21 Apr 2015
Next field test - optical?
After my very disappointing results on VLF earth-mode yesterday - I must get to the bottom of why results were quite so bad - I think my next test will be at the other end of the spectrum. We have a windmill very close so I may try bouncing optical signals off this to test my optical gear is working still. It is a long time since I have done any optical experiments.This will not be too far initially, more a test of the gear before venturing any distance.
Sunspots and 10m - Tues April 21st 2015
Sunspot number is still high at 125 (K=3) today. 10m propagation is expected to be "good" although I have not been spotted by really DX stations for some days. Up to now (it is currently 1042z) I have been spotted on 10m by G4IKZ (18km) only with no DX reports at all on 10m, using my 500mW WSPR beacon.
UPDATE 1052z: Only 42 stations shown as active worldwide on 10m WSPR according to WSPRnet. 10m activity is lower than it was and this is not helping.
UPDATE 1052z: Only 42 stations shown as active worldwide on 10m WSPR according to WSPRnet. 10m activity is lower than it was and this is not helping.
20 Apr 2015
USA - no luck on 10m today
10m WSPR was a dead loss today with not a single spot on 10m WSPR all day from stations in the USA. EA8BVP (2986km) has spotted me very many times.
UPDATE 2125z: Time to go QRT. Tomorrow remind me to switch on the mains lead to the PSU!
UPDATE 2125z: Time to go QRT. Tomorrow remind me to switch on the mains lead to the PSU!
VLF field test - a total failure!
Well, I did my first VLF earth-mode field test today since my brain bleed in Sept 2013. Sadly, it was a total failure. I am at a loss to explain the results.
I put the 5W, 8.976kHz, beacon on into the same earth electrodes used successfully on 472kHz (best DX on TX over 1000km) and went about 1.6km to a car park where I always had strong signals using a tuned loop on RX and earth-electrodes on TX from the old QTH in the same village. Nothing at all copied today - absolutely nothing. I waited in case I was in a pause between QRSS3 callsign transmissions, but no absolutely nothing at all. Not even the tiniest hint of a signal.
So I parked in the road about 0.3km from the home QTH and again nothing at all. At this point we drove home. What a dismal failure this was turning out to be. I am sure it is telling me something but I cannot work it out. Sure enough, everything was still working at the TX end. I am using one remote ground and the mains ground at the shack end, exactly as for 472kHz. I did check this mains ground was grounded to real ground.
Whatever utilities assistance I was getting before at the old QTH is not the same at this newer QTH. All very very odd. I was expecting to see something. In the past I received transmissions from the old QTH at the new QTH (about 0.3km away) using just an E-field probe on the car. From the old QTH I spanned 6km!
In summary, this VLF test was a total failure. I am at loss to explain things. Not only that, but the work has left me very exhausted. My brain is still foggy, but the results today were not due to any mistakes with the HW gear or PC Spectran settings.
I am not having much success today.
 |
| Tuned VLF loop |
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| Deploying the VLF loop (Burwell in the background) |
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| Checking Spectran on the PC - nothing ! |
In summary, this VLF test was a total failure. I am at loss to explain things. Not only that, but the work has left me very exhausted. My brain is still foggy, but the results today were not due to any mistakes with the HW gear or PC Spectran settings.
I am not having much success today.
Confirmed - yes I am stupid!
After receiving no spots at all on 10m since yesterday afternoon I just realised one possible reason: although my 10m WSPR beacon was on, the mains switch (on the wall) was OFF!! So since sometime yesterday afternoon I had been syncing to internet time with no power at all on the WSPR beacon! I have now turned the PSU on (at the mains) and resync'ed to internet time. Hopefully I might be spotted now.
Talk about stupid. Sometimes I amaze myself. How could I be quite so daft?
UPDATE 1304z: Now receiving spots from G4IKZ (18km) again. It will take about 15-20 minutes to stabilise as the PA warms. I wonder what I missed this morning? I shall never know. Just been spotted by EA8BVP (2986km). Both EA8BVP and G4IKZ gave me good reports.
UPDATE 1404z: Just EA8BVP and G4IKZ spotting so far. At least I know the beacon is now actually ON and working! Oh I am so stupid at times!
UPDATE 1650z: Still just G4IKZ and EA8BVP spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR so far this afternoon. No "real DX" DX as yet.
Talk about stupid. Sometimes I amaze myself. How could I be quite so daft?
UPDATE 1304z: Now receiving spots from G4IKZ (18km) again. It will take about 15-20 minutes to stabilise as the PA warms. I wonder what I missed this morning? I shall never know. Just been spotted by EA8BVP (2986km). Both EA8BVP and G4IKZ gave me good reports.
