472kHz WSPR RX

I have just gone QRT on 10m and 6m and am now active on 630m (472kHz) WSPR RX with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground and with a preamp in circuit.

UPDATE 1952z:  G8VDQ (93km) was spotted a couple of times on 6m WSPR before I went QRT on that band. On 472kHz (630m) I have already spotted several DX stations including EA5DOM (1525km).

Another UK rally

Sunday 8 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.

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

OFCOM consulting on white space devices

See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/wireless_telegraphy_white_space_devices_exemption_regulations/?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Proposed-regulations-allowing-white-space-devices-access-to-unused-frequencies-in-the-UHF-TV-band&utm_term=TV%2C%20white%20space%2C%20Devices%2C%20Licence%20exemption%2C%20UHF

OFCOM are consulting on the regulations relating to so called "white space" devices.

10m WSPR - USA spots

KC1AWS (5308km) spotted me first at 1346z. It is good to see USA spots again although conditions seem "subdued".

UPDATE 1802z:  After a slow start on 10m WSPR there been spots from lots of different USA stations.

UPDATE 1825z:  All is very quiet on 6m WSPR.

UPDATE 1938z:   The last spot by a USA station seems to have been WB2TQE (7097km) at 1722z. No further spots from the USA after this time.

No real DX DX on 10m WSPR

4L1QX (3299km) is the best DX spot on 10m WSPR so far today. One Russian spotted me early on and quite a few nearer Europeans, but nothing further afield, as yet. I hope to be spotted in the USA today, but only  time will tell. When 10m is open it is usual to get WSPR spots about now from the USA.

UPDATE 1314z:  SP9LJE (1261km) is the most common spotter of my little W5OLF "stand alone" 10m 500mW WSPR beacon.  As yet, no 10m WSPR spots from stations in the USA.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday Nov 6th 2015

Solar flux is still good at 110. Sunspot number has dropped a bit to 75 (K=2) and 10m propagation is again expected to remain "poor". Despite the poor 10m forecast, I have already had some decent 10m WSPR spots from Russia and nearer Europeans.

Over 1500km on 472kHz RX last night

There were several 472kHz WSPR spots of EA5DOM (1525km) here last night, with 17 unique MF stations logged on 472kHz RX. Some of the spots of EA5DOM would not have been  possible without the preamp. FR5ZX in Reunion copied several Europeans, so conditions on 472kHz were good.  As before, I am still using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.

QSYed from 6m to 630m (472kHz)

I have turned off the 6m WSPR station until the morning after breakfast and turned on 472kHz (630m) WSPR RX only with the preamp.  I am using the "earth-electrode "antenna".  I have left the 10m QRP WSPR beacon running and resync'd it to internet time, although I don't think this was really needed. I'll probably turn off the 10m beacon later tonight.

Initial WSPR spots on 472kHz RX this evening

UPDATE 2014z:  So far this evening spots given to just 7 different stations on 472kHz WSPR.

UPDATE 2100z:   472kHz RX, even with the preamp, is disappointing with not a single station over 1000km spotted again so far. I shall leave the RX running overnight just in case, although I am not too hopeful.

More OFCOM

See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/amendment-regulations-2015/?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=amendment-regulations-2015

I had better watch what I say about OFCOM as they are involved in WRC-15 negotiations which include a possible new 5MHz allocation!

In the above link they are consulting on changes to the Wireless Telegraphy Regulations 2015.

Back pain - NOT amateur radio

Well, I have enough to contend with as a result of the after-effects of my stroke, but now I have a re-occurrence of lower back pain. Usually this goes within a few weeks. I am taking pain killers and I am OK if I am flat on my back. Walking is painful. My wife has given me a hot-water bottle for my back.

More 6m WSPR spots

G8VDQ (93km) seems to be regularly spotted here on 6m WSPR. The last spot was at 1332z. I suspect this is tropo with the influence of aircraft. I suspect it needs aircraft moving in the right positions and directions for the path to "work". The pure tropo path does not seem to be there, otherwise I'd spot him most of the time when he is active on the band.

Still no 10m WSPR spots from the USA today

It is now 1446z and there are no 10m spots from the USA today as yet. I had no spots at all from the USA yesterday and from only one station from the USA the day before. Today there are plenty of spots from FR1GZ (14 spots by 1530z) but it is very quiet E-W. Nothing from the Caribbean, nothing from S.America and nothing from N.America.

