I lost WM over night but see it started back up around 1310Z and it's running fine now. Winter weather has been tough on equipment. I've had keying issues with lowfer SIW and not sure yet why although it has been running okay since Friday.
Remaining LW broadcast frequencies
The switching off of CRo 270 kHz leaves only 14 active LW frequencies, according to https://www.mwlist.org/
Re: SHO/KG7BZ Copy
Posted by August KG7BZ on January 02, 2022 at 16:12:50.
In reply to SHO/KG7BZ Copy posted by Zeak on December 30, 2021
Zeak, glad it's sometimes showing up there! I see that it's fairly regularly fading in and out to NM on the WA5DJJ grabber during the day.
I'm thinking of changing the beacon timing to beacon WSPR and QRSS for 10 minutes and then go silent for 10 minutes. That will let me listen for half the time of every hour.
August KG7BZ Re: SHO/KG7BZ Copy
CN84pk
Posted by Zeak on January 02, 2022 at 19:12:48.
In reply to Re: SHO/KG7BZ Copy posted by August KG7BZ on January 02, 2022
August,
Your beacon really supports my selfish interests! That interest is Es skip rather than the longer multiple hop sky wave stuff. I monitor 22m 24/7 and to date your beacon falls within the 1000-1500km range of my primary interest. It might surprise you; randomly a QRSS and/or WSPR waveform appears on or very near 13.555443MHz between 0800Z and 1000Z! Although I have yet to confirm the waveform is yours, I’m suspiciously hoping so since over the past several years a few 20m (Ham) WSPR signals from the northwest appear here randomly during the local midnight hours.
Going to a 10 min cycle is good since it fits into most posted grabbers. The 10min cycle over a mid HF Es path should yield a good bit of detail in the average.
Although I’ve not tracked your beacon long enough yet, summer mid HF Es between the northwest and this location becomes quite strong regularly from mid summer until early fall depending on weather conditions over the path.
Do you check AI6VN/KH6, Maui, Hawaii (http://kiwisdr.robinett.us:8073/) looking for your beacon? Some of the mid US 22m beacons are regularly seen there, your beacon is an excellent candidate for that sky wave path.
My apologies to you and the board for being so wordy, but my thought was you and some of the others might have some interest.
Zeak,
wspr2 hifers
Receiver KiwiSDR
Ant(s): 80m dipole at 15m and 1m Loop
Location: DM12
Posted by swlem3 on January 02, 2022 at 23:18:34.
A fairly decent day of propagation for wspr2 hifers. Let the rx run from approximately 1700-2300 UTC. Decodes uploaded to wsprnet. Here's today's results...
KA9SZX ... 12 decodes, best -16db
K3SIW ... 23 decodes, best -19db
just fyi ...
Ray ... using Airspy HF+ w/ random wire vertical
KAH beacon
Posted by Dave Gasque on January 03, 2022 at 14:54:43.
01.03.22 KAH coming in just above the noise 13565Khz. @ 14:53UT. NA5B Kiwi in Washington, DC
LowFER SIW
Posted by Garry K3SIW on January 03, 2022 at 17:42:29.
Having trouble keying LowFER SIW when it's to send QRSS30/60 at 185.2993 kHz. Operation at 185.185 kHz sending wspr-15 and opera32 works as expected. Will have to bring in the K1EL keying module to the workbench to troubleshoot. Will report back when the beacon is again QRV at the watering hole.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
LowFER KE Frequency Change
Posted by KA4SEY on January 03, 2022 at 17:46:20.
Hello all, I have recently got my hands on some si5351 DDS breakout boards. I dropped my frequency down to 181.820 khz, right above John (JH). I Figured this would give a 2-in-1 for listeners overnight. The antenna and speed (QRSS 60) are still the same. The DDS board may need some further calibration, so we will see how close it is to .820 tonight. Reports are always appreciated!
73, Kasey Everhart Re: SHO/KG7BZ Copy
KA4SEY
Posted by Edward Holland on January 03, 2022 at 21:59:17.
In reply to Re: SHO/KG7BZ Copy posted by Zeak on January 02, 2022
SHO and KG7BZ were also solid copy in to Northern California yesterday (2nd Jan). Several WSPR decodes were made, and screenshots of the SHO FSK signal were recorded. Some fading was noted, occasionally with rather abrupt drops in signal.
7P, NC and others also showed up at times, but I need to review in more detail to provide an accurate report.
The band appeared to close quite early around local dusk.
Re: LowFER KE Frequency Change
Posted by Rick KA2PBO on January 04, 2022 at 11:50:25.
In reply to LowFER KE Frequency Change posted by KA4SEY (fwd) on January 03, 2022
Hi Kasey
Will take a listen. I copied KE back on November 27. I posted a capture here and sent a copy to the email address listed on QRZ.
Cheers Algeria 153 kHz reactivation ?
Rick KA2PBO
Posted by Mike Terry on January 04, 2022 at 12:01:38.
At just before 17.00 UTC I tuned to 153kHz and heard speech in Arabic the tx was then
silent for a couple of minutes until 17.00 UTC when it returned with time signal and Arabic speech and mention of Algerie. Radio Algerienne on 153kHz was last mentioned in the 2019 edition of WRTH as inactive. Signal strength good, modulation poor.
