QRT on 630m and active again on 10m and 6m WSPR

After an evening and night on 630m (472kHz) WSPR, I have QSYed back to 6m WSPR and 10m WSPR. Overnight PA0O/1 (440km) spotted me several times on 472kHz WSPR. He is a new station this season.

Back to 472kHz WSPR

FR1GZ (9724km) was spotting me this afternoon on 10m WSPR but yet again there were no spots of my 500mW WSPR beacon from the USA. It looks like the declining solar activity is already having an impact. To be honest, I was not expecting to notice this until late next year. DK6UG (633km) also spotted me on 10m WSPR - winter Es?

As it is dark here, I have returned to 472kHz WSPR wth 5mW ERP, although I am on RX 80% of the time. Lots of Europeans being copied on MF with best DX on RX again 995km.

G8VDQ (93km) was copied several times on 6m WSPR by aircraft reflection/tropo earlier.

Quiet - NOT amateur radio

The house is very quiet. My XYL is out in Cambridge at her weekly U3AC course and I am just quietly relaxing. It is good to do nothing much and just relax. I think it does me good.

QSYed

About 10 minutes ago I went QRT on MF. I am now on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR instead. It takes a little while for things to settle, but all is very quiet as yet. Certainly no choice DX yet, although I'd be surprised. I shall return to 472kHz (630m) WSPR tonight when it gets dark.

UPDATE 1100z:  G8VDQ (93km) has just been spotted on 6m WSPR.

IARU VHF news

The next WRC, to be held in 2019, could see some threats to some of our microwave bands. I have to confess very little interest in microwaves. I preferred lightwaves as I was able make all my own kit and test gear. Although 10GHz operation is possible without that much test gear, having some decent 10GHz test equipment must help.

At present, the after effects of my stroke have meant very little building, or field work, has been possible. I sincerely hope that things will get better next year.

See http://www.iaru-r1.org/images/VHF/newsletters/Newsletter_68.pdf

472kHz WSPR update

I stayed on 472kHz WSPR overnight but only spotted the same stations again. At breakfast G4AYT (114km) in JO01mi was spotting me from 0732z lots, although he was spotting me through the night at times.

Overnight I received spots from 5 unique stations with the best DX being (again) a report from DL-SWL (701km). I was also spotted by G3XKR (347km) in north Devon. My ERP is still around 5mW from the earth-electrode "antenna", so all credit to these stations for finding me down in the noise! Here, on RX, my best spot was (again) DH5RAE at 995km.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon Dec 7th 2015

Solar flux is 103 today. Sunspot number is 38 (K=3).  10m propagation is expected to remain "poor" today. I do not expect great things on 10m today.

First 10m WSPR spots from the USA

With improved conditions, I was not surprised to see my little 500mW 10m WSPR beacon has been spotted in the USA this afternoon. KZ3X (5737km) was the first at 1508z. I expect there will be some more.

UPDATE 1545z:  We must be on the downward slope of the sunspot cycle now as 1508z was late for a first 10m WSPR spot from the USA. Still, we must be grateful.  This time next year, we'd be grateful if 10m opened E-W at all! Some of us can remember winter afternoons when 6m was wide open to the USA! I recall hearing lots of USA stations on 6m with just a fixed wire dipole. Never again in my lifetime, although I expect to hear the USA on 6m some summers via Es.

UPDATE 1600z:  PA3ABK/2 (306km) has been spotted a few times already on 472kHz WSPR late this afternoon.

UPDATE 1712z:  No further 10m WSPR spots from the USA. KZ3X may have been it for the day.

Storm Desmond - NOT amateur radio

As I write this, storm Desmond is dropping record quantities of rain over northern England and Scotland.  I can imagine little worse than having your home or business flooded out, especially at this time of the year.  My heart bleeds for those affected, who may be without homes for months and, even when they get back, there is the ongoing threat of it all happening again.  There is also the worry over insurance. No,  flooding is going to become a major issue in the years ahead.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35019021 .

Sunspots and 10m - Sun Dec 6th 2015

Solar flux is 110 today and sunspot number is 75 (K=2).  Although the forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor",  it would not surprise me if 10m WSPR was quite decent today.

UPDATE 1356z:  FR1GZ (9724km) spotted me once on 10m WSPR this morning.