UPDATE 1530z:   Still no 10m WSPR spots from the USA. I have the feeling there will be few, or zero, 10m spots from the USA today again. I hope I am proved wrong.

UPDATE 1614z:  No, I think this will be another day without USA 10m spots. It is getting very late in the day and still no USA spots.

UPDATE 1735z:  Unless a miracle happens now, there is almost no chance of 10m WSPR spots from the USA. It is dark outside already, so we have the lamps on and the curtains drawn.

UPDATE 2225z:  The last 10m spot was at 1538z from FR1GZ. Again there were no USA spots today.

10m F2 DX

Already I see that, as well as Russian, Spanish, Greek and Italian 10m WSPR spots, I am being spotted by FR1GZ (9724km), so there is decent multi-hop F2 propagation about on 10m. With all the nearer Europeans I wonder if this is F-layer backscatter or Es?

UPDATE 1154z:  On 6m WSPR  quite a few spots of G8VDQ (93km) but no signs of any Europeans, well not as yet.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs Nov 5th 2015

Sunspot number is 93 today (K=4), with solar flux 111 although 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor" again. Conditions are still quite disturbed, so it will be interesting to see what 10m WSPR spots I get today from the USA.

No USA today on 10m WSPR?

There were no USA stations spotting my 10m WSPR today.   As I was a bit suspicious of this, I have just reset and resync'd the 10m beacon. All spots were single hop F2 and either F-layer backscatter or "out of season" Es (DK6UG). Even after the resync there were no new 10m spots.

UPDATE 1905z:   I see that G8VDQ (93km) was spotted on 6m again at 1602z.

UPDATE 2210z:   No 10m spots at all since late lunchtime. The 10m WSPR beacon and 6m WSPR are still on and will remain on overnight. This is the first time in many weeks without a single 10m WSPR spot from the USA. Indeed, the only spots were single hop.

Surprise 6m spot

Well, I'm pleased and surprised to have spotted G8VDQ (93km) on 6m WSPR at 1114z today. The drift on his signals suggest the involvement of moving aircraft.

5MHz and WRC-15

The latest World Radio Conference (WRC-15) has now opened in Geneva with amateurs looking for a new contiguous (i.e a continuous, no gaps) amateur allocation at 5MHz. This is being looked at as a proper agenda item, so at the moment we must remain hopeful. This 5MHz allocation is by no means a done deal! A lot of hard negotiating is ahead. The RSGB website is keeping us updated.

See http://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/special-focus/wrc-15/2015/11/03/wrc-15-day-12-colin-sets-the-scene/

Return to 10m and 6m WSPR and QRT on MF

At around 1030z, I turned on the 6m and 10m WSPR stations, did a resync and went QRT (for the daytime) on 630m WSPR. It will take a few minutes for things to settle before any spots are likely. I am not sure why I bother with 6m WSPR as to give or get WSPR spots is rare outside of the main Es season. I guess I go on 6m as it is easy to do so alongside the stand-alone 10m WSPR beacon. I live in hope!

UPDATE 1055z:  First spots on 10m WSPR are from 4L1QX (3299km) in LN01tp. I now need to see where this is! OK, I should know! Found it - Georgia. F2 propagation. It is interesting (to me) that this is nearer than Israel. I would have expected this to be further. There you go - you learn something new every day.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed Nov 4th 2015

Sunspot number 95 (K=5) although the solar flux level is good.  10m propagation is expected to be "poor" today. I have still to go QRT on MF and fire up my little 10m WSPR beacon.

472kHz RX overnight

Well, I was surprised. The preamp improves 472kHz sensitivity, but I was able to copy no more stations than without the preamp! I was rather surprised as I expected the preamp to really help on MF. In truth, it may help drag in the very weak ones, but the benefit is questionable based on these tests. Odd.

A cricket on our window? - NOT amateur radio

On the bedroom window

This afternoon we had this visitor on the outside of our bedroom window. I think it is a kind of cricket although I am not sure. I am sorry the picture is not better. Body was about 2cms long but the antennae were much longer, I'd guess about 5cms.

