Our varied hobby

One of the great things about amateur radio is the number of different ways in which the hobby can be enjoyed.

For over a year now my health has been poor because a brain bleed in September 2013. Before then, I enjoyed QRP QSOs (mainly SSB), construction and field experiments from VLF to optical. Since my stroke I have been clumsy and (until recently) not allowed to drive. Very very slowly, normality is returning but I think it will be way into 2015 before I can call myself well.

In the meantime, I still manage WSPR and other digital modes from home. I can even, albeit briefly, manage our local 2m FM net and the occasional VHF/UHF contest. Some people enjoy satellites, MS or moonbounce. Others just like to ragchew on 80m.

We must rejoice that there are so many different, yet equally valid, ways of enjoying ourselves. We have a great hobby.

10m WSPR - too easy right now?

Conditions on 10m really are good right now and in a few years time it will be hard to believe how good they  really were. Enjoy the good times - it may be a very long time, if ever in some of our lifetimes, before we see such F2 conditions on 10m again. Yes 10m is ALWAYS fun in the spring and summer months when Es is good but right now F2 propagation on 10m in the daytime is very good and worldwide DX is possible.

Unique 500mW 10m WSPR reports so far today (at 1700z)

VLF amateur radio

Being involved in VLF amateur radio is a very specialised activity requiring special (but low cost) kit to be successful. Casual listening is highly unlikely to be successful. Long distance reception of amateur VLF signals usually involves looking for signals using Spectrum Laboratory software locked to a VLF MSK signal so that very narrow bandwidths can be looked at for hours or days on end.

Most amateur VLF tests are done on 8.27kHz as this is unallocated spectrum in many countries.

News about amateur VLF activity can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/ . There has been very little amateur VLF work done this year but amateur VLF signals have crossed the Atlantic.

Tests using utilities assisted earth-mode do not involve big loading coils. Just under 6km has been achieved with just 5W using this mode, before I had my stroke! The kit was simple too. See https://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/earthmode .

One of the things I am really looking forward to, when fit again, is some more field work with VLF using earth-mode.

Reaching Reunion Is on 10m WSPR

Reunion Is.. (Image from Wikipedia)

FR1GZ (9724km) on Reunion Island in the South Indian Ocean was copying my 500mW 10m WSPR signal at 1300z today at -26dB S/N and again a little later.  We have exchanged 10m WSPR reports many times before but in the past I was usually using 2W.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9union .

Sunspot number - Dec 4th 2014

Sunspot number today currently is 124 and 10m daytime propagation remains good. 10m is again open across the Atlantic, and my 500mW 10m WSPR is reaching further afield too.

VK5MR

I may have missed being spotted on 10m WSPR this morning by VK5MR (South Australia) as he was spotting G stations well this morning, but well before I came on air at around 1000z. Looks like I need to have everything on and working an hour earlier to be spotted.

UPDATE 2105z:   Time to go QRT on 10m.

UPDATE 2215z:    Finally went QRT on 10m WSPR at 2210z.

Last stateside spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR tonight

Canadian VE2MLS (5422km) and W3CSW (5886km) spotted me at 1728z. At the moment these look like the last spots from across the Atlantic.

UPDATE 1920z:   No further reports from across the Atlantic since VE2MLS and W3CSW at 1728z, so these were almost certainly my last transatlantic reports this evening.

27 unique WSPR spots so far today on 10m with 500mW

So far today (it is 1530z as I write this) 27 different stations have reported my 500mW on 10m WSPR. Most are stateside stations in the USA and Canada. This has been the pattern for weeks and weeks now.

Every day, the 10m band opens across the Atlantic around lunchtime and usually closes to the USA and Canada just after teatime. 10m is a wonderful band to be enjoyed by all at its best.  It is still fun at other parts of the cycle too, but FAR more quiet.

10m WSPR unique reports of my 500mW so far today.

UPDATE 1600z:   Best DX is now N6RY (8756km) just south of Los Angeles on the west coast of the USA.

UPDATE 1930z:  32 unique 10m WSPR spots received in the last 12 hours with 500mW - not a bad day, but no "super" DX spots today.

QRPme website

See www.qrpme.com .

http://www.qrpme.com/images/MeSquares.jpg

Always on the look out for interesting QRP projects, the QRPme website has lots of interesting and low cost projects. They also sell crystals for QRP frequencies and MePads and MeSquares, which are very useful. In all, a useful resource for keen QRP enthusiasts.

10m F2? WSPR

WG2Z (5600km) was the first USA station to spot my 500mW on 10m WSPR today at 1200z. In the other direcction, I spotted N1MGO (5293km) just minutes earlier. CX2ABP (11127km) was spotted here at 1158z.

Apart from the USA and the one South American, all stations have been in Europe or near Asia. I assume this is F-layer or F-layer back-scatter, but guess some nearer EU stations could have been Es?

UPDATE 1450z:  My 1444z 10m 500mW WSPR transmission was spotted by 11 stations, all of whom, apart from 1, were in the USA and Canada.