6m JT65 and 10m WSPR

Well, it is now 1045z and I am still unable to access the WSPRnet database, so I have no idea what is happening on 10m WSPR.  Meanwhile, 6m JT65 continues apace with lots of spots from the UK and lots of Es from across Europe. I like JT65 but am disappointed with WSPRnet as every few weeks it just falls over.

The times I have tried JT65 on 10m I have reached South America every evening. Although it is not quite as good theoretically as WSPR, the higher levels of activity seems to more than make up for this. To be honest, I get better results with JT65 than WSPR.

UPDATE 1302z:  WSPRnet is still unavailable. This is hopeless.

UPDATE 1954z: WSPRnet came back briefly, but when I last looked it was still down.

HF digital audio and video

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEO9qcg3eyk

Southgate News reports on HF DV with video. Impressive.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday August 14th 2016

Solar flux is 89 today (not too bad) and sunspot number a respectable 73. K=1. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

Although there is Es around early on 6m I have been unable to access the WSPRnet database to check on 10m WSPR. This database does seem prone to failure frequently. Like many who use it, I have offered some small financial help as it is run for free and needs some professional help I think. In contrast, PSKreporter has never failed in all the time I have used it. WSPRnet is so useful and I just wish the owner would get help. Without it WSPR is no good, in my view.

QRP and QRP Club

Another newsletter from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

QRP Rendez-Vous weekly report (August 8 to 14, 2016)
Visitors  of  the  week:  US5ERQ, HB9WG, UA1ASB, US3EN, DK3WX, DF9QV, UR5EFD, UA1CEG, OH6NPV, UR0ET, UA1ADF, SM2FIJ, UR7VT, HB9DAX, OK1FAO, IZ5GHG,  G4SSH,  Z35M/m,  F6ACV/p,  PD7CJT,  4O3RAB,  UY0IF,  RU3NJC, RA1M/mm, OE5HIL, DJ2MX/p, R2FAE, ON6KZ, F6FAI, R4NX, UA1CEX, UA4NU
op. Oleg R4NX became Honor Frequenter of the "rendezvous? round tables
See full Visitors and Frequenters lists on the Club 72 page -
www.club72.su
All weekly reports and Club 72 news on the blog page -
http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
Thanks all for activity and comments!

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

Plymouth Argyle - NOT amateur radio

As football goes you could not wish a worse start. Plymouth Argyle were in serious promotion contention last season but this season they have lost their first 2 games and they are the lowest placed professional team in the entire football league. A lot can, and must, happen if they are not to be out of the league next season. What usually happens is they start by sacking the manager. I certainly hope they have a major turn-around. It is early days.

Plymouth Argyle used to be my nearest club. Although not a football fan, I always look to see how they are doing.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/plymouth-argyle .

WSJT-X v1.7

There is a new version of WSJT-X available in pre-release. Quite a few stations are using it. It was announced on a Yahoo group a few days ago. I am still using V1.6, but may upgrade and give it a try. WSJT-X brings together WSPR with JT modes. V1.7 I believe is better still and adds some more modes I think.

10m WSPR - same old, same old?

There is a difference between 6m JT65 and 10m WSPR. On 10m WSPR I am often spotted by the same stations over and over again. On 6m JT65 there seems more activity and a greater variety of stations.

It is a pity there are not more users of WSPR on 10m. I guess people want it easy so go to lower bands when things get tougher? On 6m JT65, I expect activity will drop after the end of the Es season which is a pity.

WSPR and JT65 are good modes when conditions are marginal or variable as all stations are in a small part of the band and the station can run in the background. With JT65 you can have real 2-way QSOs too.

Rio Olympics - NOT amateur radio

It seems hard to believe that the London Olympics were 4 years ago. At the moment, the UK is 3rd in the medal tables, which is very good.

Preparing for the Olympics takes hours and hours of dedication and very hard work. To all Olympians from any country my thanks and best wishes. There is no place for cheats. For those who perform at their personal very best, my praise. Thank you.