Could this be a reactivation?
(John Hoad MW circle io group)
wm beacons QRT
Posted by Mike N8OOU on January 04, 2022 at 20:51:01.
Both WM beacons are down now, and will be back on in a day or so. I'm taking a listening break.
Mike 73
2200 m carriers
Posted by swlem3 on January 05, 2022 at 02:34:28.
I'm seeing a couple carriers in the 2200m band that seem to be new there. One is at 136.8khz (-15db snr), the other is at 137.0khz (at 30db snr). These are just below the wspr portion of the band, in what would be the FST4 segment, as currently used. I'm watching the spectrum at 0230 Jan 5 2022. I'm not sure if this band is "shared" or if it is exclusively amateur. Any user of the band noticed this yet?
just fyi...
Ray... N. Central Texas
SJ ???
Posted by Rick KA2PBO on January 05, 2022 at 13:38:09.
I usually copy SJ from startup to sign off but no copy the past 2 days.Has anyone else
had a copy?
Rick Re: 2200 m carriers
KA2PBO
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on January 05, 2022 at 14:40:17.
In reply to 2200 m carriers posted by swlem3 on January 05, 2022
Hi Ray, I copied a strong signal on 137.0 kHz last night. It's gone this morning so wasn't local. Haven't paid attention to the spectrum other than at the wspr offset so don't know if the signal was new or a regular. Nothing noted here on 136.8 kHz.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: 2200 m carriers
Posted by swlem3 on January 05, 2022 at 15:11:41.
In reply to Re: 2200 m carriers posted by Garry, K3SIW on January 05, 2022
Thanks for taking a look Garry. This morn, that carrier isn't present here either. After I posted this message, I thought about that signal on 137 khz maybe just being an artifact of the smart meter system, or something similarly local. The 136.8khz sig is probably nothing interesting then, it's still here. Well, we'll just have to see if any of us turn up something on the identity of the other signal. I'm going to look for it again this evening.
73,
Ray
Re: SJ ???
Posted by John, W1TAG on January 06, 2022 at 01:42:36.
In reply to SJ ??? posted by Rick KA2PBO on January 05, 2022
Rick,
SJ has been missing since Monday morning, I think. Definitely not on now. Given how it was colliding with TAG, it’s OK with me.
John, W1TAG
Re: 2200 m carriers
Posted by John, W1TAG on January 06, 2022 at 01:44:59.
In reply to Re: 2200 m carriers posted by swlem3 on January 05, 2022
CFH (Canadian military from Halifax) was running on 137.0 in December.
John, W1TAG
Re: 2200 m carriers
Posted by swlem3 on January 06, 2022 at 01:53:13.
In reply to Re: 2200 m carriers posted by John, W1TAG on January 06, 2022
Most likely that was what we saw last night, John. Apparently, CFH is still around in January. I suppose 2200m is a shared band then, since CFH popped up in it. Thanks John for the info.
73,
Ray ... N. Central Texas
Re: LowFER SIW
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on January 06, 2022 at 15:42:12.
In reply to LowFER SIW posted by Garry K3SIW (fwd) on January 03, 2022
The lowfer has been running wspr15/opera32 on 185.185 kHz M,W,F since QRSS keying failed for QRSS30 at the watering hole. But yesterday even signals on 185.185 kHz weren't seen so looks like the beacon will have to be brought in to the workbench. It's 23 miles away and the weather is pretty brutal so that may take awhile, even if repairs are easy. Will notify here when it's again QRV.
Old reliable EAR keeps chugging away, rain, shine, wind, or snow. Looking forward to WM returning as the watering hole is quite dead without it. SJ is off the air and propagation here hasn't smiled for TAG and WH2XXP.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: SJ ???
Posted by Rick KA2PBO on January 07, 2022 at 00:24:12.
In reply to Re: SJ ??? posted by John, W1TAG on January 06, 2022
John,
Thanks for the update. Yes; you guys were competing for the same piece of spectrum lately.
WM Beacons
Rick KA2PBO
Posted by Mike N8OOU on January 07, 2022 at 19:41:45.
I have completed my listening project and will restart Both WM Beacons. The frequencies might drift a little as they shake off the cold.
Thanks for listening.
Mike 73
Re: SJ ? (and KE)
Posted by John Davis on January 09, 2022 at 16:12:42.
In reply to Re: SJ ??? posted by Rick KA2PBO on January 07, 2022
John W1TAG reports SJ has returned and is now up around 185.305 kHz.
KE was off for a while due to antenna damage, but Kasey advises it is now back on.
New HiFer beacon - RVA 13566.28 kHz
Posted by RVA on January 09, 2022 at 18:43:54.
New part 15 beacon on the air for a few days. RVA = Richmond, Virginia. Reports appreciated here and HFU.
22 m WSPR center frequency?
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on January 10, 2022 at 00:38:06.
A discussion has started on qrssknights about a 22M "dial" frequency for WSPR. Apparently WSPRnet now has a 22M band option. I have viewed it and indeed you can select 22M.