Now RX only (with preamp) on 472kHz WSPR

Since about 2008z I have gone on to RX only (with the preamp) on 472kHz WSPR. I have gone QRT on 10m. It will be interesting to compare results with and without the preamp on MF. I suspect I'll copy the same stations but give them better reports. I am still using the earth-electrode "antenna". I'll do the comparisons in the morning. So far tonight, before going RX only, I was getting similar results on TX and RX as the night before. At one point I got really excited as I thought I'd been copied in Greece, then I realised this was on 10m!

UPDATE 2202z:  At the moment I am not spotting any new stations with the higher sensitivity on RX. This could change overnight, or it says that the FT817 has adequate sensitivity and external noise is limiting what I can copy.

UPDATE 2300z:  Based on the reports given to DK7FC and LA3EQ I am surprised that the preamp, although making the sensitivity better, does not allow me to give them definitely better reports. To be honest, I am a little surprised. I will see if I get clearer results overnight. My electrical environment on MF is fairly quiet, so I expected to get a really useful improvement with the preamp.

Quieter on 10m WSPR

Although there was some good DX around on 10m WSPR including VK and FR1, I was only spotted by a single station in the USA - KC1AWS (5308km). So far, today has seen fewer USA stations on the band. There was also a closer European,  DK6UG (633km), which could have been F-layer backscatter or out of season Es. Yet again, spots from the USA and the fourth day with spots from VK this autumn.  A $49 "stand alone" 10m WSPR beacon and plenty of fun.

More from our lovely quango

OFCOM's latest http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/ .

As I have said before, they are really interested in ventures that make money, like the auction of parts of the microwave spectrum. The amateur service is very low on the agenda I believe. Do they add value?

Sunspots and 10m - Tues Nov 3rd 2015

With a decent solar flux level, sunspot number of 94 and a 10m propagation forecast of "fair" we could be in for decent 10m results, although K=5 so conditions are quite disturbed.

UPDATE 1044z:  I see that  VK2KRR (16789km) spotted me at 0830z on 10m WSPR this morning.

Rally

Thursday 5 NOVEMBER : BANGOR & DARS ANNUAL SURPLUS EQUIPMENT SALE
Groomsport Boat House, 19 Harbour Road, Groomsport BT19 6JP. Table spaces are free to sellers but must be reserved in advance, entry is £2 at the door. Doors open 7 to 10pm. Refreshments available. Harry, 02890 422 860, norman.newell@yahoo.com

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

"London" grandchildren have gone home - NOT amateur radio

Riding bikes near the windmill

Our "London" grandchildren went home this afternoon. As with all our little grandchildren, we love having them. Sadly, my stroke of 2 years ago means I can do less with them than I would have done in the past. Nonetheless, they had a great time.  They enjoyed Halloween and played silly, simple, games.  Today they enjoyed riding bikes in our quiet close.

Best USA DX on 10m WSPR this evening

W4XWA (6947km) is, so far, the most distant spot of my 500mW WSPR beacon. Maybe as the evening goes on, and before the band closes, I will be spotted at even greater range.

UPDATE 1945z:  The last 10m USA spot of my little beacon was K9AN (6505km) at 1730z.  USA 10m WSPR spots have been daily in recent weeks.

Best night so far this autumn on 472kHz

Last night was the best so far this autumn on 472kHz with 15 unique WSPR stations spotted without the preamp.  Best DX was DH5RAE at 995km. I have resync'd both 10m and 630m and will stay on again this evening and overnight. My best 472kHz DX on TX (5mW ERP) were a few spots by PA0A (417km). Several others spotted me too on MF despite the low ERP.

UPDATE 1735z:  The best DX so far this evening on 472kHz RX is LA3EQ (769km). It has only just got dark here.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon Nov 2nd 2015

With a decent solar flux and a sunspot number of 88 (K=3) and a 10m propagation forecast of "fair" today should be a decent day on 10m.

UPDATE 1650z:   The first 10m WSPR spot from the USA was WI3V (5902km) at 1340z. There were early Russians on 10m this morning as well as a spot from FR1GZ (9724km). Since the first WSPR spots from the USA there have been plenty of others.

10m conditions

Even though conditions on 10m WSPR today did not seem to have been as good as on recent days, I still got lots of spots from the USA again. We are definitely seeing autumn conditions and overall the DX is still there with Australians spotting my 500mW WSPR now on 3 different days in October. We are now in November so I expect there will be even more Australian spots this month.

