14 Jan 2014

VK on 10m this morning

10m is again in great shape with a couple of VK spots in with the other stations this morning. The following are the unique stations spotted on 10m WSPR. In most cases,stations were actually spotted multiple times.
10m unique WSPR spots this morning

13 Jan 2014

10m still good transatlantic

Although I did not get on the band until mid afternoon.the band is again wide open with plenty of USA and Canadian stations coming through plus a CX station from S.America.  Sunspot count is still well over 100 which helps.

Update 1815z: 10m is still wide open almost 2 hours after sundown here is Cambridgeshire.  Conditions are good. Now at 18.35z the spots have stopped so I suspect that is it  for this evening.
.

More on the Ultimate 3 kit

Hans Summers G0UPL has answered my questions so I am going to buy a kit for 10m WSPR use. As it stands the 10m output is 131mW from a 5V PA supply, but this can  easily be increased. I think 2W is a more useful level. At well under 40 UK pounds including GPS this is good value.

Update 1600z:  the 10m WSPR beacon was ordered today but not the GPS unit which is out of stock. This kit will be a test of my current abilities (building wise) following the stroke.

12 Jan 2014

Ultimate 3 WSPR beacon with GPS timing


Image is at http://www.hanssummers.com/images/stories/ultimate3/1/2.jpg
Hans Summers has a new beacon  kit that allows full "stand alone" (no PC needed) WSPR beaconing. It is available for just  £17.50 with a low pass filter for any particular band plus £14 for the high sensitivity GPS module and patch antenna. I believe power out is around 150mW but this can be increased. As I understand it, it means, for example, a 10m WSPR TX beacon that does NOT need a PC can be made for under £40 even building a separate PA and putting it into a nice box. The unit also does other modes like QRSS and HELL.

See G0UPL's website at http://www.hanssummers.com/ultimate3.html .

I shall have to build one to free up the FT817.

10m GDX and DX

After last evening when even 20m was dead as a dodo,10m WSPR was lively this morning both for GDX and DX. I suspect the GDX (184 and 121km) may have been back scatter although the Doppler (3Hz) suggests possible aircraft scatter. All the more surprising not to get G3WKW the other evening (134km). The DX exchange was with a DL station in the Canary Is (West Africa). This could be F layer or  winter Es.  Sunspot count 134. Later 4X1RF spotted me at just over 3500km. The first USA station (an N2) was seen at 1322z today (7088km). 10m looks in good shape today. It was still open (for me here) to the USA/Canada at 1728z. At the moment (1900) the WSPRnet database is down, so I cannot check if 10m is open to the USA for others.

10m WSPR until around 1300z today.

11 Jan 2014

Mizuho transceivers

Although, I  think, Mizuho transceivers are no longer being made, these were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Most common were the single band SSB/CW handhelds for most HF and VHF bands. I still have a 200mW pep 2m rig. Battery life was poor but otherwise they were excellent radios. Mine (MX-2, 2m SSB/CW) was used with HF transverters mainly and DX over 9000 miles was worked on 10m. On 2m it worked some impressive DX handheld in 2m contests.

See http://www.mizuhoradio.com/mx.html

FT450D 100W radio

This Yaesu 100W radio is now £669 with the Yaesu £42 rebate whereas it was over £800.  I suspect even lower is possible for cash by negotiation with the dealer.

There are a couple of technical issues with this rig that bother me: the VFO shaft encoder failures and TX hum. Both issues are meant to be fixed now but I wonder if they are good, proper fixes? 100W is more than I need but it can run at  much lower power and does include 50MHz and has an excellent RX.

Continued 10m WSPR tests

Today, I continued my 10m WSPR tests at 2W out: plenty of spots both given and received. This afternoon the power will be dropped to 500mW to see how many N.American spots I get still. The sunspot number is still good.

UPDATE 1244z: switched to 500mW out.  Still getting spots from Israel  and Canada  even at 500mW level.This is not surprising: as long as the QRP signal gives better than -30dB S/N it should still decode. The advantage of running 2W rather than 500mW is one is far less likely to be buried under a bigger signal,which can be an issue when HF bands are busy. Why some WSPR stations run 20,or even 100W out amazes and horrifies me. WSPR is a QRP mode, ideally suited to 5W or less.
10m WSPR TX at 500mW this afternoon




Conditions do not seem to be as good as of late with fewer 10m US stations copyable here.