Some input needs to come from this group on where we want to the center freq for the WSPR
guys. We have a 200HZ window for decode. We are already squeezed into the 13.555 400 area. Might be nice to move the WSPR a little off the QRSS. Not sure what the convention of other ham bands are, I think WSPR is generally slightly above the QRSS area?
The european guys want to get involved too and align with our band plan.
Granted, we are the "wild west" but maybe we can reach some consensus?
I can move anywhere, so no restrictions here.
Any thoughts!
Bob getting kinda crowded "midband"
WA1EDJ
EDJ
Posted by john k5mo on January 10, 2022 at 14:52:51.
https://imgur.com/a/tqtM0HC
Re: 22 m WSPR center frequency?
Posted by John Davis on January 10, 2022 at 21:39:55.
In reply to 22 m WSPR center frequency? posted by WA1EDJ Bob on January 10, 2022
Looks to me as if the knights may be a few days late (pun intended) in considering this matter. In creating a 22 m search option, WSPRnet had to assign a specific frequency range right up front. From their specified "dial frequency" of 13553.900 kHz, it looks as if they've already chosen the current 13555.400 ±100 Hz slot as the default.
IMO, this appears a good a spot as any. If we need a band plan of some sort for QRSS purposes...and I don't deny that it might be worthwhile...may I offer this alternative?
I suggest that we leave WSPR signals right where they are, and any similarly spectrum-efficient QRSS signals as well, while encouraging those who occupy wider bandwidth or have less frequency stability to shift to the edges of the generic "watering hole" region.
To clarify, by spectrum efficient, I mean both in terms of mode and frequency stability.
In terms of mode: Pure on-off keyed QRSS is inherently spectrum-efficient, provided it stays in one spot. On the other hand, FSK is distinctly less efficient, especially if the shift is wide enough to be recognizable on some of the less efficient, overly wide displays that some SDRs insist on employing; and if combined with poor stability, it can be a real pain when trying to copy other folks who took care to keep their signals in one spot. DFCW is borderline efficient, if the frequencies are stable and not more than a few Hz apart like RY's signal, because it can convey twice as much information per unit of time than plain QRSS. And WSPR can be considered spectrally efficient, even though it occupies ≈4 Hz because it carries even more information in every two minute slot than QRSS3 or DFCW3; but only if not overly subject to drift, which some kits unfortunately are, even with GPS built in. Even plain CW can be efficient under certain circumstances--for example, MTI's once-per-minute transmission is both low duty cycle, and very precise in frequency.
In terms of frequency stability: Clearly, not everyone has OCXO or GPS disciplined reference oscillators. I'm not saying that should be a requirement for operating in the watering hole region, but if a beacon's signal is going to shift a couple of Hz or more during each element of a character, or if it's going to wander more than a few Hz each day, the polite thing to do would be to position it outside the weak-signal/propagation core. We've lived for a long time with a couple of beacons that drift tens of Hz between day and night, and up to a couple hundred Hz from season to season. If you're going to tie your own hands by insisting on a station that's completely self-contained in an outdoor environment, then it seems to me one should avoid other signals meeting tighter limits. The farther the carrier drifts from day to day, the farther away from the center it should be. Just seems simple common sense, no?
On a side note, I'd like to hear more from those Europeans wanting to coordinate with us. I've read OfCom and ETSI standards for 13.560 MHz, and it appears the regs make provision for low power unrestricted personal use. But we've had a couple of readers from Holland and the UK say they've been told "no" by the regulators. I wonder what's the real story. It might even vary country by country.
John
Beacon AN2
Posted by Dave Gasque on January 11, 2022 at 05:21:49.
01.10.22 ~13562Khz. "AN2" @ 0515UT, buried in the muck, finally rose up a couple of times at this time. W3HFU Kiwi Westminster MD
AN
Posted by Bill Hensel on January 11, 2022 at 21:02:43.
I have had sporadic fade ups on AN on freq. 13563.7 Khz on my icom 756 Re: wspr2 hifers
these fade ups were from 2033utc-2053 utc...no number 2 after the AN.
Posted by swlem3 on January 11, 2022 at 23:00:11.
In reply to wspr2 hifers posted by swlem3 on January 02, 2022
Good to see WA1EDJ decoding on hifer wspr2 again. That makes 3 stations decoding today on that mode (K3SIW and KA9SZX).
Ray
SJ 185.305 and LowFER WM
Posted by Garry K3SIW on January 11, 2022 at 23:22:34.
In reply to Re: SJ ? (and KE) posted by John Davis on January 09, 2022
I lost WM over night but see it started back up around 1310Z and it's running fine now. Winter weather has been tough on equipment. I've had keying issues with lowfer SIW and not sure yet why although it has been running okay since Friday.
Found lowfer SJ stabilized near 185.305 kHz over night as John, W1TAG indicated. That allows an unimpeded view of lowfer TAG but only brief traces were noted here over night, and now SJ is right on top of lowfer WH2XXP. Later, tuned to 181.820 kHz and as local sunrise neared lowfer KE was seen weakly using ARGO at QRSS60 rate. However, nothing from lowfer JH came through. That lowfer was copied often last Nov 2020 through Jan 2021, even using QRSS30 so the visual "JH" came through. Wonder if it's still running and at what frequency?