10m is still a very good DX band. Enjoy it while you can - you only need low power and a very modest antenna, smaller than for any HF bands. It is still my favorite HF band, and probably my favorite band anywhere in the spectrum.

USA 10m WSPR

W4DEX (6390km) appears to be the last USA 10m station to spot my 500mW WSPR beacon at 1806z this evening. I shall probably remain on 10m and 630m through the night but am not expecting much on 10m if I am honest. If anyone spots me on 10m WSPR that would be a bonus. On 630m (472kHz) I expect to spot, and be spotted, by several stations.

A full 4MHz at 6m in Region 1?

Southgate news reports that a full 4MHz wide amateur band in Region 1 may be on the agenda for the next WRC in 2019. If this happens it would be very useful, although this is 4 years away and may not even make the next agenda! A 4MHz wide band would harmonise the allocation across the world and possibly allow  satellites on this band. A 4MHz wide band would be wide enough for most modes and wider than any existing band below UHF.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2015/october/proposed_50_54_mhz_agenda_item_for_wrc_19.htm#.VjZIdStEd81 .

Sunspots and 10m - Sun Nov 1st 2015

Sunspot number is 73 (K=3) and 10m is expected to be "poor".

On 630m (472kHz) my 5mW ERP has been copied by PA0A (417km). Lots of spots end of PA3ABK/2 (306km) and one of F6GEX (590km).

UPDATE 1712z:  The first 10m USA spot was by W4DEX at 1220z. FR1GZ (9724km) remains the most distant station to spot me on 10m today.

UPDATE 1725z:  It looks like we are now seeing skywave DX coming through on MF with F5WK (436km) being spotted.

UPDATE 1805z:  DH5RAE (995km) is the best DX spot on MF so far this evening.

Return to 630m and 10m WSPR

At about 1030z, I returned to 10m WSPR (500mW) and 630m WSPR (5mW ERP). I shall give 6m a miss today as it has been days since I achieved any results on that band.

Last 10m USA WSPR spot

Yet another good day for USA spots on 10m WSPR. The last spot of the day from the USA seems to have been N2NOM (5581km) at 1804z. 10m has been good to the USA for several weeks now. I suspect there will be the odd days when the USA won't be there but on present form it will be open to the USA most days this autumn and winter.

UPDATE 2035z:  I did think about going on 472kHz tonight but this may have to wait until tomorrow night.  I shall be going QRT on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR shortly.

All quiet on 6m WSPR

As you will know, as well as 10m I have been on 6m WSPR most of the day (20% TX, 80% RX). Yet again here I have had no success at all on 6m. Not really sure why I try 6m.

Tonight I may return to 630m (472kHz) WSPR and try my luck with the 5mW ERP and earth-electrode "antenna". I have no idea how many others will be active.

Low tech internet - NOT amateur radio

We get very spoilt here with internet speeds approaching 30MB per second commonplace with fibre-optic cable. In some rural areas such speeds are unheard of, especially in 3rd world countries. Some have taken to making their own internet networks.

See http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/10/how-to-build-a-low-tech-internet.html?utm_source=amateur-radio-weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

Australia (again) on 10m WSPR

It took me CQWW SSB last weekend to realise that I get more fun from my tiny 10m WSPR beacon, the size of a pack of cards - totally stand alone with no PC needed - as I would from a rig costing 20 times more. My beacon (by W5OLF) costs just $49. It has been spotted all over the world this autumn already including lots of spots by VK2KRR (16789km). My antenna is nothing at all special. In CQWW I only stayed for 1 QRP QSO across the Atlantic. WSPR with 500mW is more fun. In the last year I have used my tiny 10m WSPR beacon far more than any other rigs.

UPDATE 1305z:  The first 10m WSPR spots from the USA were by K9AN (6505km) at 1244z. I see there were nearer Europeans spotting me, which may have been Es or F layer backscatter.

UPDATE 1435z:  I don't think I'll be buying a new HF rig until my voice is much better. Lots more 10m WSPR spots from the USA.

Sunspots and 10m - Sat Oct 31st 2015

With a sunspot number of 88 (K=1) and a decent solar flux, I expect decent results on 10m WSPR even though the 10m forecast is "fair". This is better than recent days.