UPDATE 1404z: Just EA8BVP and G4IKZ spotting so far. At least I know the beacon is now actually ON and working! Oh I am so stupid at times!
UPDATE 1650z: Still just G4IKZ and EA8BVP spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR so far this afternoon. No "real DX" DX as yet.
UK General Election - NOT amateur radio
A reminder than the UK General Election, which is only a few weeks
away, is "first past the post" so if you are just one vote behind you
lose everything. In the European elections I voted Green, but fear this
will be a wasted vote in a "first past the post" contest. Tactical
voting will be needed.
For example, in my constituency Labour really have no chance of winning as they only got 6.5% of the vote last time. The Lib Dems (currently in coalition with the majority Conservative government) have a real chance of winning - they came a good second last time - especially as we have UKIP nowadays and the Conservatives could lose some votes to them. The most probable outcome is a Conservative win again in this constituency.
Nationally, the outcome is almost certainly another coalition government as the polls show Labour and Conservatives neck and neck nationally. UKIP support nationally is fading, although I always suspected this would be the case.
For example, in my constituency Labour really have no chance of winning as they only got 6.5% of the vote last time. The Lib Dems (currently in coalition with the majority Conservative government) have a real chance of winning - they came a good second last time - especially as we have UKIP nowadays and the Conservatives could lose some votes to them. The most probable outcome is a Conservative win again in this constituency.
Nationally, the outcome is almost certainly another coalition government as the polls show Labour and Conservatives neck and neck nationally. UKIP support nationally is fading, although I always suspected this would be the case.
Sunspots and 10m propagation - Mon April 20th 2015
Sunspot number climbed further to 142 today (K=3) and 10m propagation is again forecast to be "good". Results yesterday on 10m were very disappointing with no DX spots at all. Today, sunspot number is higher still but conditions are a little more disturbed. I am not expecting much, if any, DX on 10m today, but hope to be nicely surprised.
UPDATE 0844z: So far today on 10m WSPR my 500mW beacon has been spotted by no-one at all! Even G4IKZ (18km) who regularly spots me must be beaming away from me and is not spotting me, assuming he is on. It is early yet though and there might be some single hop F2 stations in range active later.
UPDATE 1050z: Still no spots at all on 10m so far today. I am quite disappointed as, with a decent sunspot number and a decent 10m propagation forecast, better things were expected. I guess it is still early though. G4IKZ (18km) is not shown as being active according to WSPRnet, although he could be on but has not spotted anyone in the last 10 minutes. When I last looked there were 41 active 10m WSPR stations worldwide - fewer than a few months ago, but not too bad. Some of these would be single hop F2 away from me. I guess the propagation is just not there.
UPDATE 0844z: So far today on 10m WSPR my 500mW beacon has been spotted by no-one at all! Even G4IKZ (18km) who regularly spots me must be beaming away from me and is not spotting me, assuming he is on. It is early yet though and there might be some single hop F2 stations in range active later.
UPDATE 1050z: Still no spots at all on 10m so far today. I am quite disappointed as, with a decent sunspot number and a decent 10m propagation forecast, better things were expected. I guess it is still early though. G4IKZ (18km) is not shown as being active according to WSPRnet, although he could be on but has not spotted anyone in the last 10 minutes. When I last looked there were 41 active 10m WSPR stations worldwide - fewer than a few months ago, but not too bad. Some of these would be single hop F2 away from me. I guess the propagation is just not there.
19 Apr 2015
Brain dead or just stupid? - NOT amateur radio
See Remove Katie Hopkins as a Sun newspaper columnist.
This woman is writing total rubbish about poor and very desperate people trying to reach Europe in flimsy boats from Libya. Many are fleeing wars or strife. Many have payed thousands for the trip and thousands have drowned. The sooner this woman is stopped the better, press freedom or not. If she reported the facts, all well and good. As it is, she is writing to make money on the back of these poor desperate people. This is so very wrong.
The petition is being signed by very many people - in fact I have never seen one signed so fast!
The Sun is a popular UK daily newspaper. Some recommend it to wrap fish and chips.
Please sign and share on your social media.
This woman is writing total rubbish about poor and very desperate people trying to reach Europe in flimsy boats from Libya. Many are fleeing wars or strife. Many have payed thousands for the trip and thousands have drowned. The sooner this woman is stopped the better, press freedom or not. If she reported the facts, all well and good. As it is, she is writing to make money on the back of these poor desperate people. This is so very wrong.
The petition is being signed by very many people - in fact I have never seen one signed so fast!