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
---------------------------------------------------------------
File Attachment 1: capt_185.3_0001_crop_resize.jpg
Re: SJ 185.305 and LowFER WM
Garry,
I am running JH on 181.818KHz still, but my antenna is a 50 foot loop so it is a little more of a challenge to receive this year. I currently have approx. 3.6 amps through my loop. I have been talking with Mike (WM) and he has offered some suggestions on how to improve this, but I have yet to make any changes. Hopefully as conditions get better and I get time to work on the transmitter, receptions will improve. I appreciate you taking a look. I plan on continuing this loop experiment all winter.
I am slowly working on a new monopole for next season and possibly the end
of this season. The new monopole will be similar to my original lowfer antenna using steel conduit welded together. I am going to try and make it easier to cut grass around so I can leave it running all year. I plan on running the monopole station a few Hz lower so I can run both of them at the same time along with KE.
W4DEX has received my signal with the graphic appx 100 miles away. Mike (WM) has received what appears to be traces, but not a full confirmed capture. I believe KE also received it appx 100 miles away also earlier in the winter.
I usually have my grabber monitoring my transmitter at the link below.
http://jwhamer.me/grabber/
John Hamer
Re: AN
Posted by Dave Gasque on January 12, 2022 at 00:00:51.
In reply to AN posted by Bill Hensel on January 11, 2022
Really odd! "2" was the character I heard the most!
Membership
Posted by Dave Gasque on January 12, 2022 at 01:36:48.
I see this labeled as a "general" as well as a LOWFER board- forgive me if I'm out of line here. I sent in my dues a week ago, but have not RX'ed any confirmation. Not getting any response from the listed HQ.LCWA addy either. Just curious!
Re: Membership
Posted by Webmaster on January 12, 2022 at 04:26:11.
In reply to Membership posted by Dave Gasque on January 12, 2022
Welcome, Dave, glad to have you here. Our publisher's work schedule can result in some delays in responding, but I imagine you will hear from him soon. I've emailed you for a bit of additional information, in case it might help.
John Re: AN
Posted by John Davis on January 12, 2022 at 04:34:32.
In reply to Re: AN posted by Dave Gasque on January 12, 2022
These are actually two separate beacons, established by the same operator but located in two different regions of the country. AN2 is normally higher in frequency, but tends to wander quite a lot. Been a while since original AN was reported.
Re: Membership
Posted by Dave Gasque on January 12, 2022 at 06:19:09.
In reply to Re: Membership posted by Webmaster on January 12, 2022
Thanks mate!
-Dave
WA1EDJ WSPR QSY
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on January 12, 2022 at 15:58:39.
WA1EDJ WSPR has QSY to 13.555 365 ish. Was up at .555 385 previously. This should clear the area around RY and SIW. Let me know if any conflicts.
Bob Re: AN
WA1EDJ
EM83du
Posted by Dave Gasque on January 12, 2022 at 16:06:38.
In reply to Re: AN posted by John Davis on January 12, 2022
Thanks for the info John!
SAQ tests feedback
Posted by Mike Terry on January 12, 2022 at 20:36:37.
Nick Rank on the BDXC list via WOR - had an interesting reply from Fredrik Wiklund, Chair of the Alexander Grimeton Friendship Association concerning the last test broadcast on 27th December between 0900 and 1100 UTC.
Fredrik said that on Christmas Eve, when tuning up for their broadcast, they could not achieve the frequency of 17.200 kHz. They had to settle on 17.180 kHz in order to get sufficient power out. Tuning was tried at 17.200 kHz, but the power was lower than they wanted. They started to suspect that the resonant frequency of their aerial was responsible. Each of the 6 aerial towers has a tuning coil of 10 mH, in addition to the inductance of the magnetic amplifier plus a variometer which is used to fine tune the whole aerial. Eight wires running along the top of the towers provide the top capacitance.
During the first test on 27th December, again they could only radiate a lower power at 17.200 kHz. They drove out to aerial tower no. 4 and removed 2 turns from its tuning coil. This increased the resonant frequency by 50 Hz (0.05 kHz). A second test was performed around 1040 UTC and now they could achieve more power at the wanted frequency of 17.200 kHz. It enabled them to now deliver close to 60 amps of current into the aerial. This equates to around 60 kW, and with each tower working at an efficiency of 2%, they estimate around 8 kW of power was going into the air.
Re: SAQ tests feedback
Posted by swlem3 on January 12, 2022 at 22:42:38.
In reply to SAQ tests feedback posted by Mike Terry on January 12, 2022
One wonders what has lowered the resonant frequency of the antenna system? Also curious to know if resonance has shifted like this in the past with this current antenna configuration.
Ray ... N.Central Texas
Thursday Interruption and Hopeful Improvement
Posted by Webmaster on January 14, 2022 at 19:26:48.
Sorry for the long read-only period at mid-day. As I was on my way to pick up groceries, I discovered that a spammer had made his way through our safety net. I needed to shut down new posts until I could preserve all relevant information to try block further such intrusions.
