Reverse beacon network

I have to confess that it is a long time since used the Reverse Beacon Network. It can be quite useful to find where your signal gets to even when you don't manage a 2-way QSO.

See https://www.reversebeacon.net/ . 

40m Pixie: a tip I was given

Andy Cutland in the Channel Islands has reminded me that it is well worth checking the Reverse Beacon Network to see if the signal from the Pixie is getting out, even if no replies are received. I must admit I've not yet been doing this. From now on I'll check the RBN although I usually reply to CQs rather than call CQ when using QRP (search and pounce).

Reverse beacon Network

7MHz QRP RBN spots this evening

The Reverse Beacon Network is an extremely useful resource. This evening, in addition to several QRP QSOs on CW, I got quite a few RBN "spots" proving just where my signal was reaching and at what strength. This is a bit like the WSPR database but for CW. As such signals have to be stronger to be copied than for WSPR but it is helpful.

Reverse Beacon Network - brilliant resource

A couple of times in the last few days the Reverse Beacon Network (a worldwide network of receiving stations automatically uploading spots to to the internet) has come to my aid. Today for example: a couple of CW calls on 28.060 with 5W to the halo got no audible replies, but a RBN report from PJ2T in Curacao in the Caribbean at 10dB S/N on CW proved my signal was getting a very long way.   A few days ago I found my brief call had been copied in K3 land (that's the call district and not the Elecraft factory)..

Reverse Beacon Network

Thanks to Mike Rainey AA1TJ for putting me on to this. The Reverse Beacon Network is a revolutionary new idea. Instead of beacons actively transmitting signals, the RBN is a network of stations listening to the bands and reporting what stations they hear, when and how well. It works by using skimmers to check activity and then uploading spots to an internet database much like WSPRnet for WSPR spots. Using it you can see if your signals are making it to a given spotting location.