Ultimate 3 WSPR beacon with GPS timing

Image is at http://www.hanssummers.com/images/stories/ultimate3/1/2.jpg

Hans Summers has a new beacon  kit that allows full "stand alone" (no PC needed) WSPR beaconing. It is available for just  £17.50 with a low pass filter for any particular band plus £14 for the high sensitivity GPS module and patch antenna. I believe power out is around 150mW but this can be increased. As I understand it, it means, for example, a 10m WSPR TX beacon that does NOT need a PC can be made for under £40 even building a separate PA and putting it into a nice box. The unit also does other modes like QRSS and HELL.

See G0UPL's website at http://www.hanssummers.com/ultimate3.html .

I shall have to build one to free up the FT817.

10m GDX and DX

After last evening when even 20m was dead as a dodo,10m WSPR was lively this morning both for GDX and DX. I suspect the GDX (184 and 121km) may have been back scatter although the Doppler (3Hz) suggests possible aircraft scatter. All the more surprising not to get G3WKW the other evening (134km). The DX exchange was with a DL station in the Canary Is (West Africa). This could be F layer or  winter Es.  Sunspot count 134. Later 4X1RF spotted me at just over 3500km. The first USA station (an N2) was seen at 1322z today (7088km). 10m looks in good shape today. It was still open (for me here) to the USA/Canada at 1728z. At the moment (1900) the WSPRnet database is down, so I cannot check if 10m is open to the USA for others.

10m WSPR until around 1300z today.

Mizuho transceivers

Although, I  think, Mizuho transceivers are no longer being made, these were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Most common were the single band SSB/CW handhelds for most HF and VHF bands. I still have a 200mW pep 2m rig. Battery life was poor but otherwise they were excellent radios. Mine (MX-2, 2m SSB/CW) was used with HF transverters mainly and DX over 9000 miles was worked on 10m. On 2m it worked some impressive DX handheld in 2m contests.

See http://www.mizuhoradio.com/mx.html

FT450D 100W radio

This Yaesu 100W radio is now £669 with the Yaesu £42 rebate whereas it was over £800.  I suspect even lower is possible for cash by negotiation with the dealer.

There are a couple of technical issues with this rig that bother me: the VFO shaft encoder failures and TX hum. Both issues are meant to be fixed now but I wonder if they are good, proper fixes? 100W is more than I need but it can run at  much lower power and does include 50MHz and has an excellent RX.

Continued 10m WSPR tests

Today, I continued my 10m WSPR tests at 2W out: plenty of spots both given and received. This afternoon the power will be dropped to 500mW to see how many N.American spots I get still. The sunspot number is still good.

UPDATE 1244z: switched to 500mW out.  Still getting spots from Israel  and Canada  even at 500mW level.This is not surprising: as long as the QRP signal gives better than -30dB S/N it should still decode. The advantage of running 2W rather than 500mW is one is far less likely to be buried under a bigger signal,which can be an issue when HF bands are busy. Why some WSPR stations run 20,or even 100W out amazes and horrifies me. WSPR is a QRP mode, ideally suited to 5W or less.

10m WSPR TX at 500mW this afternoon

Conditions do not seem to be as good as of late with fewer 10m US stations copyable here.

UPDATE 1442:  switched back to 2W out. Plenty of VE and W reports coming through now again.

10m seemed to die out transatlantic about 2 hours earlier than last night (16.30z).

DSTAR question

Does anyone know if it is possible to access DSTAR networks using a Windows XP PC just using freely downloadable software? I am a DSTAR novice, as you can tell. It might be useful.

Failed 10m GDX test

Our evening time 134km 10m GDX WSPR test with G3WKW failed last night with no signals copied. This morning there was plenty of DX about (S.Africa etc) but I guess the GDX path on 10m was too far for 2W QRP.

In praise of the FT817

My FT817 (not ND version) has been owned from new way back when these radios were new "on the block" at the beginning of the millennium when the price was still £799. In all that time it has performed faultlessly, mainly at the 2.5W or less settings.

Mine has worked the world on SSB (even handheld) and I get WSPR reports worldwide at 1W, even on 40m with a small wire antenna. I  intend to buy a new FT817ND soon so I can WSPR and work other modes at the same time. I can honestly say my FT817 does all I want and with 5W maximum output, which is more than enough power to work DX without upsetting the neighbours.

The best UK price currently seems to be around £513 but I hope to pay <£500 cash. At the current Yen-Pound exchange rate more like £450 is a reasonable price, unless the dealers want to be greedy. I hope the price includes the NiMH battery pack , charger etc. At best, the UK price fell to below £350.

The newer ND version covers 5MHz and all of 7MHz and has more rugged PAs.

Health update

Following my brain bleed I am getting better. Since being home my walking has improved and my swallow is improving too. I have still to hear from the DVLA (driving licence people) but am expecting to be prevented from driving for 12 months. I have applied for a "blue badge" for disabled parking rights. Today I surprised myself by walking quite a distance with a stick at Angelsey Abbey. I still feel punch drunk most the time and need people near me to support me.

Slowly but surely   ...a step at a time.

Thank goodness for amateur radio and all the very good friends I didn't realise I had.

New Solar Peak?

The most recent high solar activity looks likely to mean a new second sunspot peak for cycle 24.  See http://www.solen.info/solar/ .

http://www.solen.info/solar/

This page was showing the peak as 66.9 (smoothed sunspot number) in Feb 2012 but expect to see this revised to a much later date! I find this site very useful.