Upon completing that work, I proceeded to implement some code modifications that are intended to gradually give our posts a bit more modern appearance. They may look a little odd at times over the next few days until I get through most of the errors in the trial-and-error phase of the project...so my apologies in advance if that proves to be the case.
John Photos of Antenna support damage at KU4XR
Posted by Andy KU4XR on January 18, 2022 at 02:48:04.
Hi all:
In my 30+ years as a Ham; I've had lots of different antennas in the air, and survived snow and ice events in the past. But, my "There's a first time for everything" event happened this time... hi - hi
Heavy, and wet snow, and the support just couldn't handle it. The ropes are covered with 1-1/2 inches of snow... Never saw that before. This would be a " walk on the beach " for the boys up north, But - this is Tennessee - this is a rare thing here.
The Dropbox link is to a folder with 12 photos I snapped this morning. I think it will allow viewing.
www.dropbox.com/sh/420u6m9xd88eo9f/AABAZMOl-4F9fUWN79D4rPJ6a?dl=0 73 to all: Re: Photos of Antenna support damage at KU4XR
That's a pretty serious looking coat of ice, Andy, quite apart from the snow. Sure hate to see that! When I lived in west Georgia, we used to have a storm like that about once a decade. Heck, that kind of winter weather is even pretty rare here in southern Kansas. Hope that's all for you this time around, and best of luck with the recovery/ John
BBC Radio 4 - 198 kHz
In today's Daily Mail: BBC boss Tim Davie refuses to rule out axing BBC Four and warns other channels might go as he says two-year licence fee freeze will create £285m black hole (as he is hosted on prime time Radio 4 slot) Unlisted HiFER "M"? 13564.2
G'day! Listening on KFS HF SDR and decided to check 22M. There's a pretty chirpy "M" about every 3 seconds on 13564.2, 2130Z, 1-18-2022 I checked the list and "Find in Page" and didn't see this listed.
Catch Of The Day
WSPR spots fed to WSPRNET
Andy, KU4XR
Posted by John Davis on January 18, 2022 at 03:13:09.
In reply to Photos of Antenna support damage at KU4XR posted by Andy KU4XR (fwd) on January 18, 2022
Posted by Mike Terry on January 18, 2022 at 16:48:36.
Tim Davie says licence fee income by 2027 will be about £4.2billion based on BBC's assumptions on inflation
Director-general refuses to confirm whether BBC Four would survive as well as BBC Two and Radio Five Live
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries revealed the licence fee would be frozen at £159 for two years, until 2024
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10413699/BBC-boss-Tim-Davie-refuses-rule-axing-BBC-Four.html
Posted by Gregg on January 18, 2022 at 21:37:19.
Posted by Zeak on January 19, 2022 at 06:15:21.
1600 -25 0.2 13.555444 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
1610 -26 0.1 13.555443 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
1620 -26 0.2 13.555444 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
1840 -27 0.1 13.555443 1 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
2150 -25 0.2 13.555444 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
2230 -25 0.1 13.555443 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
2250 -23 0.2 13.555444 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
2300 -25 0.1 13.555442 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
2320 -28 -0.8 13.555401 0 K3SIW EN52 2669 7 (5.0 mW)
2330 -26 0.2 13.555444 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
2340 -27 0.1 13.555442 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
2340 -27 -0.6 13.555383 0 WA1EDJ EM83 3152 7 (5.0 mW)
2344 -24 -0.7 13.555384 0 WA1EDJ EM83 3152 7 (5.0 mW)
2350 -24 0.2 13.555444 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
0010 -26 0.1 13.555442 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
0024 -26 -0.7 13.555384 0 WA1EDJ EM83 3152 7 (5.0 mW)
0030 -23 0.2 13.555444 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
0040 -25 0.1 13.555442 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
0050 -22 0.1 13.555443 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
0100 -24 0.2 13.555444 0 KG7BZ CN84 1384 7 (5.0 mW)
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on January 19, 2022 at 15:24:02.
We have KG5ZDA in Garland, TX and SWLEM3 (Ray) feeding 22M spots to WSPRNET.
I love that WSPRNET includes 22M now.
KG5ZDA in EM12 spots WA1EDJ every day lately.
Thanks for the spotting guys!
Bob Re: WSPR spots fed to WSPRNET
WA1EDJ - WSPRing for now
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on January 19, 2022 at 15:35:08.
In reply to WSPR spots fed to WSPRNET posted by WA1EDJ Bob on January 19, 2022
Oh, almost forgot. Dave WA5DJJ also feeding 22M spots to WSPRNET.
Sorry Dave!
Bob Remember Atlantic 252?
EDJ
Posted by Mike Terry on January 23, 2022 at 09:33:49.
The commercial station ran from 1988 up until its last broadcast in 2002 from its transmission site at Clarkstown, County Meath, Ireland.
Broadcasts from the station could be heard as far away as Finland, Ibiza and even Moscow.
At the peak of its popularity in 1993, the station had six million listeners.
The longwave frequency meant it was picked up by a lot of drivers in older cars without FM - but it quickly gained a reputation for playing the same records a lot. Extreme's More Than Words and anything by Mike and Mechanics were particular favourites.