UPDATE 1442:  switched back to 2W out. Plenty of VE and W reports coming through now again.

10m seemed to die out transatlantic about 2 hours earlier than last night (16.30z).

DSTAR question

Does anyone know if it is possible to access DSTAR networks using a Windows XP PC just using freely downloadable software? I am a DSTAR novice, as you can tell. It might be useful.

Failed 10m GDX test

Our evening time 134km 10m GDX WSPR test with G3WKW failed last night with no signals copied. This morning there was plenty of DX about (S.Africa etc) but I guess the GDX path on 10m was too far for 2W QRP.

10 Jan 2014

In praise of the FT817

My FT817 (not ND version) has been owned from new way back when these radios were new "on the block" at the beginning of the millennium when the price was still £799. In all that time it has performed faultlessly, mainly at the 2.5W or less settings.

Mine has worked the world on SSB (even handheld) and I get WSPR reports worldwide at 1W, even on 40m with a small wire antenna. I  intend to buy a new FT817ND soon so I can WSPR and work other modes at the same time. I can honestly say my FT817 does all I want and with 5W maximum output, which is more than enough power to work DX without upsetting the neighbours.

The best UK price currently seems to be around £513 but I hope to pay <£500 cash. At the current Yen-Pound exchange rate more like £450 is a reasonable price, unless the dealers want to be greedy. I hope the price includes the NiMH battery pack , charger etc. At best, the UK price fell to below £350.

The newer ND version covers 5MHz and all of 7MHz and has more rugged PAs.

Health update

Following my brain bleed I am getting better. Since being home my walking has improved and my swallow is improving too. I have still to hear from the DVLA (driving licence people) but am expecting to be prevented from driving for 12 months. I have applied for a "blue badge" for disabled parking rights. Today I surprised myself by walking quite a distance with a stick at Angelsey Abbey. I still feel punch drunk most the time and need people near me to support me.

Slowly but surely   ...a step at a time.

Thank goodness for amateur radio and all the very good friends I didn't realise I had.

New Solar Peak?

The most recent high solar activity looks likely to mean a new second sunspot peak for cycle 24.  See http://www.solen.info/solar/ .


http://www.solen.info/solar/

This page was showing the peak as 66.9 (smoothed sunspot number) in Feb 2012 but expect to see this revised to a much later date! I find this site very useful.

6m GDX?

I get G8EPA consistently at 61km on 6m WSPR at up to -15dB S/N. This rather suggests that >100km should be possible inter-G on QRP 6m WSPR with a little patience. Anyone out there willing to give it a try?

10m 134km GDX tests this evening

This evening G3WKW and I are trying to span 134km on 28MHz WSPR. I run 2W to a vertical and Bob runs a little more.  Despite Doppler and rig drift problems we managed the path (just) on 144MHz this week.  28MHz may be much weaker but with far less Doppler and rig drift. We shall see. With WSPR about 12-14dB better than CW we have the best chance.

UPDATE 2200z: Nothing at all seen since 1816 (USA) and 1824z (Es).  Will keep looking but not hopeful. No GDX seen at all.

9 Jan 2014

Chinese QRP transceivers

In my recent analysis of good value QRP radios I ignored the recent Chinese entries into the market. As far as I can see, these are still immature products, but they are getting better by the day. For example, see http://www.wouxun.us/item.php?item_id=302 . I judge this by how prepared would I be to buy a Chinese radio. The answer is not yet.

10m still brilliant

As 6m WSPR was only giving me inter-G signals today, I switched to 10m. The band is still wide open to North America and has been whenever I have checked in recent afternoons. Not one report  is from less than 5000km with 2W. Sunspot count is 178 which helps to explain the good conditions of late.  The good times will not last: make the most of them as it may be a long wait.

At 1716z the 10m band was still wide open to the USA, in total darkness here.Then the band just died for me here in East Cambridgeshire. And then, a full hour later KB9AMG (6300km away) and W8AC spot me at -22dB S/N. And it has been dark here since 1630z! At the moment it looks as if the band finally died cross-pond at around 1830z -very late for 10m.











