in the USA. This was an interesting experiment as I know my antenna is not the best. 500mW seems almost like high power now!

The FT817 was set at 500mW and a good quality rotary attenuator (set to 10dB insertion loss) added as close as possible to the rig, therefore producing 50mW into the antenna lead and antenna. Because the cable will have some loss at 28MHz (1dB?) the actual radiated power will have been a little under 50mW.

UPDATE 2100z:  The 10m band has definitely closed here to the USA. Only G4IKZ (local) spotting me now. at 50mW.

10m WSPR spots running 50mW today