We will blink and it will be time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Rally

Sunday 14 AUGUST : FLIGHT REFUELLING ARS HAMFEST

Cobham Sports and Social Club Ground, Merley, Nr Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3DA. The venue has car parking on site and camping is available (Saturday night only in adjacent field). Talk-in will be provided on S22. Gates open at 10am and admission is £3.50. There will be trade stands, a car boot sale and indoor and field pitches for traders. Lectures will take place during the day. A licensed bar and catering facilities are on site. More details from Tony Baker, G3PFM on 0774 347 5018 or by email to hamfest@frars.org.uk. www.frars.org.uk.

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

My usual warning: contact the organisers to confirm arrangements before going any distance.

6m JT65 Es

On 6m JT65 there is again Es about with spots from Southern Europe already. I shall re-sync everything shortly and re-start up the 10m WSPR beacon, although there were plenty of Es spots this morning on 10m WSPR.

Sunspots and 10m - Sat Aug 13th 2016

Solar flux is 91 today. Sunspot  number is 86 (K=2) and the forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

Blickling Hall, North Norfolk - NOT amateur radio

Oriental Plane Tree?

This afternoon we drove to North Norfolk to the National Trust property at Blickling Hall. We'd been several times before and only went into the gardens. All the driving really tired me, so I sat on a bench in the shade whilst my wife took photos. I think this was an oriental plane that I sat under. It had seeds a bit like sweet chestnuts but the leaves were all wrong.

6m inter-G

It is interesting that so far this morning I have had 7 reports of my QRP JT65 6m signals from UK stations whereas when I tried the same mode on 10m a few days ago I got none.

There seems to be much more activity on 6m JT65 than 10m JT65. This is true of more distant stations too. I am sending "B G3XBM JO02" when not looking for 2-way QSOs. Spots get picked up and sent to PSKreporter which is where I check for spots of my signal and spots made by me of others. Of course, I check the shack regularly and look on the PC screen to check all is OK.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday August 12th 2016

Solar flux is 93 today and sunspot number 82. K=4. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor". Luckily there is Es about.

QST article

A couple of people who see QST magazine have told me that my article on a 472kHz transverter appeared in the September 2016 edition. I have not seen this as I don't get QST. Although I was sent a draft for corrections, I've not seen the final version. There was some doubt about it appearing as the ARRL were waiting and waiting for the band to be allocated in the USA.

The article was written years ago (2013?) before I was ill with my stroke. Anyway, I hope those who get QST will be inspired to have a go on this fascinating band. Although the transverter puts out 10-15W, my ERP on the band was in the low milliwatts. Despite this, I have been copied over 1000km on WSPR with just an earth-electrode antenna. With a "proper" antenna for the band and a decent ground it should be easily possible to exceed 2000km.

Early Es on 6m JT65 and 10m WSPR

I was active on 6m JT65 overnight and on 10m WSPR since just before 0700z. There are already lots of Es spots on 6m. 10m WSPR has spots from Germany and Denmark. A good start.

QRT on 10m, but still on 6m JT65

In the last hour I have gone QRT on 10m WSPR but I am still on 6m JT65. There is still a possibility of some 6m spots.  I also took the opportunity to re-sync the PC to internet time. This should happen automatically every 1000 seconds but I do it on occasions "just in case".

UPDATE 2148z:  Several G spots on 6m JT65 in recent minutes.

Bee (at Anglesey Abbey) - NOT amateur radio

We went to nearby Anglesey Abbey, expecting the dahlias to be well out. Sadly, they are not out in the usual dahlia bed in great numbers. They need a few more weeks.

We saw plenty of bees.

BREXIT - NOT amateur radio

It is still too early to tell how this is going to pan out.

The euro, yen and  dollar exchange rates have moved in favour of UK exporters and making imports from these nations more expensive.