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/nostalgia/remember-atlantic-252-story-station-22784995 Kalundborg 243 kHz has been off air
Posted by Mike Terry on January 23, 2022 at 10:26:26.
January 22 2022
Denmark - It seems that Kalundborg 243 kHz has been off air since yesterday January 21st.
Normally an empty carrier is on between the four transmission modules during the day; now – 1645 UTC – the time for the fourth and last daily module – there is nothing.
A technical problem I suppose.
Ydun Ritz (2022-01-22) Re: SAQ tests feedback
https://mediumwave.info/news/
Posted by Mike Terry on January 23, 2022 at 10:29:49.
In reply to Re: SAQ tests feedback posted by swlem3 on January 12, 2022
Good question Ray.
Sorry I don't know as I'm not knowledgeable about technical stuff, it would be interesting to find out - maybe someone on this group can help?
Mike Re: Kalundborg 243 kHz has been off air
Bournemouth
UK
Posted by Mike Terry on January 23, 2022 at 20:17:25.
In reply to Kalundborg 243 kHz has been off air posted by Mike Terry on January 23, 2022
Kalundborg 243 kHz still off air late Sunday afternoon.
Ydun Ritz (2022-01-23)
22 m notes from Jan 24th
Posted by Ed Holland on January 24, 2022 at 21:40:36.
Hi Folks,
Monitoring at PVC took place between Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening Pacific time. Spectrum-Lab and WSJTx were in operation for monitoring, mostly around the watering hole. Receiver tuning was set to 13,553.900 +/-50Hz
WSPR receptions of SZX, SIW and EDJ were noted. I still need to create an SWL ID to enable uploads.
On the Spectrum Lab charts, NC showed a good presence, but I've yet to go through all the screenshots collected.
One oddity, during an otherwise silent period in the small hours ~ 0200 local time was a single group of three dots, or perhaps dashes, then nothing until twilight of the 23rd as the band began to open up. The ghost of Marconi signaling through the aether?
Ed Re: Kalundborg 243 kHz has been off air
Posted by Mike Terry on January 25, 2022 at 09:04:04.
In reply to Re: Kalundborg 243 kHz has been off air posted by Mike Terry on January 23, 2022
Denmark - DR‘s technical department has informed me that the reason why Kalundborg 243 kHz has been off for a few days now is due to a power failure in the antenna mast.
Work to solve the problem is going on.
Ydun Ritz (2022-01-24)
https://mediumwave.info/news/
WB8ELK back on the air on 13555.370
Posted by Bill Brown on January 25, 2022 at 16:43:20.
WB8ELK back on the air on 13555.370 from EM64oj in northern Alabama. QRSS3, QRSS6, CW and WSPR. It also transmits on 20m WSPR.
More HiFER WSPRing
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on January 25, 2022 at 19:54:19.
Been watching 22M WSPRNet today and am seeing more spots than ever.
KG7BZ
KK6DZ
KA9SZX
KB1MVX
WA1EDJ
K3SIW
WB8ELK
PA2ST
Some have not set there displayed power correctly (I hope) as they show 5W and 20W!
Everyone else is .005.
Bob Re: More HiFER WSPRing
WA1EDJ
EM83du
Posted by John Davis on January 25, 2022 at 22:57:44.
In reply to More HiFER WSPRing posted by WA1EDJ Bob on January 25, 2022
Some have not set their displayed power correctly (I hope) as they show 5W and 20W!Interesting, Bob! I have a theory about those power discrepancies, supported by some detective work, suggesting that these are probably not power errors at the transmit end, but are frequency errors at the receive end.
My first thought was that perhaps a few hams had mistaken 22 m for a new amateur band based on seeing the dial frequency listed on the WSPRnet home page. But that didn't make sense, because if they were really running those powers, they should have been spotted coast-to-coast maybe even internationally. When I searched the past 48 or so hours of activity reported to WSPRnet for 22 meters, however, I found all the anomalous stations were reported by only one listener each. There were no multiple spotters for any of them.
That left two possibilities: they had mis-set their displayed power in software at the sending end, or the reporter wasn't tuned to the band where he thought he was. How could I tell which?
Taking KK6DZ and KB1MVX as examples, I did a search by callsign. Turns out both are very widely heard, and I had to set the search parameters to display around 3000 spots per page, because they were each getting nearly a thousand hits per hour, and when I looked it had already been 2½ hours since an SWL (thought) he had spotted them on 22 meters. Both stations had indeed transmitted in the 1908 UTC slot and were reported by hundreds of listeners--but on 20 meters at 14.097192 and 14.097109 respectively, not 13.555579 and 13.555509 as reported by the SWL.
(Now, actually, the reported frequencies by the monitoring stations were all over the place within a ±100 Hz span...but I have some confidence in the values I wrote above because both were from KA7OEI, and most of Clint's gear is referenced to GPS.)
I can only conclude that the SWL had been monitoring 22 m for a while, then tuned to 20 m but forgot to reset his "dial frequency" in the decoder.
