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.