The Sun is a popular UK daily newspaper. Some recommend it to wrap fish and chips.
Please sign and share on your social media.
No 10m USA spots of me today
I was both surprised and disappointed that, as of now at least, I have received no USA 10m WSPR spots today. With high sunspot numbers, not very disturbed conditions and a "good" forecast for 10m, I thought I might have some success today. Although using a better antenna, G4IKZ was spotting Brazilians on 10m WSPR earlier. At present I need a separate RX to listen on 10m as I tend to TX 100% but randomise TX frequency.
UPDATE 1926z: Still no USA stations, so I think I may have lost their reports until the autumn, although some might be able to spot my 500mW WSPR beacon by multi-hop Es over the summer. If the USA stations were going to spot me (as they did daily for months and months) today was probably the best chance in several weeks. It is several hours since G4IKZ has spotted me. I think Nick must be pointing his Moxon beam south?
UPDATE 2018z: Still no spots by USA 10m stations. In fact no DX at all all day long on 10m! Soon be time to go QRT on 10m . I have already gone QRT on 630m (472kHz) as I have connected the earth-electrodes to my VLF beacon in readiness for the test tomorrow.
UPDATE 2155z: I decided to leave my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon running through the night. Judging by results today, I am only likely to get G spots off aircraft or locally.
UPDATE 1926z: Still no USA stations, so I think I may have lost their reports until the autumn, although some might be able to spot my 500mW WSPR beacon by multi-hop Es over the summer. If the USA stations were going to spot me (as they did daily for months and months) today was probably the best chance in several weeks. It is several hours since G4IKZ has spotted me. I think Nick must be pointing his Moxon beam south?
UPDATE 2018z: Still no spots by USA 10m stations. In fact no DX at all all day long on 10m! Soon be time to go QRT on 10m . I have already gone QRT on 630m (472kHz) as I have connected the earth-electrodes to my VLF beacon in readiness for the test tomorrow.
UPDATE 2155z: I decided to leave my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon running through the night. Judging by results today, I am only likely to get G spots off aircraft or locally.
VLF field test tomorrow
Today I adjusted the turns ratio on my 8.976kHz VLF QRSS3 and 10wpm CW 5W beacon to better match my earth electrodes. At this QTH they look much greater than 50 ohms, which I measured at the "old" QTH and optimised for.
On the way I managed to blow up a TDA2003 IC, which I had to replace. The whole exercise was far more exhausting than I was expecting. It seems that after about 10-15 minutes of physical or mental effort I am done in. Before my cerebellum brain bleed everything today would have been trivial. Now trivial tasks feel like climbing mountains! Although I can see progress in my recovery there is still a long way to go. One of my aims (among many) is to be able to resume field tests as before, but time will tell if I am really up to this: it is quite hard when your brain is still foggy a lot of the time. Oddly, when sitting down at home or when driving things are fine. It is when I do something requiring real physical or mental effort that I get tired. I guess the radio work today was hard as I had not done this sort of thing for some time.
Anyway, the good news is that I hope to do a VLF field test tomorrow. Everything is ready and tested. It will not be until late afternoon as both my wife and I are busy before then. The XYL will be there at the test site if I get really tired. Setting up the gear will be especially tiring in my current state. The test site is not too far from home. I have soak tested the TX and it should be fine on QRSS3 using my loop and Spectran at the RX end. I shall report results tomorrow. This will be my first VLF field test in over 18 months. How I have looked forward to this. If the loop is successful I may try the E-field probe.
On the way I managed to blow up a TDA2003 IC, which I had to replace. The whole exercise was far more exhausting than I was expecting. It seems that after about 10-15 minutes of physical or mental effort I am done in. Before my cerebellum brain bleed everything today would have been trivial. Now trivial tasks feel like climbing mountains! Although I can see progress in my recovery there is still a long way to go. One of my aims (among many) is to be able to resume field tests as before, but time will tell if I am really up to this: it is quite hard when your brain is still foggy a lot of the time. Oddly, when sitting down at home or when driving things are fine. It is when I do something requiring real physical or mental effort that I get tired. I guess the radio work today was hard as I had not done this sort of thing for some time.
Anyway, the good news is that I hope to do a VLF field test tomorrow. Everything is ready and tested. It will not be until late afternoon as both my wife and I are busy before then. The XYL will be there at the test site if I get really tired. Setting up the gear will be especially tiring in my current state. The test site is not too far from home. I have soak tested the TX and it should be fine on QRSS3 using my loop and Spectran at the RX end. I shall report results tomorrow. This will be my first VLF field test in over 18 months. How I have looked forward to this. If the loop is successful I may try the E-field probe.
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