Return to 6m and resync'd 10m WSPR

At around 1035z I turned on the PC and FT817 and returned to 6m WSPR. At the same time I reset and resync'd the 10m, stand alone, WSPR 10m 500mW WSOR beacon. So, I am back on WSPR on 10m and 6m for the day. Earlier I was being spotted by an RZ6 station on 10m WSPR so the sync was good overnight, although I was spotted by no-one through the hours of darkness on 10m.

Still on 10m WSPR

Although my chances of being spotted are low, I am staying on 10m WSPR overnight.  100% TX (500mW) but with randomised transmit frequency. My best hope is some GDX -  perhaps a bit of tropo/aircraft reflection. There is an outside chance of some out of season Es. I think the chance of any F2 propagation is almost nil overnight.  Anyway, look out for me.

F2 and Es on 10m WSPR?

KK1D (5455km) was the first USA spot on 10m WSPR today at 1304z. There have been several USA spots since. As well as Africa, West Indies and Russia, I have had several 10m WSPR spots from "near" Europe. These could, I guess, be F layer backscatter or possibly Es?

UPDATE 1730z:  KC1AWS (5308km) is spotting me still. 

UPDATE 2035z:  KC1AWS (5308km) was the last USA station to spot me on 10m WSPR at 1812z. I went QRT on 6m many hours ago but am still active on 10m WSPR and may stay on overnight.

Amazing prices on Beofeng portable transceiver

Amazon is currently selling Baofeng UV-5RE dual band handies for £19.92 with free delivery. This is an amazing deal. This radio has had mostly 5 star reviews.

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/B00EYYVEH6/dp/B00EYYVEH6/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=thesouthgatam-21&linkCode=w00&linkId=&creativeASIN=B00EYYVEH6  .

UK Rallies

Sunday 1 NOVEMBER : NORTH WALES RADIO RALLY
CANCELLED

Sunday 1 NOVEMBER : BUSHVALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB RALLY (new event)
United Services Club, 8 Roe Mill Rd, Limavady, Co Londonderry BT49 9DF. TI S22, free CP, OT 11am, £3. TS, B&B, DF, C. www.bushvalley-arc.co.uk.

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

Grandchildren - NOT amateur radio

As we have 2 of our very young grandchildren staying for a few nights, these take priority over amateur radio. At the moment, the elder grandson (aged 7) has gone shopping with his grandma and I am at home with the granddaughter (aged 4) playing Lego. I am not feeling too brilliant today.

Sunspots and 10m - Fri Oct 30th 2015

With a solar flux of 112 and a sunspot number of 101 (K=0) we should expect some decent 10m WSPR results today, yet the forecast for 10m remains "poor" today.

UPDATE 1150z:  As well as lots of Russians spotting me on 10m WSPR, I see FR1GZ (9724km) and EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) are spotting me. I get the feeling 10m WSPR will be good today.

Low cost QRP rigs

There is little doubt that the Elecraft KX3 is the very best QRP radio on the market, but it is very expensive here in the UK. The most popular QRP radio is the FT817 and the price of this has dropped considerably. It is rumoured that an FT817 replacement will be announced at Dayton next year. The IC703 is no longer produced and there is a scarcity of good priced QRP radios in the UK. Yes, there are a few Chinese radios appearing and there are a few QRP radios covering single bands or a very limited number of bands. I find it amazing that ICOM do not propose to market the IC7300 10W version outside of Japan or that the big Japanese companies never tried to produce an FT817 beater. It has taken Yaesu all this time to think about an FT817 successor.

Grandchildren - NOT amateur radio

We have our young "London" grandchildren here for a few days. "We always spend Halloween at Granny's". Hide and seek in the dark, pumpkins, blind man's buff, cooking, Halloween hats etc. These days it has become very commercialised sadly, but we will do our best to give them a good time. My health is not as good as it could be.

Halloween is the eve of All Hallows Day (All Saints Day). Some believe the celebration of Halloween dates back to Pagan times.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween .

QRT

The internet has not been reliable today. It comes via cable and is normally fast and reliable. I sync'd the 10m beacon after lunch when I could get accurate time off the internet. I have now gone QRT for the day. There have been lots of 10m WSPR spots today again and the last USA spot was at 1702z.  6m has been quiet again here today, although the 6m station (which depends on the PC for audio and timing) was off air some of the day.