Micro-40 DSB build

http://aa7ee.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/the-vk3ye-micro-40-dsb-transceiver/ has a beautiful description of the building of this little transceiver using Me-squares. There is  a complete walk-through of AA7EE's build - truly beautiful workmanship.

6m and 2m inter-G WSPR

Although inter-G DX is possible on 2m WSPR (witness the tests between G3XBM and G3WKW over a 134km path on 2m recently with 2W and a halo) the equipment drift and Doppler shift makes WSPR a marginal mode on 2m. Things on 6m are better and longish paths are possible.See the 6m WSPR results today so far below:

So far, only inter-G paths seem to be open on 6m today. The high drift figures are almost certainly due to aircraft Doppler.

8 Jan 2014

Best value new QRP transenceivers

At  the moment the running order, ignoring wSDR designs, is:
  • Elecraft KX3  - best RX, expensive with all options in the UK. n ternal auto-ATU option
  • Ten-Tec Argonaut VI - excellent RX and ideal base station but no  5,24 or 50MHz coverage.Expensive.
  • Yaesu FT817ND - excellent base/portable unit up to 432MHz,but RX not as good as KX3 or Argonaut VI. 13-14 year old design.
  • Icom IC703 - excellent base transceiver,but no longer available new. Internal auto-ATU.
Overall, the FT817ND represents best value for money all things considered, in my view. It may be an old design but I can buy 2 FT817ND with plenty of change for the price of the KX3. And I get a better design for home station digital (WSPR) use with botj 144 + 432MHz bands. Even adding a Z817 or T1 auto-ATU to the price of the FT817ND units there is still change when compared with the fully loaded KX3.

Reviews on www.eham.net are similar for all radios listed.

10m still wide open

My first 10m WSPR transmission with 2W to a small antenna after lunch was copied in the  middle of the USA, in Canada, Israel and South Africa. Sunspot count today is 196. Conditions appear to be very good  still.

Oscilloscope-watch

John Mullin sent me this link which may amuse you.It describes a wrist wearable scope and frequency counter for $150.

http://www.ae5x.com/blog/2014/01/07/an-oscilloscopefreq-counter-on-your-wrist

7 Jan 2014

First 2m WSPR results

This evening I got my first WSPR spot on 2m from G3WKW at 134km the other side of London in North East Hampshire. It was hard work with the unmodified FT817 because of frequency error,  drift, Doppler etc. Bob was visible with me but no decodes of his signal.

We should manage a 2-way QSO in due course with a more suitable mode. I was using 2W to a halo antenna. Bob was using 5W and a small beam.

The  next night I managed to decode Bob's signal (once only) although he was visible on most transmissions  but not decoding because of the Doppler shift.

NB post updated as I had G3WKW in the wrong county!

10m - often open

Although we are currently enjoying decent F2 long distance propagation on 10m, we must not forget that the 10m band is FREQUENTLY open by Es (sporadic-E) propagation.

The best months in the northern hemisphere are between late April and early September but the propagation can occur at any time of the year. This is very much a case where WSPR will be useful to winkle out brief periods of Es propagation. Sometimes multi-hop Es allows real DX to be workable.

Often Es signals can be very strong, but sometimes openings can be very, well, sporadic open briefly to one place with signals inaudible just tens of miles away.   In many ways Es is a more fascinating mode than F layer and one of the reasons 10m is my favorite band of all. Don't also forget inter-G propagation. In RSGB contests a few years ago it was possible to work out to around 100 miles with 10W SSB to dipole antennas. Imagine what the inter-G range will be with WSPR.

Beach 40 - a 40m DSB rig

Andrew,G6ALB, has introduced me to this simple DSB project. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siSgeljr4HE and similar links for pictures and build instructions. See also http://www.spencerweb.net/Ian_and_Julie/Hobbies/Amateur_Radio/Beach_40/beach_40.html .