I have the feeling that the euro will collapse in value in the next 18 months as the remaining EU nations wake up to Greek debt (there is no way they can repay this) and the likelihood of the Greeks defaulting and leaving the EU. This would really hit Germany.  In the end I think the UK will be fine. The UK was a net contributor to the EU and we voted to leave. This puts an even greater burden on the richer EU members.

It would not surprise me if we had a snap General Election here in the UK, especially if the Labour party commits self-imposed suicide and splits in two. Our current Prime Minister, Teresa May,  did not vote for Brexit and neither did any in my family. If a General Election was to be called then the Conservative Party is likely to get a huge majority.

I am currently reading a book on the history of Europe 1789-1989. I had little idea how the borders and alliances changed so much in the 1800s. Clearly Europe is still evolving.

Big Masts

Southgate News carries the story from Stroud of an amateur who has applied for planning permission to erect a 13.5m high mast. Some of the neighbours have lodged complaints.  Now, each to his own but I certainly would not like an antenna monster in next door's garden.

Having managed to span the globe with small wire antennas you can barely see and with QRP SSB I question whether such large structures are really needed. Each to their own and at least he has done the application through the formal channels.

All I am saying is this is not how I would want to enjoy our hobby. I appreciate this is a personal choice and each of us is different.

Basically I am not a great believer in "cheque book amateur radio". Some choose to spend £10k plus on rigs, linears, masts, beams and rotators. Not me. If one just wants to talk (and by video) around the world all one needs is a £180 laptop with Skype. I well recall the video conferences with my son on the other side of the planet - it was just like he was next door, and all for free with a PC.

Return to 6m JT65 and 10m WSPR

This morning, early, I reverted to 10m WSPR and 6m JT65. There was early Es on both bands. On 6m JT65 there is more G activity as I am getting spots on 6m whereas I was copied by no Gs on 10m JT65. Best DX spot so far on 6m JT65 is EA7HJ (1833km) in southern Spain who got my QRP very strongly.

Early 10m WSPR spots (500mW)

UPDATE 1538z:  Best DX on 6m JT65 RX is EA8AQV (2988km).

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday Aug 11th 2016

Solar flux is 93 today and the sunspot number 69. K=2. The 10m F2 propagation forecast remains "poor".

Excellent Es on 10m

The Es on 10m was excellent this evening. G3WKW (Bob, an old work colleague) tells me that 6m was open to the USA yesterday. Just my luck to decide to be on 10m!  So, I shall definitely be on 6m JT65 tomorrow and 10m WSPR at the same time.

UPDATE 2006z:  Yet again, I was spotted in South America on 10m this time by ZP4KFX (10277km) by JT65. He is in Paraguay.

PW Datacard, and AM

My Sept 2016 edition of Practical Wireless arrived today in the post. In it, was a data-card showing the HF beacons and on the reverse the latest HF band plans. Although I do not blame PW who just reproduced the band plans for our convenience I am again appalled that AM gets no mention apart from 5MHz.

BTW, am I alone in finding the 5MHz channels totally confusing?

For as long as I can remember just above 29MHz has been the home of 10m AM. Most users use old AM rigs and they sound superb. FM, with wider bandwidths, gets a mention, but not poor old AM. On 10m there is plenty of space for all modes. Why, oh why, does AM get treated like a nasty disease?? As 10m becomes more like a VHF band for much of the year there is a place for AM. Even in the best years, there is space. For much of the next 10 years 10m will be seen by many as a wasteland.

As readers will know, I like narrow-band digital modes like WSPR, JT65 and JT9-1. I also like AM which takes less space than FM, but is treated badly today.

More success on the ULF 101km (2.97kHz) band

Today I heard that Stefan DK7FC's 100nW ERP signal on 2.97kHz VLF was received in a 212uHz bandwidth at 16.8km. He will soon be trying to receive this radiated signal at 30km. I wish him every success.

