Back on 10m with WSPR-AXE-CW beacon

Every WSPR-AXE-CW transmission with 500mW WSPR on 10m (I resumed with this beacon today) seems to result in 7-9 reports (spots on WSPRnet)  during most 2 minute slots, and the vast majority are from the USA. This little "all in one" beacon by Jay W5OLF (single tiny board and no PC needed) really does work well. Once sync'd to internet time or other good reference on an even minute, it holds time stability for ages. Frequency is randomly moved within 100Hz every 2 minutes to minimise interference.

UPDATE 1738z:  KU4QI (6406km) is currently the last USA station to spot me at 1628z, which is quite early, but it is now over an hour since the last spot was received.

UPDATE 1912z:  I checked the WSPR-AXE-CW DT by listening on the FT817. I set the clock to internet time around 1500z.  Setting by hand (pressing the push button) it is easy to be 0.3 secs or so out at the start.  After about 3 hours it was -1.0 sec, which is still quite good. No further transatlantic DX seen and currently no locals yet monitoring. I hope G4IKZ comes on RX soon.  Even with no antenna on the FT817 RX and the attenuator in circuit, the WSPR-AXE-CW is 13 to 15dB S/N i.e. very strong. The WSPR-AXE-CW beacon uses a 2N7000 FET class E PA and is not even warm with a good 50 ohm load.

UPDATE 2140z:  G4IKZ is on 10m RX and is copying G0LRD's 50mW but not copying me. OK I am about twice as far away and my antenna is not as good at G0LRD's. I reset my WSPR-AXE-CW clock and the DT is only 0.2 secs out. I also reset the power. I can copy myself on an FT817 without antenna and it is fine. Maybe G4IKZ's antenna is directional (I think he uses a Moxon beam). I don't think the problem is at my end.

10m WSPR - USA and Canada

The first mainland stateside report of my 500mW 10m WSPR today was by WG2Z (5600km) at -15dB S/N (good signal) at 1222z. Since then, he has copied me several times. Yet again, it is mainly the faithful old same reporters on WSPR. We could do with more new reporters!

My first spot here on 10m stateside was W3CSW (5886km) who was first seen here at 1300z.

Caribbean on 10m WSPR

FG5LA (6689km) in FK96ef (Guadaloupe) was spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR at 1140z this morning. This bodes well for the USA and Canada later. I am pretty sure this is the first time I have been spotted in Guadaloupe.

Sunspots - Monday Dec 8th

Sunspot number has declined a little further to 58. 10m daytime propagation is forecast to be "fair" only. We'll see what the day brings. I am currently on 10m WSPR (20% TX) running 500mW.

Android WSPR apps

Thanks (again) to Steve G1KQH, these are Android apps for WSPR. I see they now include a TX beacon.

Two new WSPR Apps for Android

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glandorf1.joe.wsprnetviewer.app&hl=en

WSPR Beacon

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iu4apc.wsprbeacon&hl=en_GB

and another I have just found:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=xxx.wspr.g4swy&hl=en_GB

73 Steve
http://www.g1kqh.talktalk.net/

Kanga UK Site

See http://www.kanga-products.co.uk/ .

This website has some good products on it. They also sell crystals for QRP frequencies at sensibly low prices and stock Si5351A boards to allow low cost generation of frequencies from less than 8kHz to over 150MHz, useful when crystals for specific frequencies can be very expensive. See also http://m0xpd.blogspot.co.uk/ .

They are also the UK dealer for the OpenQRP transceivers.

10m WSPR Stateside

My 1634z 500mW 10m WSPR transmission was spotted by 9 different stations. Most of these were in the USA. When the band is open to North America, as it has been every day for weeks and weeks now in the afternoons, 500mW seems quite enough to be copied very well over there. Increasing power to 5W makes very little difference.

Once the path closes, more power does not help. One may get a better report and the band may remain open for a few more minutes, but that is all.

1634z 500mW 10m WSPR TX transmission

UPDATE 1940z:   K3GEN (5883km) at 1744z seems to be the last USA station spotted here on 10m WSPR this evening. The last spot of my 10m 500mW WSPR was by N2BJW (5262km) a few minutes earlier at 1738z.

UPDATE 2218z:   Spotting G0LRD (25km) running 50mW and G4IKZ (18km) spotting me. Now going QRT.

G8YQN (217km) on 10m WSPR

Just spotted G8YQN (217km).  This is the best GDX I have seen and, judging by the trace on the screen, this was tropo with some aircraft reflections, At -22dB S/N, not a bad signal for 5W.

GM4WJA on 10m WSPR - a real puzzle

GM4WJA (624km) has been spotting my 500mW a few times  on 10m WSPR of late.  This is too far for tropo and aircraft reflections, and far too close for F2 propagation. I assume propagation in either F-layer back-scatter or possibly Es.

10m wakes up

Since 1142z, the 10m WSPR slot seems to haven amnwoken up with a mix of European stations both near and far. Some are GDX, possibly off aircraft, some are probably F2 propagation and some are at a difficult distance that could be E-layer or back-scatter. If the band is opening by winter Es I would expect  more widespread EUs to be copied lunchtime.  If true to recent form, the 10m band should open to the USA after lunch. With slightly lower sunspots, maybe the transatlantic path will be more marginal today?

UPDATE 1245z:   W3CSW (5886km) was spotting my 500mW WSPR a few minutes ago at a respectable -20dB S/N.

UPDATE 1320z:   KU4QI (6406km) is spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR at -18dB S/N.

UPDATE 1358z:  Although several USA stations have now spotted my 500mW on 10m WSPR, I have yet to spot even a single USA station here! Not sure why this should be as most are using 5W (10dB more than me. I am seeing LZ1OI OK though.

UPDATE 1412z:  My FT817 was set to "narrow" and the pass band tuning was set too high, so only allowing the strongest signals to be decoded.   Since switching to normal passband I am copying plenty of transatlantic signals. There had to be answer, and there was.