Confusing American call areas?

At one time you knew where in the USA a station was located by its call area. No longer.  A W6 can be in New York and a W1 in California. In my view this is a very backward move.  Although it has been the case for a few years, it is now beginning to become a major problem.

Is this an FCC issue? They do seem to be so behind. 472-479kHz is still not allocated in the USA whereas we've had access to the band for 1.5 yrs now here in Europe. I don't think they yet have the 136kHz band even!

As an occasional user of the USA customs service, I wonder if the FCC uses similar people? The USA customs officers seem to be a "rum lot" with absolutely zero sense of humour. Where do they find these people? 

Lightning maps

If you missed G0LRD's comment in an earlier post you may want this link that shows lightning activity:

http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en

There are storms in Eastern England and very many over the Alps. Interestingly  the CN8 to OZ path has been open on 6m Es today. Some believe there is a correlation between Es and thunderstorms.

UPDATE 1720z: At the moment, the storms have ended but the lightning map shows a further storm is due to come through. At present it is over the Peterborough area and moving SE. I think it is best to NOT reconnect the antennas today.

UPDATE 1751z: The storm over Peterborough seems to be moving in an easterly direction and may miss our village with luck, although I can now hear distant thunder to the north.

UPDATE 1812z:  The storm is definitely tracking east over the Bedford Levels in the Fens, towards Littleport, so should miss us.  Even so, I'll stay off air tonight.

UPDATE 2016z:  According to the lightning map, all thunder storms have now died out in the UK. I'll reconnect antennas in the morning.

6m - local storms stop play

Currently we have thunderstorms around so I have disconnected ALL antennas, turned off the rigs and turned off the WSPR software and the PC.

This morning there was no Es seen here on 6m, just GDX. G0OKQ was a consistent reporter 98km away in the Chiltern Hills.  Local G4IKZ (18km) was not on.

If the storm passes over, and goes, I'll reconnect 6m WSPR  At the moment (1352z) the storm is about 3km away judging by the time difference between lightning and thunder claps. I hate this sort of weather.

Sunspot count is 95 and the forecast for 20-30MHz is "good" so F-layer propagation on 10m should be promising. Conditions are "disturbed".

6m - G0OQK consistent signal reports

Nick G0OQK is 98km away in the Chilterns (IO91pp) and he has spotted my 1W ERP 6m signal countless times today. Doppler is very low so I am wondering if this is tropo (generally) NOT involving aircraft? In the next few days Nick will be on TX so I can check here for a lack of multiple traces on the WSPR screen. If there are lots of traces on his signal it will suggest aircraft reflections.  If (usually) just a weakish single trace it will suggest tropo.

UPDATE 2250z:  No more Es reports from CN8LI since 1918z.  Unless things suddenly change, I think the Es here has ended for the day.

6m - CN8LI has spotted me 11 times today so far!

CN8LI (2113km) has been spotting me on 6m WSPR again today, this morning and this evening. His reports tonight seem to be getting stronger too. so I think there will be further reports before we're done today. It is now 1905z. I have been spotting him too, but only once so far today.

CN8LI's spots of my 1W ERP on 6m today so far

6m is an amazing band. There is good local coverage, interesting GDX mainly via aircraft scatter or reflection and then amazing DX by Es. I have still to catch super DX by Es. Of course, in a few months most of the Es openings will be ended although the band does have some Es at all times of the year. With dedicated WSPRers active we might find out how common "out of season" 6m Es really is.

UPDATE 1930z: more spots from CN8LI at 1900z and 1918z.

6m - no Es here this afternoon

Just locals and GDX here this afternoon, with no sign of Es since before lunch on 6m. I shall stick with 6m in case things change later. Much GDX is via aircraft reflection.

With regard to 10m, sunspot count is 75 and 20-30MHz conditions are "normal" so F2 DX on 10m should be likely. Es is more likely on 10m (than 6m) too but that is not related to sunspot activity, at least not directly.

ISS - not

It turns out my recent message purporting to have been sent for the International Space Station (ISS) was not from there at all, but from a tent in Wales! Not quite sure why people get a kick from this? It all seems a bit silly to me. Previously this person's account was sending out dodgy links and I informed him of this.  Be warned - all may not be what it seems.