UPDATE 1715z:  Did I read the wrong day? Solar flux is currently 100, sunspot number is 41 and K=5. Conditions are consistent with this.  MF is lively with lots of stations being copied.

SAQ VLF CW transmission

The next Grimeton SAQ transmission will be on Christmas Eve, December 24th 2015 at 8:00 UTC (9:00 CET). It will also be broadcast LIVE on their webpage.

See http://alexander.n.se/.
See http://alexander.n.se/the-radio-station-saq-grimeton/lyssna-pa-saq/?lang=en for ideas for suitable ways of receiving this 17.2kHz CW transmission.

QRP Club

From Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,
All reports and comments of Saturday's QRP Rendez-Vous here - http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
Round table visitors today -
ON6KZ,  UR7VT, UR5EFD, UR5QCG, OH6NPV, IK6IJF, OH5UY, RZ4NWA, UA1ADF,
IW2HTH, G3ETD, G3UD, SM6NZA, M0MDL
Thanks for activity and comments! See "rendezvous" schedule here - www.club72.su
72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"
=== In QRP We Trust! ===

Winter - NOT amateur radio

The Met Office official "winter" is December, January and February.  To me, this makes a lot of sense. In just over 2 weeks time the evenings will start to get lighter again, although the mornings get darker still for a few more weeks. Once January has passed the nights are quite a bit lighter. By mid-February there are usually clear signs that spring is on its way. Mind you, snow is not unusual in January and February and the summer bird migrants don't usually arrive until April mainly.

10m WSPR today

10m is a band of surprises! I see that OH3NE (1737km) has spotted my 500mW WSPR several times today already. I assume this is single hop F2. I was expecting no spots today!

UPDATE 1558z:  So far today OH3NE has been the only 10m WSPR spot all day. I have the feeling the day will end up this way too.

472kHz WSPR - some more surprises

Over the last 2 weeks, I have been active on 472kHz WSPR most evenings, most nights and a few days. To my surprise I see that 21 unique stations spotted me and I spotted 21 unique stations in the same period. My best DX on TX (5mW ERP) was last night when LA3EQ (769km) spotted me for the first time this autumn. I am still using the earth-electrode "antenna". Not copied in the last 2 weeks was EA5DOM who is a good signal when he comes on 472kHz WSPR.

Giving 6m a miss today. I'm active on 630m (472kHz) WSPR and 10m WSPR all day.

472kHz WSPR stations that copied me in last 2 weeks

472kHz WSPR stations copied here in last 2 weeks

Sunspots and 10m - Sat Dec 5th 2015

Solar flux is 97. Sunspot number is 25 (K=4) and 10m propagation is again just expected to be "poor".  I am not expecting 10m to be much good today, but in the past I have been surprised. I was on 10m overnight, but no spots.

MLS Hog Roast today

A reminder that one of the largest UK amateur radio retailers has an event today until 4pm. MLS is holding its Hog Roast. If you are in the area, you may want to go along.

See http://www.hamradio.co.uk/  .

472kHz WSPR - same stations

It is sad that no new stations are being spotted on 472kHz WSPR.  Almost without exception, I am spotting the very same stations I have spotted night after night. We urgently need a few new stations on the band.  For several nights I have been among a very small number of UK stations transmitting. There are a few more on RX only, but this an interesting band and the low take-up puzzles me. It is not as if high power or large antennas are needed for WSPR.  Please, consider 472kHz.

UPDATE 1952z:  G3KEV (232km) has spotted me for the first time this evening. I know he has big antennas and a quiet noise environment. With my signal being very weak, this was necessary for him to copy me at all. I am grateful. As yet, I have still to copy him.

UPDATE  2220z:  Tonight DG3LV (707km) has become the most distant station to spot me on 472kHz WSPR this autumn.

QSYed

Not long ago I decided to go QRT on 6m WSPR (no spots) and fire up 630m (472kHz) WSPR instead. So far, their are zero spots on 10m WSPR, which rather surprised me. I am still on 10m WSPR too and will remain active on 10m WSPR until after dark. After dark, I shall be exclusively on 472kHz until Sat breakfast time.