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDrYOQV_BeUXub1PXz3HioLns_htLBhUkI6YKyH3V73luFIcEmefzF6dEzZDirqzW1Rv0ybz1KbbxADnGSb760kzc3IxWVwKtFVaN-j0cAo91_oHIBn3yY_oVR6u_xjqaM4AiP9tGF9N_/s1600/carrier_gen_balmod_audio.GIF

The schematic above does not show the simple PA,

K1SEA - amazing 10m signals

In the middle of my 10m WSPR reports of other stations I noted K1SEA (5234km) whose 5W was peaking an amazing +8dB  S/N. At this level, 2-way SSB QSOs should be well possible at 5W or less.

10m WSPR - excellent results

As my building skills are still poor because of my stroke, I have been sticking mainly to WSPR mode, today on 10m. Results on 10m have been excellent copying stations from S.Africa, USA, Finland, Israel and central Asia,with my own 2W getting reports from all over the place including  Israel, Canada  and the USA. A sunspot count of 245 no doubt helps! It will be fascinating to  see what 10m spots are possible when the sun is very quiet again. 4X1RF manages to spot me most days when I am on. For me, 10m DX propagation closed at around 1640z.

Unique WSPR reports on 10m (2W) up to 3pm

6 Jan 2014

10m QRP homebuilt

With my posts about low cost ways of getting on to the 10m band don't forget homebrew. On my www.g3xbm.co.uk main pages there are details of several simple 10m rigs including the incomplete DSB transceiver for the band that I MUST complete  when my health  (and soldering ability) returns. Look for 10m Simple Sideband. My plan was either a VXO controlled rig or a mixer-VFO rig covering 28.4-28.55MHz where most sideband activity is.  It could also switch to the CW and beacon bands. At the moment my "build" projects are on hold because of my poor health.

£150 10m radios

There are several varieties of 10m radios available for just under £150, brand ne

w, nowadays. One example is the Alpha 10 Max and this (CB oriented) video is a walk-through of the radio. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFK20rmQayg . See also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw7Qjrk01Vc . If you are only interested in 10m (28/29MHz) this sort of radio may be a low cost way of getting on the band although they are basically CB radios.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFKsloygKqDq9g9FEpUBolji97deE2zJsHNMvDRFJisuTXn6Q9cN3aisN14JQV-IMha7FpYmZIcvF2N0NDosKd0_gwKZHD6yr-sYSAInxUSyNv3DvLHms5YwYew22_LA2wYCMGs8GOjg/s320/lincoln.jpg
 Image on G0IYA's blog.

Many years ago I used a Lincoln President multi-mode 10m 10-20W radio and I was able to work the world using it. One of the best QSOs with it was a solid QSO from the car whilst actually  driving around the outskirts of Cambridge one evening with an SSB station in India. The antenna was just a base loaded whip on a  mag mount. It was a very good little radio. Sorry I sold it really. For a video of the Lincoln President see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDUyLwFc2Pc .

There is a newer,smaller, version of the President Lincoln will be available for around £249 from mid-January. See eBay for details of suppliers.

6m WSPR at a quiet time

Path G3XBM-G4IKZ 6m
 

After a brief outing on 40m I have QSYed to 6m WSPR in the hope of getting a few European spots by wintertime Es or even some tropo. In  the last few hours my 2W has only reached G4IKZ who is 18km west of me. Signal reports are (expectedly) consistent within +/-2dB but I'm not sure if Nick is using a vertical antenna (like my V2000) or a horizontal beam. This evening I spotted G8EPA at 61km. Judging by how poor my report was compared with G4IKZ, I think we must be cross-polarised.

5 Jan 2014

40m WSPR - instant success to Australia

Keeping at 1W from the FT817 into the Par end-fed I got instantly spotted in Australia at over 17200km this early evening. WSPR really is amazing. Reports from VK now both on 40m and 20m with the low wire antenna. Lots of other spots followed. More spots from VK7BO followed. Nearest station was G4IKZ just 18km away.

First 40m WSPR results with 1W to my Par end-fed

20m WSPR - too easy

Late this afternoon I have been on 20m WSPR with 1W RF to my compact Par end-fed antenna. Best received signal was from the USA west coast but all the reports of my signals, so far, have been from this side of the pond.

Really 20m is too easy on WSPR at this level of QRP power. I should  be running 50mW or less.