6m - CN8LI again and more local DX

The path to CN8LI (2113km) is there again today, but not as strongly as yesterday. So far a single spot in each direction mid-morning. You will recall I use 1W ERP  with a vertical V2000 antenna with about 0dBD gain on 6m. My coax is CB RG58, so quite lossy.

There is quite a bit of inter-G/GDX and aircraft scatter activity with G4FGJ (44km), G4IKZ (18km), G0OQK (98km), G4BRK (134km), G0LRD (25km), G4FFC (45km), G3WKW (134km), G8JNJ/A (184km), as well as ON0VA (280km) with the latter with 3Hz Doppler so almost certainly aircraft reflection.

6m is an interesting band!

6m - WSPR very early Es?

As early as 0402z DB0ZDF (608km at -20dB S/N) was spotting my 1W ERP 6m signal by Es today. Apart from this single report, just the usual GDX stations (out to 184km) no doubt helped by aircraft reflections. I am assuming DB0ZDF was Es; it is possible at this range it could have been tropo or aircraft reflection too.

6m overnight tonight

As 6m has been open for Es most of the day, I'll reset the clock and leave the software to run overnight and hope the WSPR program does not crash in the wee hours.

The chances of really long distance multi-hop Es must be slim, but there is an outside chance.

UPDATE 2225z:  G0OQK (98km) is still spotting me regularly by aircraft reflection or pure tropo.

6m Es this evening

IK1WVQ (1084km) has just been spotted at a strong -6dB S/N at 1710z. This is the first Es today after the many reports ed with exchang CN8LI this morning.

I wonder if there will be other Es openings this evening? IK1WVQ  was running 20W (high for WSPR) and drift (I assume Doppler?) was a massive 3Hz. Of course, it could be the TX drifting as it goes from RX to 20W.

UPDATE 1745z: CN8LI is spotting me again and IK1WVQ is now +3dB S/N, Why does he run 20W when 1-2W would be quite enough?

UPDATE 2205z: The last spot of me by CN8LI (2113km) was at 2018z with -23dB S/N, so relatively weak. This was his 18th spot of me today. Spots started at 0912z today when I switched to 6m. The path may well have been open even earlier. Propagation has been there between us most of the day - quite remarkable!

WSPR spots from CN8LI today - 1W ERP my end

WSPR non-reciprosity? More

As an experiment, I have reduced my TX so that the FT817 ALC is now barely moving. This is a bit lower than the usual setting. TX power as indicated on the FT817's meter is unchanged.

I'll monitor to see if reciprocity. is affected. I suspect not. The ALC was set at a lower setting at 1038z.

40m WSPR overnight

As you will recall, my antenna on 40m is very low and not that efficient: it is just a 10/20/40m Par end-fed with an average height above ground of 4-5m at most. Last night I was on 2W. I hate to think how low the ERP would have been on 40m!

Overnight 17 unique stations spotted me with best DX AE2EA (5654km). Even with a low and inefficient 40m antenna, WSPR still works well!

40m unique spots of my 2W WSPR last night

6m - local, GDX and Es all in one transmission

The 0912 1W ERP 6m WSPR transmission today resulted in G4IKZ (18km), G0OQK (98km) and CN8LI (2113km) spotting me all in one transmission, A very good start on 6m after QSYing up from 40m overnight where the best report was from an AE2 on the east coast USA.

So far CN8LI has been seen twice and he has seen me three times. A promising start on 6m Es today,especially as it is very early still.

Sunspot count today is "only" 75 with 20-30MHz conditions described as "normal" so a reasonable chance of F2-layer DX on 10m.

UPDATE 0958z:  G0LRD (25km) and G4FFC (45km) both spotting me too.

UPDATE 1025z: CN8LI seems to have a "pipe" to me: he is spotting me multiple times now remarkably strongly. Is this really Es?  I know Es signals can be very strong and consistent but when propagation is there it is so good. It  behaves almost more like a duct than a pure reflection.

WSPR non-reciprosity?

Sometimes my software give some stations on WSPR quite decent reports as the signal decodes well. In these situations I am surprised not to be decoded myself as, even allowing for power difference, I should still be well above -30dB S/N. The reasons could be many:

• The other station is just on TX only
• The other station has a very high noise floor
• The other station has a deaf RX.