UPDATE 1500z:  I see that LA3EQ (769km) has been spotted in broad daylight this afternoon on 472kHz WSPR. This is without the RX preamp. He is a few dB above the noise threshold with me. No doubt with the preamp in he would be quite a decent signal.

UPDATE 1614z:   Much to my surprise K9AN (6505km) spotted me on 10m WSPR at 1536z and 1538z this afternoon. After the poor start on 10m this was not expected.

UPDATE 1734z:  M0LMH (223km) has spotted my 5mW ERP on 472kHz several times in daylight this afternoon.

Another UK rally this weekend

I have been notified of this one:-

Sunday 6 DECEMBER : BISHOP AUCKLAND RADIO AMATEURS CLUB RALLY
Spennymoor Leisure Centre, Co Durham DL16 6DB. CP, TI S22 (V44), OT 10.15 /10.30, £2 (U14 free). TS, B&B, C, LB, DF, FAM. John, G4LRG, 01388 606 396

A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

Sunspots and 10m - Friday December 4th 2015

Solar flux is 95 today but the sunspot number has recovered to 47 (K=2). 10m propagation is again expected to be "poor" today.  However, it would not surprise me if 10m WSPR results in some USA spots later.

UPDATE 1100z:  All very quiet so far today on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR with not a single spot as yet.

Dutch get full 100kHz wide 5MHz band

At least one country in Region 1 is to be allowed access to a full 100kHz wide band at 5MHz. I hope all Region 1 countries follow suit. This is for full licence holders and permits 100W.

See https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.agentschaptelecom.nl%2Factueel%2Fnieuws%2F2015%2F5-mhz-band-binnenkort-ook-voor-radiozendamateurs-met-een-f-registratie&edit-text=

FT991 issues?

It looks like Yaesu have had some quality control issues with some FT991 transceivers, although I am unsure what percentage of units sold are effected. It does not look good though. It is always wise to wait a while so these initial issues are ironed out. In Yaesu's defence, I have had an FT817 (original version with the old PA) for about 15 years and it still works as well as ever. I love it.

See http://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/new-yaesu-ft-991-beware.502666/&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=QRZ&utm_term=forum,+site,+RSS&utm_content=HAMRADIO&utm_source=twitterfeed

DX spots on 10m WSPR

FR1GZ (9724km) has spotted me 3 times so far on 10m WSPR this afternoon. No other spots, as yet. In my experience, N-S paths hold upon better on 10m than E-W paths when solar activity is lower.

It will be interesting to see how 10m Es is this Dec/Jan as there is usually a small Es peak. This is far lower than the May, June, July peak.

UPDATE 1528z:  In the end FR1GZ spotted me 4 times this afternoon on 10m WSPR.  At the moment, I have doubts there will be any further DX spots today. It gets dark here soon and the USA seems unlikely again today.

UPDATE 1920z:  FR1GZ was the only spot on 10m WSPR all day. Again, no USA spots.

UPDATE 1924z:  Now QRT on 10m and 6m and QSYed to 630m (472kHz) WSPR.

UK rally this weekend

I have been notified of this rally:

Saturday 5 DECEMBER : SOUTH LANCS WINTER RALLY
Bickershaw Labour Club, Bickershaw Lane, Bickershaw, Wigan WN2 5TE. OT 9am, traders 7.30am. £2.50, B&B, C, DIS, CP, SIG, DF, TS, LB. Jason, 01942 735 828.

A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

Windows 10

Since updating my shack PC to Windows 10 my PC has decided it has no wi-fi devices! Luckily I have just managed to repair it so have just gone onto 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR and resynced to internet time. This is much later than I had intended. Originally I had a weak but reliable wi-fi connection in the shack.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs Dec 3rd 2015

Solar flux is 94 today and the sunspot number is just 26 today. K=1 and 10m propagation is again expected to remain "poor". I am again not expecting much on 10m WSPR.

It is some days now since my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was spotted in the USA. Deteriorating conditions are having more of an effect this side of Christmas than I was expecting. I was expecting USA spots most days until late spring. Maybe I was wrong.

Official "old fart" - NOT amateur radio

I am officially a boring old fart!

Coming back from my U3AC course on the buses today I could not help overhearing the word "like" interjected many, many times in every sentence by most youngsters! Also, most under 30 years old seem to be in love with their smart phones. In days gone by we'd actually talk, but these days this would be too much to ask.

