472kHz (630m) JT9-1 overnight

Well, I stayed on this band and mode overnight but not a single spot! On the waterfall I saw several WSPR signals. I will check settings again, but it looks like WSPR is the better mode for me on this band. Maybe my low ERP and just being buried in the noise on JT9-1 is working against me, whereas with WSPR I am just detected. WSPR on 472kHz tonight!

UPDATE 1040z: All the settings were OK. I think there are fewer stations on this mode on this band, and I need to get my ERP up so my signal is not buried in the crud.

JT9-1 on 472kHz

For a change, I am trying JT9-1 on 472kHz. I have been active for about 10 minutes so far.

At the moment I am beaconing, although I tried a few CQ calls earlier. Someone was just ending a QSO with someone called Gerd but he did not send his call, so I have no idea who this was.

If you should spot me please send to PSK Reporter Maps.

UPDATE 2038z: No JT spots on 472kHz so far. There seem to be fewer stations on the band using JT modes than WSPR.

UPDATE 2240z: Still no JT spots on 472kHz. I shall remain JT9-1 beaconing overnight in the hope that someone will spot me and upload to PSK Reporter Maps.

Es - don't give up!

With another day with respectable Es on both 10m and 6m, the Es season is not yet over. OK there are probably fewer openings than a few months ago, but there are openings and when these bands are good for Es they are good. I recommend WSPR or JT65 as a way of detecting these openings. I find JT65 better on 6m as the levels of activity are greater. WSPR is theoretically able to work with even weaker signals. JT9-1 works on 10m and occupies far less bandwidth than JT65, which is already quite narrow and much better than CW.

UPDATE 1155z:  Quite a few Es spots from Europe on 6m JT65. I'll probably switch to 10m JT65 shortly.

UPDATE 1825z: 10m Es has returned. Just been spotted in Sweden.

HF Propagation Predictions by G0KYA

See http://www.infotechcomms.net/propcharts .

Taking a peek at Steve's propagation forecasts for 10m this autumn does not look good for E-W propagation from the UK to North America. Even with a sunspot count averaging in the low 30s (possibly too high?) it looks like E-W SSB propagation with 100W is unlikely. With WSPR or JT modes much lower power is possible, but openings to the USA are likely to be much rarer than in seasons past.

20m JT9-1

As 10m WSPR appeared dire here this afternoon, I QSYed down to 20m and had a 2-way QSO using JT9-1 with  SP6EIY.  My power was 2W.

I have now gone on 20m WSPR so I can monitor in the lounge and enjoy a cup of tea.  These are the 20m WSPR spots so far.

UPDATE 1830z:  Several 20m WSPR spots from the USA, both received and given. I shall probably QSY to 40m WSPR later.

UPDATE 2020z:   Still lots of 20m WSPR spots from Canada and the  USA. For now, I shall remain on 20m.

UPDATE 2130z:   The last 20m USA WSPR spot was at 2106z from K3SC (5869km), so I am staying on 20m for now, whilst the band is still open E-W.

QSYed to 20m JT9-1

In the end I QSYed from 10m WSPR to 20m JT9-1 looking for some 2-way QSOs. Although I called a K8 (5000km) he did not copy me. Looking at PSKreporter I see than I was copied in Italy and Portugal. I have now gone QRT for a cup of tea.

Sunspots and 10m - Sat Jan 16th 2016

Solar flux is 104 today and sunspot number 38 (K=1). Forecast for 10m propagation is "poor" again. At present I am on 20m WSPR but will probably move to 10m WSPR later, unless I try for more JT9-1 2-way QSOs on 20m.

Another JT9-1 2-way QSO

Not long ago I had a 2-way QSO with OK2PDH by 20m JT9-1. There is little doubt that JT9-1 and JT65 are ideal modes for me currently. They don't need much power and QSOs do not require me to use my (poor) voice.

10m and 6m WSPR

Overnight I was on 630m WSPR where I gave and received spots to/from the same few stations. At the moment I am in 10m and 6m WSPR but I hope to go on JT9-1 (probably on 20m) later in the day.

No JT9-1 TX today

We got home late after lunch so I did not get a chance to go on 20m JT9-1 TX. Tomorrow I am out much of the day on my U3AC course, so it may be Tuesday before I get another chance. For now, I have gone back to 630m (472kHz) WSPR.

More JT9-1 on 20m TX later

At the moment I am on RX only on 20m JT9-1 but I hope to get back on TX later today.

JT9-1 20m QSO

Photo thanks to Bas.

I had my first JT9-1 QSO of the year on 20m a little while ago working SM3HHI (1376km) with 2.5W from the FT817 and using the new baby shack PC running WSJT-X V1.6. It looks like this should be a good mode with my poor voice.  With this software it is very straightforward. QSOs take about 6 minutes to call CQ, exchange grids and reports and the confirmations.