Apart from these, I cannot think why I should not be copied.

6m GDX - there if stations are active

Today there have been a good number of G stations active on 6m WSPR allowing a really good opportunity to explore GDX paths out to 134km. It seems that if stations are active out  to close to 200km (and probably further) then even a few watts of WSPR (polarisation probably unimportant?) will be decoded at the far end of the path eventually, depending on aircraft reflections and favorable Doppler.

This probably means JT65 or JT9 ranges on 6m probably extend to around 200km at least if the stations know the most favourable alignment of aircraft. The same probably applies on 10m, 4m and 2m ,as well as 70cms and microwave bands.

What I'm not (yet) clear about is the normal tropo range without aircraft reflections. For true tropo, polarisation is more likely to be important: one does not want to throw away valuable dBs with cross-polarisation losses. I don't think this matters where signals are randomly scattered off aircraft bodies.

Lightning damage risk

I am always nervous about lightning strikes.

The excellent Southgate News today told the (true) story of a local CBer who had his vertical and CB rig destroyed by lightning. See http://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/latest-news/
huntingdon_cb_radio_user_almost_electrocuted_after_lightning_
bolt_strikes_aerial_1_3648368http://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/latest-news/
huntingdon_cb_radio_user_almost_electrocuted_after_lightning_
bolt_strikes_aerial_1_3648368

I usually disconnect antennas when there is lightning about but I am still nervous.  One of my friends (not a radio ham and with no big antennas in the air) who lived in a normal estate home had his home struck years ago and it took out lots of his household wiring. The chances of a direct hit are rare, but I am always bothered and never quite sure what the best advice is.

Email from space?

Just had an email with this at the end:

"Sent from the ISS ...-.-"

I am assuming this came from the International Space Station (ISS).

If correct, this is a first for me.

6m Es today here on WSPR

This is being written at 1740z and so far today just one 6m Es opening, which was to IW1PAK (1092km) around 1100z today. Spots were exchanged in both directions. No other 6m Es see today at all, but things could change later.

Sunspot count is 108 but 20-30MHz propagation is only "fair".  I have not been checking 10m for F2 DX but there would have been a reasonable chance today.

UPDATE 1940z: No further Es seen today, as yet. At this time there are 40 stations active on 6m WSPR including some in the eastern USA. I am always hopeful! This is the highest number so far this DX season.

6m Doppler

On 6m it is amazing how much Doppler there is on longer distance GDX stations. The screenshot shows just how much Doppler there is on G4BRK's signal today.  There were something like 6 aircraft involved at times with WSPR managing to decode when the Doppler is low. On more local signals (e.g. G4FGJ) there is much less (or nil) Doppler. Clearly aircraft reflection plays an important part in long GDX paths. I have no idea where these planes are located.

6m - yet more GDX this evening

Even if Es is not around for me on 6m WSPR, then GDX certainly is.

Just a few moments ago G4BRK  (134km) was spotting me at -18dB S/N with low Doppler (1Hz). I seem to regularly get GDX stations in the log, most usually as a result ( I think) of favorable aircraft alignment. If the planes are moving along the path between me and the other station then Doppler is normally too bad and no decodes occur. If the plane crosses the path then Doppler is usually low and there is a better chance of WSPR decoding. Clearly, modes that are sensitive and more Doppler tolerant would mean such long GDX paths would be workable - JT65 or JT9-1 maybe?

There are software packages used by microwave guys that show aircraft movements in relation to paths between stations, allowing one to work out when planes en route would be most favorably aligned to allow a path to be worked.  My memory fails me on the package name, but it was mentioned in a blog post earlier this year by G3WKW.    UPDATE 1925z Friday:   Bob has kindly reminded me of the software (see comment below too) http://www.airscout.eu Airscout.

134km (83.5 miles) is a very decent distance on 6m inter-G with QRP. I wonder if a horizontal halo would be better or worse? If signals are being scattered off aircraft, then polarisation is less important. A halo would probably have less gain than my V2000 vertical 2dbD omni for halo(?) and 0dBD omni for V2000(?). I guess it will also depend on the other station's polarisation. For pure tropo, I suspect a halo would be better to other stations equipped with horizontal beams, but few GDX paths seem to be pure tropo on 6m.