Hi ULF friends,
This is the summary of my portable RX experiment in 16.8 km distance to my transmit site. It is into the far field of the 101 km RF wave.
A 100 nW ERP signal was sent and recorded for nearly 2 days.
The recording was started on Saturday, 30th of July (14:58 UTC) and was finished on Monday, 01st of August (12:25 UTC). The transmission was a carrier sent on 2970.000 Hz, it was shifted by +2.5 mHz at 8 UTC on Sunday and again shifted by -5 mHz on Monday, 8 UTC.
In the post processing of nearly 30 GB wav files the signal was successfully detected.
Due to the exceptionally high QRN levels (even for the summer time), the SNR was lower than expected, however the traces and frequency shifts are clearly visible.
Spectrogram of the signal in 212 uHz FFT bin width: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19882028/ULF/17km212.jpg
Spectrogram of the signal in 47 uHz FFT bin width: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19882028/ULF/17km47.jpg
A wideband spectrogram giving an idea about the natural and man made noise conditions as well as the frequency response of the tuned loop antenna: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19882028/ULF/17kmwide.jpg
Wideband spectrogram zoomed to the spectrum of interest: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19882028/ULF/17kmwide3.jpg
The best SNR shown is 12 dB in 212 uHz and 17 dB in 47 uHz.
During the post-processing procedure it happened that SpecLab has plotted a few pixel twice. I don't know the reason.
It looks like i am now seeing the natural background noise on 2970 Hz even in quiet periods (the faint vertical traces). However the man made noise is still playing a role in this QTH.
Further informations can be found in the older emails below.
73, Stefan
PS: A next experiment is planned in a few weeks. The goal is 30 km distance. With lower QRN levels, a better tuned antenna and higher power (already running!) this should give even better results.

Tokyo Ham Fair

I wonder if we will see any new products at the Tokyo Ham Fair on August 20/21st? My ideal rig would be a QRP version of the IC7300 but available in Europe. I know they make versions with lower power for Japan only.

Rally

Friday 12 AUGUST : 23rd ANNUAL MINI-RALLY NIGHT
 
Community Centre, Main Hall, Port Seton, East Lothian EH32 0BQ.  Bring along your own 'junk' and sell it yourself. Tables on a first come first served basis. Entrance fee £2 for everyone. Refreshments will be available. Doors open from 6pm to 9pm. The venue has disabled access.

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

Remember to contact the organisers to check details if travelling far. I'm sorry but there was no phone number given.

Early 10m Es

At the moment I remain on 10m JT65 but may return to 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 tomorrow. This morning there was early Es on 10m with my signal spotted in Germany 4 hours ago.

UPDATE 1248z: No shortage of 10m Es spots today on JT65 with my QRP being widely copied across southern Europe.

GQRP SPRAT

As I have said many times before, if I had to give up every other amateur radio magazine I would leave GQRP SPRAT. At £6 for 4 issues a year it remains excellent. It is filled with constructional articles in every issue. If you are a member you can get all the back issues on a DVD at a very good price. It is almost worth joining GQRP just to buy this DVD. To non-members it is £12 plus postage. I can promise you will not be disappointed with GQRP Club membership.

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

Sunspots and 10m - Wed August 10th 2016

Solar flux is 94 today and sunspot number is 72. K=3. Yet again the 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

70cm UKAC contest

Last Tuesday I was away so I was unable to enter the 2m UKAC activity contest as usual. Tonight was the 70cm leg so I went on for a few minutes using 5W to the 2m halo. I only worked one station G4FEV in IO92RG. A few more stations were heard but not worked.

Swifts going? - NOT amateur radio

In May they arrive and for a few months the swifts are screaming in the skies above us. Then, you realise they are there no longer. I think they start to move this month.

I am sure there are swifts still around but there are fewer than a few weeks ago. Just weeks ago there were more than 20 overhead. Let us hope I see their return in the spring. To me, the screaming swifts are the making of an English spring and summer.

This year there were fewer swallows and house martins, but I saw plenty of swifts.

See http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/s/swift/  .

Spotted in Brazil and Paraguay on 10m JT65

My QRP 10m JT65 has been spotted in Paraguay and Brazil this evening. Last night I spotted S.America but tonight it was my turn to be copied. The most distant report was by ZP4KFX (10277km) some 90 minutes ago.

