17m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

My 17m QRP FT8 (about 4W) was turned on at about 1618z.  Within a few minutes, I was spotted by 33 stations, See map.

17m WSPR at 10mW ERP (Wednesday)

As my Par end fed antenna is a good match, I tried 10mW ERP on 17m. So far, 4 stations have spotted me after about 20 minutes. 

As frequency is reduced, local noise floors will become more significant with weaker signals buried in the noise. At higher frequencies this will be less of an issue.

UPDATE  1635z:  10 stations have spotted my 10mW WSPR

17m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

Currently I am on 17m FT8 using 2.5W to the coax to the 2m big-wheel matched with my Z-match. So far, just European spots.

UPDATE 1550z:  Just one USA spot so far.

UPDATE 1636z:  More USA spots.

UPDATE 1926z: 31 stations have spotted me with many in the USA. WSPRnet still looks broken.

UPDATE  2030z: 32 stations have spotted me.

QDX on 17m FT8 RX (Saturday)

At the moment I am on 17m FT8 RX with my QDX. PSKreporter seems to have a delay as I am seeing plenty on RX, but these are not being displayed yet. My internet is on and I have the PSKreporter box ticked on WSJT-X.

17m FT8 RX

Just turned on 17m FT8 RX. 15 stations spotted so far.

UPDATE 2245:   59 stations spotted today. BTW, using the 10m end-fed antenna. QRT.

17m FT8 RX (Sunday)

Without changing from the 8m dipole, I have swapped to 17m FT8 RX. Within a few minutes 39 stations were spotted as shown on the map.

UPDATE 2000z:  So far on 17m FT8 RX this afternoon 159 stations spotted. QRT very soon.

17m FT8 RX (Wednesday)

 As I was getting nowhere on 8m, I decided to QSY to 17m FT8 using my 10m end fed antenna.

UPDATE 1749z:   33 stations already spotted.

17m FT8 RX with the tiny indoor loop

It is now 1520z. I have just QSYed to 17m FT8 RX from 2m. The antenna is the tiny loop on the shack windowsill. So far (after a few minutes) 22 stations spotted. This antenna really is remarkable. I guess it must be a few dBs down on a "big" antenna.

UPDATE 1628z:  93 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX this afternoon. Furthermost is YB1HR (11790km).

UPDATE 1735z:   154 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1810z:  179 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1920z:  225 stations spotted.

17m FT8 RX with the loop (Tuesday)

At 0615z, 17m FT8 RX with the indoor loop antenna was turned on. This antenna sits on the shack windowsill. See photo. Just one station spotted at 0640z.

UPDATE 0843z:   63 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX with the furthermost JA3APV (9407km).

UPDATE 0926z: A brief QRP TX period resulted in nobody spotting me. 90 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX today so far. My antenna is a modified Whizz loop with central heating pipe instead of wire for the loop. This makes tuning harder (sharper), but the loop is more efficient. I am sure a big beam would be better, but the tiny loop actually performs pretty well!

UPDATE 1610z: 524 stations spotted so far on 17m FT8 RX with this system. I am amazed how well this loop does considering it is tiny, fixed and indoors. Must try it on 15m FT8 tomorrow What has surprised me is not a single station from South America has been spotted.

UPDATE 1830z:   650 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX today. 17m seems a good all round band, until the evening at least.

UPDATE 2154z:   695 stations spotted with the tiny loop on 17m FT8 RX in the last day.

17m FT8 RX (Monday)

At 2008z, I turned on 17m FT8 RX using the tiny loop antenna on the shack windowsill. So far, 4 USA stations spotted. I suspect the band is just closing.

UPDATE 2117z:   9 stations spotted.

UPDATE 2140z:   It seems the band has now closed.  QRT soon. I may try again tomorrow morning.

UPDATE 2207z:   Not quite closed!  There are still Ws coming through, so I have left things running a bit longer.

17m FT8 RX (Friday)

Since about 0855z, I have been on 17m FT8 RX with the Wellgood active loop indoors. It is now 0913z and 40 stations already spotted.

UPDATE 0930z: 66 stations spotted with the furthermost RM8Y (5221km).