UPDATE 1202z:  As interesting as the QSO, I see from PSK reporter that I was being received all over Europe.

UPDATE 1638z:  We have had visitors all afternoon, so I have not been TXing.  A couple of stations were lost (OK and RA9) on 20m JT9-1 just after lunch. These stations replied to my CQ but were lost before the QSOs could be finished.

UPDATE 1646z:  I left the 20m JT9-1 running on RX all afternoon. I see that I spotted N2LD (5645km) and OD5PY (3466km).

JT65 and JT9-1 on hold

As it took much longer than I expected to (nearly) complete my tax return, it will now be tomorrow that I will get on JT65 and JT9-1. Apparently I owe the Inland Revenue much more than I thought.  I am sure I must have made a mistake. My XYL says look at the form again tomorrow when my head is clearer. She is dead right.

JT65 and JT9-1

Tomorrow, all being well, I shall make a start on 2-way QRP QSOs in 2016 using these digital modes with WSJT-X V1.6.  Probably I'll start on 20m.  Up to now we seem to have been busy with grandchildren over the holidays, or away. Apart from doing my tax return online (a job I love not one bit - the hardest thing is finding all the documents), I think we have a fairly free week.

2016 challenge

With my voice still poor (stroke) and still the same few reappearing night after night on 472kHz, I think my challenge for 2016 will be to work as many countries as possible using JT65 and JT9-1 on HF. I have tried these modes before but as it is now integrated with WSPR in WSJT-X I really should give it a go.

20m JT9-1 QSOs

As WSPRnet has been "flaky" of late I gave 20m JT9-1 a go, looking for some 2-way QSOs. It seems busier on this mode than I recall, but this may just be conditions. Anyway, I managed 2 QSOs (HA and YO) and according to PSK Reporter my signal was reaching Canada and the USA. Not bad considering my 2.5W and low 20m antenna. A good change. I must use this mode more in 2016.

UPDATE 1622z:  I have returned to 472kHz WSPR for the evening and night with 5mW ERP (20%) TX and RX without a preamp (80%). I still use the earth-electrode "antenna" on 472kHz. F6GEX (590km) was the first station spotted on 472kHz WSPR this evening. Others include DK7FC (669km) and G8HUH (250km) and PA0A (417km).

JT65 and JT9-1 tomorrow?

From Sunday we have grandchildren here for over a week, so amateur radio will take a back seat. I may set WSPR running some of the time, but that will be all.

Tomorrow, as WSPRnet seems so "hit and miss" at the moment, I may well try JT65 and JT9-1 to see how I get on. I've used these modes in the past, but not for some while. My fellow blogger PA4BAS Bas in the Netherlands tells me that beaconing is possible in these modes, although the watchdog timer only allows 6 transmissions before the TX has to be reset. I may well try 20m initially to make sure all works first. After that, I may give 10m a go although it has been quiet on 10m WSPR of late.

See http://pe4bas.blogspot.nl/2015/12/beaconing-with-jt-modes.html .

JT9-1 on 20m and 10m

As 10m and 6m were doing nothing much, I had another outing on JT9-1 on 20m QRP.  There were several stations active.  A look on PSK reporter showed that my CQ signals were crossing Europe (see map), but sadly no-one wanted a QSO. With QRP, I think the best strategy is to call others calling CQ. There seems plenty of space on JT9-1 on 20m.

A CQ call on 10m JT9-1 was not successful, although I have used this mode on 10m in the past. Unlike WSPR, JT9-1 is a true 2-way digital mode, with QSOs taking about 6 minutes to complete. WSPR works with weaker signals but needs 2 minute periods, whereas JT9-1 overs are just 1 minute.

JT9-1 (20m) and a change on 10m

For a complete change I went on JT9-1 on 20m for a little while (worked LZ5QZ) then returned to 10m WSPR using the FT817 so I could receive as well as transmit. I am running about 2W and see that EA8BVP (2986km) has yet again spotted me on 10m.  I am spotting G4IKZ (18km).

10m JT65 and JT9-1

As my wife was having "girly" friends around I was banished to the shack.  Usually, since my illness, I turn on WSPR in the shack and monitor progress in the lounge on another PC. WSPR beaconing usually suits my health as it requires minimal intervention.

As I was actually in the shack today, I took the opportunity to try JT65 and JT9-1 modes on 10m. On JT65 I worked the USA, Georgia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Russia and on JT9-1 I worked the USA.  Time was limited and I am sure lots more could have been worked.

Since the guests went I QSYed down to 472kHz WSPR. As before, the same stations are being spotted and are spotting me, which is disappointing.