UPDATE 2012z:  Copied LU3VCC (12470km) in western Argentina as the best DX on 10m JT65 this evening.

UPDATE 2026z:  In all 9 South Americans were spotted on 10m JT65 this evening.

Back on 6m JT65 tomorrow?

There seems to be more JT65 on 6m than 10m. As there is still Es about, I may return to 6m tomorrow. I can operate on 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 at the same time but if I want to use 10m JT65 I have to use the FT817 and PC. For 10m WSPR I can use the stand-alone WSPR beacon leaving the FT817 and PC for 6m JT65 use.

Alibris - NOT amateur radio

Yet again, I had an offer from Alibris today. Every week , I usually get an offer of some kind, usually 10-20% off. This lot are a joke.

Early 10m Es

As you may recall, I moved from WSPR to JT65 on 10m yesterday for a change. This morning there was early Es with spots from France and Germany. In theory, JT65 is a little bit worse than WSPR but I think there are more people internationally than on WSPR. With the highish sunspot number it is possible I will be spotted in South America later.

UPDATE 0944z:  Just been spotted by EA3ZE (1189km) in NE Spain on 10m JT65.

Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday August 9th 2016

Solar flux is 95 today and sunspot number is a respectable 91. K=3. Yet again the 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

QRP and QRP Club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,
QRP Rendez-Vous weekly report (August 1 to 7, 2016)
Visitors  of  the  week: UR0ET, US5ERQ, UR7VT, US3EN, OH6NPV, UR5EFD, RN6AN,  RV3GM,  OM6TC,  SM7RYR,  DF6ZX, IZ0AYM, ON4FI, DL3HXX, DK7ZH, DL7MA, TF/RA1M, G3XJS, UA1CEG/p, R2FAE, IK7XW, SM7ZDI, G4MLW, RU3NJC, RV3DSA/0, F5IN, UA1ADF, DL1BAT, F6BZG/p, G4HOM, IZ7AVY, OH6TX, ON7FR, RW4C, ON6KZ, G4PSI, UT8NR, G0HIO, F5PLR
ON7FR became Honor Frequenters of "rendezvous" round table - Congrats!!!
See  full Visitors and Frequenters lists also "rendezvous" schedule - www.club72.su
Enjoy full weekly report with soapbox and pictures - http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

Sunspots and 10m - Monday August 8th 2016

Solar flux is 96 today. Sunspot count is 63 today (K=2). The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

10m JT65

As an experiment, I have moved to JT65 on 10m today. I was getting JT65 spots on 6m until just before QSYing about 40 minutes ago including some night-time Es. As yet, nothing reported on 10m JT. I think my antenna is not as good on 10m as my vertical V2000 is on 6m, but the cable loss is lower.I suspect my ERP on 10m is a bit lower.

UPDATE 1325z: Although my 10m JT65 has been received in southern Europe by 10m Es, I have had fewer spots than on 6m. There could be several reasons. Firstly the antenna may not be as efficient and the ERP may be far less than on 6m. Secondly, Es may be reducing in quantity now we are getting later in the season. Thirdly, there could be fewer people monitoring on 10m JT65 than on 6m JT65.  I expect it is a combination of all three.

UPDATE 1726z:  A couple of South Americas spotted on 10m JT65. Best DX so far is PY5EJ (9889km). So far, my own signals have not been spotted in South America. This may have been Es but I suspect it was either F2 or a combination of Es and F2. As this is a N-S path there could be equatorial spread-F involved. I am no propagation expert, so I welcome inputs from others who have better knowledge.

UPDATE 2016z:  With just 6 Es spots on 10m JT65 all day and not a single spot from any G stations, I suspect there are fewer stations on 10m JT65 than 6m JT65. The bonus was a couple of spots of South Americans although the day passed (so far at least) without my own 10m JT65 signal being spotted outside Europe. I shall be on 10m JT65 again tomorrow.