That sort of thing can happen to anyone, and has certainly happened to me more than once. My search also uncovered a couple of other stations with seemingly erroneous powers that were being reported by KL7L over a few transmission slots, then stopped, after which decodes of known HiFERs reappeared in his reports. (By the way, congrats to KG7BZ on your WSPR decoding in Alaska!) If even someone as experienced, active, and meticulous in his work as Laurence can have an occasional "senior technical moment," the rest of us probably shouldn't be too embarrassed when it happens to us.
Alas, though, now that 22 m is searchable by band in the database, our missteps are more likely to be seen by others than before.
Re: More HiFER WSPRing
Posted by Ed Holland on January 26, 2022 at 01:30:02.
In reply to Re: More HiFER WSPRing posted by John Davis on January 25, 2022
Good detective work John,
I have certainly forgotten to switch frequencies in WSPR, and perhaps fortunately, have not yet started reporting. Addition of a band ID or frequency to WSPR transmissions is one potential means to avoid errors. However, I'm completely unaware as to how this would be accommodated - even if possible - within the protocol.
Ed
Re: SAQ tests feedback
Posted by swlem3 on January 27, 2022 at 00:23:49.
In reply to Re: SAQ tests feedback posted by Mike Terry on January 23, 2022
Just off the top of my head... I would think that the only thing besides an antenna modification would be something like wires sagging closer to ground or the ground beneath the antenna changing in ground conductivity. I'm no expert either Mike. Thanks for the reply.
73,
Ray
Re: WB8ELK back on the air on 13555.370
Posted by swlem3 on January 27, 2022 at 17:38:16.
In reply to WB8ELK back on the air on 13555.370 posted by Bill Brown on January 25, 2022
Good to see you again on wspr2 hifer Bill.
73,
Ray N. Central Texas ... (rx) Elad FDM-S2 w/ active e-probe
Re: Kalundborg 243 kHz has been off air
Posted by Mike Terry on January 27, 2022 at 23:01:22.
In reply to Re: Kalundborg 243 kHz has been off air posted by Mike Terry on January 25, 2022
Denmark - DR‘s Kalundborg 243 kHz is back on air again (1643 UTC).
Ydun Ritz (2022-01-25)
https://mediumwave.info/news
Algeria testing on 153 kHz
Posted by Mike Terry on January 28, 2022 at 12:21:45.
Low power tests from Algeria on 153 kHz were first reported on the bdxc-news list by John Hoad (in Lanzarote) on January 3rd and Franck Baste confirmed it had been testing since early December.
On 27 January Alan Pennington reported to the bdxc-news list"Romania (Brasov) is still loud and clear on 153 kHz here this morning (1100 UTC)".
I am wondering if Algeria may abandon 252 kHz, possibly as it clashes with Raidió Teilifís Éireann.But why clash with Romania?
Longwave has many empty frequencies, so it's rather a mystery.
Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday
Posted by Jeff K8NDB on January 28, 2022 at 12:33:52.
I will be launching a balloon carrying a Hifer beacon this Sunday, 01/30/2022, from Quartzsite, Arizona at 1430Z. The beacon frequency is 13.562 Mhz and will transmit a 3.5 second dash every 4 seconds. Battery life is estimated to be 100 hours. The aviation winds aloft forecasts favor a flight across the southern US and up towards New England. As always, all signal reports are appreciated! 73's, Jeff K8NDB.
First t/a of 2022
Posted by John Bruce McCreath on January 28, 2022 at 15:12:19.
I logged my first t/a of the new year last evening, when I copied the FST4W-1800 transmissions of DL4NN twice.
73, J.B., VE3EAR
Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on January 28, 2022 at 15:27:00.
In reply to Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday posted by Jeff K8NDB on January 28, 2022
Jeff,
Any closer frequency than 13.562? Have you measured it with a counter?
TNX! Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday
Bob
EDJ
EM83du
Posted by Jeff K8NDB on January 28, 2022 at 15:57:47.
In reply to Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday posted by WA1EDJ Bob on January 28, 2022
Hi Bob, The oscillator is a Epson programable oscillator with the programed frequency of 13.562 Mhz. Tests here at my QTH with a cheap heathkit counter show 13.562018 Mhz.
Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday
Posted by John Davis on January 29, 2022 at 02:52:21.
In reply to Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday posted by Jeff K8NDB on January 28, 2022
Sounds fascinating, Jeff. I'll be listening out for it as much as possible, though my antenna prospects are currently limited so there may be gaps in my efforts. I hope you'll have some means to keep us updated as the flight progresses.
John
M a new kid on the block
Posted by Bill Hensel on January 29, 2022 at 16:35:20.
Copied M today at 1625utc freq. 13564 Khz Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday
No computer just my wet processor. You know the human brain.
Posted by Jeff K8NDB on January 29, 2022 at 21:28:24.
In reply to Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday posted by John Davis on January 29, 2022
Hi John, I will will announce the exact launch time tomorrow and signal reports from the launch site in Quartzsite, AZ. The beacon does not have GPS onboard, so I cannot report position. The beacon frequency is 13.562 Mhz and will transmit a 3.5 second dash every 4 seconds. I will report ARGO captures as long as I can receive the signal. Signal reports from others will greatly be appreciated.
Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday
Posted by John Bergkoetter kf7rpf on January 29, 2022 at 23:43:14.