Just now G8DOR (103km) and G8JNJ/A (184km) were spotting me on 6m WSPR.

Concentrating on one or two bands?

With limited space for antennas, it seems sensible to concentrate efforts on just a couple of bands only. As my favorite band is 10m, I am tempted to erect a more efficient antenna for this band and maybe put up the 6m V2000 only during the Es season. My problems are (a) a lack of mobility because of my stroke and (b) choice of compact, efficient antennas. At present I can cover 40, 20, 10, 6, 2 and 70cms, plus 630m rather inefficiently with my earth electrode antenna. Perhaps, whilst my health is not too good, I am better sticking with what I've got? I know that on 10m my antenna could be better but the Par end-fed covers 3 bands (10, 20 and 40m) and my 2W QRP has reached VK on WSPR on all these bands and doesn't do a bad job.The Par is is almost impossible to see in the air.

Back on 6m WSPR

After a couple unsuccessful attempts on 20m and 40m JT65, I have returned to WSPR on 6m again this afternoon. So far just locals and GDX (DX within G land) and no signs (yet) of any Es. At least one east coast USA station is now monitoring 6m WSPR (Gary KC1AWS). Hopefully there will be more.

Stations copying my 1W ERP today so far on 6m are G4IKZ (18km), G4FFC (45km) and G0OQK (98km). I am still hopeful of 6m Es.

40m WSPR - a total change

Just for a change I QSYed firstly to 20m for a few WSPR spots and then on down to 40m for the morning. Spots (both of me and others) are easy at the 2W level. No great DX seen, just EU stations. The antenna is the Par 10/20/40m end fed which is also used for 10m and 20m. It has an average height of around 4-5m above ground, so probably quite a high angle on 40m. I have been copied in VK on 40m with this set-up though and with just 1W RF.

40m unique WSPR spots this morning

6m GDX tonight

No Es here on 6m WSPR since I QSYed to 6m around 1500z. There has been some GDX again, G8JNJ/A (184km) was spotting me at -24dB S/N at 2128z.  Doppler was low suggesting tropo without aircraft reflections, or aircraft crossing the path at right angles (so little/no Doppler).

Again I am bitterly disappointed with the lack if USA/Canadian east coast stations on WSPR.  As of 2145z there were still ZERO stations active on WSPR from that area. Come on lads! Give we Europeans a chance of being spotted over there!

Unless there is some interest from the east coast USA/Canada on WSPR very soon it will be time to abandon 6m WSPR this season. I have been spotted all over Europe, in N.Africa and in Israel (3519km) with just 1W ERP in the last few months.  I was hoping for the USA or Canada on WSPR this season. If there are zero stations at the other side there is no point in continuing.

6m - active WSPR stations : why so few?

This shows the total number of stations active in the whole world on 6m WSPR - just 35. As you can see, there is zero activity in the eastern seaboard states of the USA or Canada apart from W4.

Please, please give this very sensitive mode a try. It is about 12-14dB better than CW so very modest antennas and low power are fine.  Even just on RX would be a start. Nearly half in the world on 6m WSPR is just receiving. There are transatlantic openings being missed.

Just 35 stations worldwide active on 6m WSPR at 1915z

Back on 6m - missing out on DX with WSPR?

Since around 1500z I QSYed back to 6m from 10m. 6m activity levels from DX stations are still disappointingly low: only last evening PE4BAS was working WP4 (Caribbean) with just an FT817ND (QRP) and V2000 vertical using JT65 digital mode.  See http://pe4bas.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/magic-on-magic-band.html .

At the moment WSPR is not the best mode to get DX, which is a great pity, as it is probably the mode that works best with very weak signals.

Since 1500z only G4IKZ (18km) and G0OQK (98km) spotting me on 6m WSPR. No sign of any Es.

UPDATE 1855z:  a short while ago G6AVK was spotting me at -26dB S/N at 78km. Still no Es here.

UPDATE 1900z:   Sunspot count is 87 and 20-30MHz propagation forecast now only "fair". It was "normal" earlier in the day, so conditions for HF F2-layer propagation have deteriorated.

