Autumn projects

I am afraid my still poor health is still getting in the way of experiments in the field.  At the moment then, my main aims for this autumn (all depend on help of others sadly) are:

• Erect my 2m big wheel on the side of the house as high as I can.
• Erect a long-wire for LF/MF use.

This autumn I'd like to put out a decent 2m SSB signal and a decent signal on 472kHz WSPR. My earth-electrode "antenna" on MF is very much a compromise and another 10dB ERP would be great. This would still be low ERP, but I'd be in with a better chance.

472kHz WSPR overnight

A disappointing night on MF last night with just spots by G6AVK (78km) received last night before the PC decided to close down sometime in the early hours. I think the band is still rather noisy and it is a bit early for my weak 5mW ERP signal to be copied easily. I was surprised not to spot others though.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs Aug 20th 2015

Sunspot number is 36 today, marginally up on yesterday (K=3) and 10m propagation is yet again expected to remain "poor". The consensus seems to be that this has been a below average Es season too. Roll on the autumn and winter and (I hope) some decent 10m F2 propagation.  At the moment we are seeing a gradual decline, on average, in sunspot numbers but I think 10m will still be useful for one more autumn/winter period before life gets tough on 10m. The moral is never give up. I am sure 10m remains open far more often than people realise. How often have you heard 27MHz CB humming yet the 28MHz (10m) amateur band is quiet?

UPDATE 0945z:  A promising start on 10m Es today with a couple of spots by IU1DZZ (973km) quite early on 10m WSPR. On 6m WSPR I am exchanging WSPR spots yet again with G0OQK (98km) but no Es seen yet on 6m WSPR.

UPDATE 1312z:   ON7KB (299km) presumably by tropo is the only non-G spotted on 6m WSPR. I have seen no evidence of Es on 6m today and, so far, just IU1DZZ on 10m.

UPDATE 1855z:  We seem to be in "in-between" conditions at the moment with fewer Es openings and not that many F2 openings on 10m. As for 6m, there was zero Es evident here on WSPR today.

10m Es but nothing seen on 6m WSPR

In the end, 10m WSPR sprang to life later in the day, but only Gs seen on 6m WSPR. This was not the great Es opening I was (half) hoping for today.

UPDATE 2050z:   I think I might QSY from 6m to 630m (472kHz) overnight with my earth-electrode "antenna".

UPDATE 2106z:  QSYed from 6m to 630m and did a hard reset of the 10m beacon. Will be on 10m and 630m WSPR overnight. 6m was a dead loss today, so hoping for better luck on 630m despite the lower ERP on MF.

WSPR

Although I enjoyed WSPR long before my stroke, I have used this mode a lot in recent times.  My voice is still poor and I find speech modes tiring. WSPR is a one-way beaconing tool. It is ideal for antenna work and propagation experiments. I enjoy using it especially on 6m, 10m and 630m although I have used it on other bands too. You only need very low power. Even with just 5mW ERP from my earth-electrode "antenna" on 630m it has spanned over 1000km. On 10m my 500mW WSPR has been copied on every continent. WSPR is a good test of receiving systems too, especially on MF and LF.  If you have not tried WSPR, I can recommend it. Start by looking for WSPR signals and be sure to upload what you copy to WSPRnet.


UPDATE 1105z:   So far a very quiet morning on 10m and 6m WSPR.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/wspr .

FTSE 100 - NOT amateur radio

At the moment, the FTSE 100 UK share index is down 0.89% so far today and well down on its peak of over 7100 earlier in the year. The stock market is spooked by Greece, China and the concerns over rising interest rates. I can see this uncertainty being around for some time to come.

UPDATE 2048z:  In the end, the FTSE 100 ended the day well down by 1.88%. Somehow I think we have worse to come.

Still no Es on 10m and 6m WSPR here

It is now 0955z and, as yet, no Es at all seen on 10m or 6m WSPR. Steve VE7SL (see comments on an earlier post) reports that there was 6m propagation across the Atlantic from CT1 to K0 (Kansas) a few days ago. This was further south than the UK, but I have missed all the 6m transatlantic openings this summer. I think that WSPR (because of low activity) is not the best mode to catch fleeting openings , even though it should be.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed Aug 19th 2015

Sunspot number has risen a bit to 44 (K=4) but 10m propagation is again "poor" .

Es on the way out?

So far today I have seen no evidence at all of Es (yet) on 10m and 6m WSPR. Things could soon change but so far it is very quiet on these bands on WSPR. On 6m I am seeing GDX by tropo out to 156km, but no Es.

I am beginning to think we are now coming to the end of the Es season. There may still be Es openings but not as frequent. Having said this, I have now made Es on 10m and 6m (a huge opening!) a racing certainty tomorrow. It is called "Sod's Law", HI.

UPDATE 2142z:   No Es seen here on WSPR all day and this evening on 10m and 6m.

Shack photo

This was me on the 2m FM net in East Cambridgeshire last night. There were only 3 of us on last night. These days I tend to use WSPR quite a bit as my voice is still pretty poor. We meet on 144.575MHz FM at 8pm local time most Mondays. Note, this is in the all-mode section. Newcomers are always welcome to join us. QSOs are never more than 1 hour and frequently much less.