T5/T61AA and FR1GZ - real DX

T5/T61AA (6960km) in LJ22pa in Mogadishu, Somalia, East Africa has just been spotted weakly on 10m WSPR. This is Ross who was in Afghanistan.   

FR1GZ on Reunion Island has been spotted many times today, including 10 times, so far, since lunchtime.

UPDATE 1342z:  T5/T61AA is now being spotted stronger.

UPDATE 1540z:  FR1GZ has been spotted 16 times since the start of lunchtime.  He was also coming in earlier in the day too. Excellent. 

10m WSPR this morning and sunspots

I have been active for over an hour on 10m but so far no stations spotting me or being spotted. Things may liven up later.

Sunspot count today is 164 (with blackouts) and 20-30MHz propagation is "poor". Things seem very slow on 10m so far. 164 is a high sunspot number but conditions are disturbed. Let us hope things improve later and even that there is a little Es about. 

UPDATE 0935z:  FR1GZ, G4KPX and G0LRD have all been copied this morning, but spots were not uploaded to the WSPRnet database, sorry. WSPRX did not upload my spots - no idea why! I have now restarted the software.

UPDATE 0942z:  That's better! Since restarting WSPRX I see I am being spotted well by G4KPX and G0LRD.  Clearly WSPRX was NOT working for the first hour or so. My apologies. With FR1GZ being spotted we are seeing N-S F2 propagation.

UPDATE 1018z:   I am still unconvinced WSPRX is uploading my spots on RX.  As an example, EA7IHT was copied at -19dB S/N at 0940z yet this did not appear in the WSPRnet database.Neither did G4KPX. There is still Es about. I may download the V2 version (without scrolling waterfall and WSPR15) onto this Win 7 PC, which I swapped with my wife as she needed the 1TB memory for Picasa pics.

UPDATE 1032z:  My WSPRX upload issue was "finger trouble": I had left the reported band as 630m by mistake. Now corrected. I think this muddled thinking is a result of my stroke.

UPDATE 1214z:  FR1GZ (9724km) was copied at -22dB S/N. N-S F2 propagation. He was copied much earlier in the day too, but the spots failed to upload as mentioned above.

472kHz overnight

I ran WSPR on 472kHz overnight. It ran until about 0320am when the Win 7 PC decided to do updates and closed the PC. No new reports or reporters overnight, just stations that I had seen before or who had spotted me before. All rather disappointing. I feel that radically improving the antenna (and hence ERP) won't make a huge difference. On RX the system works very well and hears most active stations. To be honest, I am losing interest a bit in MF as there are far too few stations active especially here in  the UK.

Over 1000km on 472kHz WSPR RX

This evening LA4ANA (1042km) running 50mW ERP has been spotted 3 times so far. Not strong, but there. Several DLs also in the log too out to 995km.

UPDATE 2220z:  LA4ANA has been spotted 5 times so far.

10m operation

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/10m_op .

The above link (on my main website) is my "take" on 10m operation. Although I have never applied for a DXCC certificate I have worked well over 100 countries on 10m with QRP and small wire antennas. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the best amateur band we have. Low cost CB type all mode rigs means it can be accessed at low cost, even buying new. A small dipole is effective and need not be too high.

472kHz this evening and 10m tomorrow

Yet again, 472kHz is proving a real disappointment. Not long ago I found a list of all the stations that had copied me on 500kHz WSPR with very similar ERP to my present 472kHz ERP. The list was about 5 times longer, showing the level of WSPR activity on 500kHz a few years ago. Although I'll leave 472kHz WSPR running through the night I very much doubt I'll see new reporters by the morning.

Tomorrow, I shall try 10m WSPR instead.

Back on 472kHz WSPR

We arrived back from Cheshire about an hour ago. Having checked the post, I decided to come on 472kHz WSPR. Spots so far from G0LRD (25km) and M0LMH (223km). No totally new reporters yet this evening.

G3WCB (101km) has been spotted well.

My old friend G3WKW (Bob) kindly sent a book through the post about one of my stroke problems. Bob has been so kind. Thank you Bob.

Sunspots and HF

Sunspots count today is 161 (blackouts) with 20-30MHz propagation "poor". Today could be another disturbed day.

Returning home

After 3 nights staying in Goostrey, Cheshire with my brother in law and his wife we return home later. Back to WSPR later today. After the blackouts on HF yesterday propagation looks more promising.

FT991 - late 2014?

According to the Yaesu website this new radio is due to be released later this year.