20m 1W reports late this afternoon

3 Jan 2014

Home at last

This morning, Jan 3rd, I was discharged from hospital after 3.5 months due to to a bleed on the brain.I am far from well  still and have lots of work (exercises)  to do to to regain  my health,  which I hope to do in the coming months. I know it will be a hard slog.

My 2W 10m WSPR session over New Year was very successful with plenty of USA spots in the log. I hope to get back in the shack again soon.

31 Dec 2013

Logging into a Windows PC and 10m WSPR

When I came to log in on my old (lab) Windows XP PC today it was a nightmare. Firstly it had not been used for almost 4 months and refused to bring up the log-in page. Then I'd forgotten my log-in details: even my old hint did not help. In the end after many attempts all was sorted but what a struggle with my poor addled brain currently. I've even made a small start on the tax return online. At the moment I am making lots of typos on the PC and everything takes twice as long as it did.

 I've started WSPRing on 10m for the first time since September! My old life is slowly returning, thank God. Not bad reports too.

Initial 10m WSPR reports with 2W out

Release Date

The latest news from Addenbrooke's Hospital is I should be  home for good by Jan 6th. After that, apart from continuing to get better, I hope to buy a new rig and do my on-line tax return! Expect blogging proper again within a week or so. I continue to slowly improve on all fronts but find I am making lots of errors typing on the PC still.

Currently on 2 days' home leave over New Year (1 night at home) but have to return to hospital by 5pm Wednesday.

11 Dec 2013

IC7100 from Icom

When it comes to new 100W HF rigs the new IC7100 looks to be relatively good value at just under £1300 in the UK. This includes 4m and 70 cm coverage and DSTAR. I am a little skeptical about the clarity of the LCD touchscreen display.  Other good rigs don't cover 4m or bands above 6m.I am still tempted when I get " released" from my hospital prison. My heart is still in QRP but the Elecraft KX3 is a similar price with  just 8-10W,fewer bands and arguably less well suited to base station digital use. We'll have to see when I get out of my hospital  "prison". I may just buy a second FT817 and another auto ATU. 

9 Dec 2013

Books

The last few weeks has seen me devouring a number of novels to kill the monotony of being in hospital still. Latest estimates are mid January for going home ,when I hope to be able to swallow some soft foods. Books read include:

"Oranges are not the only fruit" by Janice Winterton
"Night Fire" by Ken Follett
"Eye of the Needle "
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo " by Stieg Larsson

At the moment it takes about 3 days for a 560 page book. I am REALLY looking forward to going home when the ham radio blogging can resume.

Interestingly, I have read very few amateur radio books apart from  1 QST and a few RadComs and PWs. So far I have had visits  from around 45 people including a few local hams. My brother has raised over £1000 for the charity "Headway" as a result of my bleed on the brain.

1 Dec 2013

Latest Health News

All being well, I should get home from hospital for brief home visit within the next 3 weeks. Thereafter, the is a good chance of getting home for good, probably in January. I still cannot eat or drink normally but I can do the excercises to improve my swallow as well at home as in hospital. My walking is wobbly on a walking frame, but getting better, and my writing and speech are a mess still, but also heading in the right direction. Being at home will be so much better after around 4 months in hospital wards. Physically I can see and hear well, my  memory seems to be maily intact, so  I have lots to be grateful for. The facilities lacking should work eventually. A good chance of more "normal service" on the amateur radio blog  from mid-January.

In the meantime my brother John  has raised almost £1000 for the brain injury charity Headway. I cannot thank hi  enough. My continued thanks for all donations including some very large donations from my American friends. This has been a very long haul personally and a big reminder how precious normal, everyday life is. We take everything for granted whereas we need to remind ourselves just  how wonderful everything is.

27 Nov 2013

Health "progress"

Got told today that my swallow response is not progressing and it is possible I may NEVER be able to eat normally. I have been given a series of exercises aimed at helping to correctly position the larynx.Only lots of time will tell.

My return home full time is likely to be in the new year after more therapy on my walking and writing.All the hard word on speech would be at home.

13 Nov 2013

8 plus weeks and still in hospital

Sorry that my stroke is still making the hardest job near impossible. This has taken 10 minutes.