New Chinese multi-mode HF rig - Xiegu X108

Steve, G1KQH has sent this link about a new Chinese multi-mode transceiver.  See http://www.brickolore.com/ . Prices start at 2800 Yuan apparently. It is called the Xiegu X108. There is a video and some pictures of the rig.

To my mind, this still looks like  a "back shed" radio, rather than a mature, well engineered and  thoroughly well tested radio. I may be wrong. I am still waiting to see when the Chinese launch a proper Yaesu or Icom competitor. These will come but I've not seen one yet. Maybe in the next 12 months?

10m WSPRing again

In view of the poor level of DX activity on 6m WSPR, I have started today on 10m. Near immediate success with 3 spots of OE6PWD (1230km) around 0900z. This is clearly Es. Looking at my spots, I think I caught the tail end of an Es opening (reports are getting worse over time).

Sunspot count today is 87 and 20-30MHz conditions are "normal", so we may see some long distance F2-layer propagation on 10m. May try 6m later, if some DX stations (esp. USA and Canada) are active. Otherwise I'll stay on 10m.

FR1GZ (9724km) was spotted at 0922z for the first signs of F2 propagation. The band is clearly open N-S for real DX.

UPDATE 1411z:  FR1GZ has spotted me a couple of times and he has been a consistent F2-layer signal all day with around 13 spots in the log today.  OH6GKW (1839km) is now being spotted on Es.

6m - all quiet here at 2015z

It is now 2015z and 6m WSPR has only been good for locals and GDX  here today.

I hear 6m was open to South and Central America earlier (but this was NOT the case on WSPR - no stations active!) and there have been transatlantic openings on SSB/CW. In the past (summer 2007) I have worked the USA on 6m real QRP CW, but I'd really like to spot, or be spotted by, USA or Canadians on 6m WSPR this season. As mentioned before, power is unlikely to be the issue. The main issue will be active WSPR stations in the USA and Canada.

Super DX on 6m WSPR - a lost cause?

Yet again, there are ZERO stations active on 6m WSPR in the north eastern USA and eastern Canada. There have been decent 6m transatlantic openings on 6m today but without participating WSPR stations WSPR is a dead loss!! I shall give 6m WSPR a few more days before I give it up in disgust.

6m WSPR should be the ideal mode to seek out such openings but only if stations bother to use the mode. Please, please give it a try if you are on the east coast of the USA and Canada.

Set to 50.293MHz USB dial.

Ten-Tec Argonaut VI

See http://www.tentec.com/argonaut-vi-qrp-1-10-watt-transceiver/

Despite missing some key bands, all reports are this is a very good QRP radio from Ten-Tec. However at $995 in the USA (similar in £ in the UK with import duty and VAT tax) it is simply too expensive to ever consider.

All I can say is are Ten-Tec in financial trouble? The true market price  here in the UK must be less than £700, so they are about £300 adrift in my estimation.

Even in the USA $995 for a rig with no 60m, no 12m and no 6m is way over the top. Just compare with the FT817ND for example. Even the Elecraft KX3 is much better value,  in my view.

Views?

6m GDX today

G8JNJ/A  (184km) and G0OQK (98km) were both spotting my 6m 1W ERP this morning and I have just spotted G4HBA (189km) on 6m WSPR.  G4HBA's spots (several now) are with a fair bit of Doppler, so I am sure aircraft reflection is involved over this longish GDX path. G4HBA is using 10W.

No Es seen here on 6m so far today, but it is early still with Es peaks around lunch and teatimes usual.

UPDATE 1225z:  No 6m Es here this lunchtime, at least not yet.

UPDATE 1246z:   Still no Es today here on 6m. All seems very quiet with just GDX (9 spots of G4HBA so far today).

UPDATE 1945z:   Still no 6m Es here today. Unless things change later this evening, I think that is it for the day - just GDX.

Apparently there have been good transatlantic openings on 6m today. But where are the USA/Canadian WSPRers?

UPDATE 2130z:  Still no 6m Es here today.  Will reset the internet sync'ed PC clock but not really expecting Es now, but on the "magic band" it is possible.

Back to 6m WSPR

10m is becoming too easy: there was Es from early hours today, so I have decided to move back up to 6m again today. There will be no F2, just GDX and (hopefully) some Es propagation. As yet, just G4IKZ (18km) is spotting me at the usual strong level (+10dB S/N). Not sure if it is -1 to -2Hz Doppler (aircraft reflection) on my signal or just warm-up drift.