UPDATE 1748z:  440 stations spotted with the furthermost being VK2XZ (16962km). With just 4 more in the last hour, this suggests the band is closing or has closed.

UPDATE 1952z:  447 stations spotted. QRT soon.

17m FT8 RX (Monday)

It is now 1410z and I have been on 17m FT8 RX with the Wellgood active loop for about 30 minutes. So far today, 112 stations spotted (see map).

UPDATE 1447z: 169 stations spotted so far today on 17m FT8 RX. Plenty from the USA.

UPDATE 1651z:  278 stations spotted this afternoon on 17m FT8 RX with the furthermost PY3DXM (10518km).

17m FT8 RX (Wednesday)

This is a band I have not tried with the Wellgood active RX loop, so I am giving it a try. It has been on about 15 minutes and so far 39 stations spotted on RX. As far as I can tell, it works well.

UPDATE 1107z: 124 stations spotted with the furthermost BG0CHC (6142km).

UPDATE 1927z:  605 stations spotted today om 17m FT8 RX with the Wellgood active loop.

17m FT8 RX

At 1335z I QSYed to 17m FT8 RX using the FT817ND and the improved indoor loop.

UPDATE 1431z:  23 stations in 4 continents spotted so far.

17m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

At the moment I am on 17m FT8 with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop antenna.  At 0725z, no spots on RX or TX. It is very early.

UPDATE 0805z:  No spots.

UPDATE 1122z: 42 stations spotted on RX.  I may try TX again later.

Modified
loop

Stations spotted on
17m FT8 RX

UPDATE 1415z:  Replaced the wire used on the loop with copper central heating pipe (see photo). Q is higher suggesting better efficiency. Hope the higher RF voltage will be OK.  Since making the change one Italian has spotted my QRP TX. 100 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX today. Mostly on RX currently. See map of stations spotted on RX.

17m FT8 QRP (Monday)

At the moment I am on 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop. At 1222z, 21 stations spotted on RX and 1 station in the Azores has spotted my QRP on TX.

UPDATE 1416z:  Still just the 1 spot on QRP TX.  76 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost YB2HND (11985km) in Java.

UPDATE 1840z :  213 stations spotted on RX as the map shows. 

17m FT8 QRP (Saturday)

After a break of a few days, I am again on 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop antenna on the shack windowsill. It is now 1455z. So far, in about 10 minutes, 18 stations have been spotted on RX and my QRP has been copied by nobody yet on TX.

UPDATE 1542z: So far, 30 stations have been spotted on RX on 5 continents and nobody has spotted me on TX yet today.

UPDATE 1800z:  43 stations spotted on RX and nobody spotted my QRP on TX. QRT soon.

FT8 QRP today

Shortly I hope to go on 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop.

At present (0820z) I am on 160m FT8 RX. As we have daytime conditions, there is no DX, in fact no spots at all!

UPDATE 0836z:  17m gear turned on. 10 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost 5Z4VJ (6858km) in Kenya.  Nobody yet spotting me on TX.

UPDATE 1228z: 246 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost YB7OO (11788km).  On TX my QRP has been spotted by 2 stations with the furthermost R2ASY (2426km) near Moscow. 1 QSO today.

UPDATE 1420z: 326 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX and 4 stations spotting my QRP on TX.

UPDATE 1720z:  465 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX and 6 stations have spotted my QRP TX.

17m FT8 QRP (Sunday)

 At 1109z I went on 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W to the tiny indoor loop on the shack windowsill. It is now 1116z and so far today, 18 stations have been spotted on RX with nobody spotting my QRP on TX.

UPDATE  1425z:  So far today, 2 spots of my QRP with the furthermost being  UW5ZM (2317km) from the Ukraine on TX and 185 stations spotted on RX. At some point I shall remember to convert BST to GMT. Give me a few days!

17m FT8 QRP (Saturday)

 For most of the day I have been on 17m FT8 with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop. So far (it is now 1510z), just 1 station has spotted me on TX and I have spotted 267 stations on RX with the furthermost YB3EDD (12235km).