10m quiet

Only a single spot on 10m WSPR from DK6UG (633km) at 1430z.

This evening my 5mW ERP 472kHz WSPR was copied by DL-SWL (701km).

UPDATE 2220z:  I was wondering why WSPRnet was not reporting the many stations I am copying on 472kHz RX. For some reason, my shack PC has no internet connection. I shall have to fix this tomorrow.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed Dec 2nd 2015

Sunspot number has fallen to 27 and solar flux remains below 100 at 94. K=3 and 10m is forecast to remain "poor".  I am not expecting wonders on 10m and 6m today!  I stayed on MF until about 1030z. Now I am active on 10m and 6m WSPR but all is quiet here so far today.

472kHz analysed

Over the last 2 weeks, I received 19 unique spots on 472kHz WSPR using my 5mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna". On RX I spotted a total of 23 unique stations. Most were without a preamp and on the deaf FT817.  On RX I have still to carefully analyse the Excel data supplied by Bert, but the impression is that the RX preamp helps the copy of very weak signals but has not (so far) enabled me to copy and decode more stations. This is the breakdown.

My 5mW ERP was copied as follows:

3 Germany - DL-SWL and DL-SWL/1 - best DX at 701km
1 France
3 Netherlands
11 England
1 Wales

On RX I copied the following unique stations (most copied many times):

1 Spain - best DX is EA5DOM at 1525km
8 Germany
1 Norway
5 France
1 Begium
2 Netherlands
5 England

K for Kernow (Cornwall)

Cornish amateurs are being allowed to use K (e.g. GK0***) all next year. There are some special awards for working stations in Cornwall.

See  http://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/gb2rs/headlines/2015/11/27/k-regional-identifier-for-cornwall/ .

More from OFCOM

See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1st-tues-dec15

Blah, blah, blah, blah........

Quango, quango, quango, quango.

When will their dribble stop? Is any value added?

All very quiet on 10m and 6m WSPR so far

It was a very quiet morning on both 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR with no spots at all. This is a bit surprising as I was expecting some DX spots on 10m WSPR today. We will have to see what happens this afternoon. On 6m I was surprised to see not a single spot. There was a strong carrier on 6m WSPR but I think his timing was off as there was no Doppler yet he did not decode.

UPDATE 1356z:  Still no spots at all today on 10m WSPR or 6m WSPR.

Syria - NOT amateur radio

It looks likely there will be a free vote in the UK House of Commons this week on whether or not to join the coalition forces bombing targets in Syria.

As much as I hate the despicable acts being carried out, I very much doubt more bombs are the answer. All the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan seem to have the opposite effect on the number of terrorists in the world to that intended: there are now far more.

I am against the bombing Syria and believe a long term, fair, peace deal would achieve far more good.

Small steps? - NOT amateur radio

My wife tends to do the major housework on Tuesdays and I usually try to clean some windows. This morning I managed far more than before. I also managed a 200ml glass (actually a cup) of orange in 16 sips. To me, both are progress. To "normal" people these may seem trivial but if you have had a brain bleed, like me, they represent small steps on the road to recovery.

MH-17 QSL cards

According to the Southgate News there was a batch of QSL cards damaged beyond repair when flight MH-17 was shot down last year. Those recovered are at in Schipol and would cost around £15k to dry and clean.

QSYed from 630m to 10m and 6m WSPR

All evening and night I was on 472kHz WSPR.  M0LMH (223km) was still spotting me on 472kHz as late as 0934z this morning, despite my very low ERP, in broad daylight. I have now QSYed to 10m and 6m WSPR and will return to 630m (472kHz) WSPR this evening.

Sunspots and 10m - Tues Dec 1st 2015

Solar flux is 97 and the sunspot number is a little higher at 51. K index is better at 1. Forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor".

QRP meet on-air

From Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Tuesday at 9 UTC QRP Rendez-Vous round table on 14060 +/- 5 kc
Welcome all QRP stations to greet each other and enjoy small power.
Reports and comments are appreciated to "mr72" e-mail, please.
Later I'll put all comments collection (soapbox) on the blog page -
http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"
=== In QRP We Trust! ===