Early still: anything is possible on the "magic band".

10m Es - more and more

It is now 2015z and on 10m the Es keeps on coming. This is a good, solid and widespread Es opening.

Recent 10m WSPR spots this evening

UPDATE 2110z:   10m Es still going strong a few minutes ago.

UPDATE 2145z:    Es seemed to have stopped (here) at about 2100z. Oh no it didn't! IK1WVQ  was spotted at 2134z and 2142z..  HB9JOI spotted me at 2138z.  The Es is still going strong.

UPDATE 2220z:   Although Es has been good on 10m all day and F2 was good to FR1GZ earlier, there has been no F2 to South America on 10m WSPR at least not yet. This was surprising. EB3EPR  is still spotting me at 2218z.

UPDATE 2232z: Bed time, but 10m WSPR still running overnight, unless the PC does an update and closes the software again!

DK6UG, DC3RJ and EA1KV by Es on 10m WSPR

As teatime continues, yet more Es 10m propagation is evident.

DC3RJ (817km) is the latest who spotted me at 1754z. Earlier EB3EPR (1248km) spotted me twice. Now EA1KV (1304km) and DK6UG are spotting me at 1806z.

Some weeks ago I was questioning the propagation to a GM reporter on 6m, but realise now the distance is comparable with parts of Germany, so an easy Es single hop.

UPDATE 1840Z:    HB3YHB (793km) was spotted at 1838z on 10m WSPR.

More 10m GDX, Es and F2

During the afternoon G4FFC (45km) and M0BOB (74km) were both copied on 10m WSPR. These are both outside local range and I would class these as GDX (just). Both show some Doppler so may be helped by aircraft reflection.

On F2 FR1GZ (9724km, Reunion Is) was being copied until 1512z, so good F2 propagation. I wonder if we'll see South Americans later?

Es disappeared (here) at 1404z but may return this teatime.

UPDATE 1740z:  EB3EPR (1248km) spotted me at 1736z and 1746z so Es is back (it is teatime!).

10m F2

FR1GZ (9734km, on Reunion Is, south Indian Ocean) is still coming through here on 10m WSPR at -27dB S/N at 1444z  and again at 1504z at -25dB S/N.  F2 propagation N-S is still there when HF conditions are good.

Sunspot count today is "only" 80 - a year from now this will sound amazingly high - although 20-30MHz conditions are forecast to be "good".

F2 on 6m is very rare except at high sunspot peaks and in latitudes nearer the equator. TEP involving F2 over the equator is more common, but it requires stations to be in the right places to work.  On 6m the paths from CN8 to FR1 were open by TEP this spring. Also 4X to FR1  and VK to JA.

On 10m TEP should be more frequent. Sometimes F2 links with Es further from the equator, allowing TEP to be extended to stations in higher latitudes.

WSPR software had stopped working

LB9YE on www;qrz.com

For about an hour my WSPR software was not working on 10m. It happened sometime between 1130z and 1230z. All is now fixed: the internet clock was resync'ed and the WSPR software closed and restarted.  I have no idea what I missed in that hour.   Pretty sure this is a Windows 8.1 issue as it never happened with the old XP PC before it died. It is not a big deal - one has just to keep an eye on things, which one should always be doing. Biggest issue is if this happens overnight. It has not yet.

UPDATE 1254z:  On 10m  LB9YE (1533km) is still being spotted (many times), as he was before the software crashed. Now also SI9AM (1503km at 1252z) - looks like a good Es opening to Scandinavia. LB9YE seems to be a very consistent signal today and last evening on 10m.\

UPDATE 1340z:  SI9AM still being spotted. 10m open to Scandinavia still.

G4DAY on 10m WSPR - GDX

G4DAY (142km) was again spotted at 1104z. It seems this sort of range is possible on 10m GDX. Doppler was a very large (4Hz) suggesting aircraft reflection or even back scatter?

G4DAY is using 10W and that may help. He was -24dB S/N with me, suggesting my signal (2W) would be buried in the noise at his end. WSPR usually decodes down to about -30dB S/N.