In reply to Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday posted by Jeff K8NDB on January 29, 2022
Jeff, I will be listening in Somerton AZ.
Hifer Ballon
Posted by Bill Hensel on January 30, 2022 at 16:21:39.
I think I caught it...three times around 1614-1615 utc. Balloon Lauch Successful!
Quick fade ups and then gone...perhaps it was some other carrier ...I'll continue to monitor...
Posted by Jeff K8NDB on January 30, 2022 at 17:20:40.
Baloon was launched this morning at 1443Z. preflight frequency is 13.561700Mhz. 2.5 hours later I can still copy a very weak signal. Re: Balloon Lauch Successful!
Posted by Bill Hensel on January 30, 2022 at 18:02:22.
In reply to Balloon Lauch Successful! posted by Jeff K8NDB on January 30, 2022
from 1857-1901 nice fade ups wak but solid copy. Re: Balloon Lauch Successful!
Jeff do you have a clue what direction it is headed and how high up the balloon is? Perhaps stupid questions.
Posted by Bill Hensel on January 30, 2022 at 18:09:08.
In reply to Re: Balloon Lauch Successful! posted by Bill Hensel on January 30, 2022
Time was miss typed on other post. Re: Balloon Lauch Successful!
1757 - 1801 utc.
Since I posted hearing the balloon hifer it has been solid copy
since 1800 utc and now it is 1808 utc...
Boy this is an interesting experiment Thanks Jeff.
Posted by john bergkoetter on January 30, 2022 at 19:22:18.
In reply to Re: Balloon Lauch Successful! posted by Bill Hensel on January 30, 2022
Bill, can you tell me what the received frequency was at your QTH?
Re: Balloon Lauch Successful!
Posted by Bill Hensel on January 30, 2022 at 22:48:07.
In reply to Re: Balloon Lauch Successful! posted by john bergkoetter on January 30, 2022
On my Icom 735: 13561.9 Khz
Re: Balloon Lauch Successful!
Posted by John Davis on January 30, 2022 at 23:00:17.
In reply to Re: Balloon Lauch Successful! posted by john bergkoetter on January 30, 2022
Actual frequency would be very helpful to know. The entire range from 13559 to 13562.5 is so full of QRM in my area that I couldn't hope for aural copy. Using Argo, there were up to four carriers leaving dashed-line traces. One of them I was able to eliminate fairly quickly once it started coming in more reliably than it was doing at first, because its dashes were too long and were only eight per minute. Another was eventually eliminated for too rapid a repetition rate. A third appeared plausible for a while, but its duty cycle varied. It took a while to eliminate these, though, because of the intricate and deep QSB patterns.
The one plausible candidate that remained exhibited 75% on-time and appeared 14 or 15 times per minute when it was visible long enough to count. Those times occurred about 1940, 2010, and 2032 UTC, on 13561.840 kHz, ±10 Hz. Since I couldn't hear it under the steady nearby carriers and the general background hash, though, I have no idea whether that was really it.
Wish I had been able to start monitoring sooner. I've been trying for some time to get an antenna set up here in town to not have to mount an expedition to the farm every blessed time, but I still didn't get very far this morning. When Bill started reporting reception, I switched to Plan B½ and went to the farm anyway.
Probably a good thing I did, because I was able to snag some worthwhile reception of other HiFERs after the apparent last reception of the most likely candidate. I'll report on that later today.
Re: Balloon Lauch Successful!
Posted by Jeff Jaquays on January 31, 2022 at 02:11:53.
In reply to Re: Balloon Lauch Successful! posted by Bill Hensel on January 30, 2022
Bill, John, and John, I just arrived home from the balloon launch site (Quartzsite Arizona) and I am sorry for this late response to your questions. The balloon does not have GPS or altitude reporting capability so I can only guess altitude and direction of flight based on FAA Winds Aloft Forecasts. The last visual sighting of the balloon, it was heading in a easterly direction at approximately 1000 feet. According to the FAA winds aloft at 12,000 feet, it looks like the balloon will travel south east towards Tuscon, Az and then turn northeast towards Amarillo, Tx and then start heading due east over Oklahoma. These are only guesstimates so bear with me on this. The last frequency measurement showed the frequency as 13.561700 Mhz ten minutes before launch. The beacon transmitts a 3.5 second dash every 7 seconds. These values are subject to change as the balloon ascends to higher altitudes and the temperature drops. It was a real challenge to keep the transmitter weight below 2.0 ounces. The finished weight was 1.8 ounces and the balloon package provided 2.1 ounces of lift. This was a low budget project that used parts laying around my shop and my only expense was $30 for 21 birthday balloons from the local 99 cent store. I had a lot of fun building and launching this project and I am happy to share this adventure with people on this great message board. Keep the questions and reports coming. 73's Jeff K8NDB
Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday
Posted by Edward Holland on January 31, 2022 at 16:47:45.
In reply to Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday posted by Jeff K8NDB on January 28, 2022
I monitored 22m yesterday, centered around the anticipated balloon frequency. A feint trace was recorded in Spectrum Lab which corresponded to the frequency and keying pattern. I'll share the full details and a screenshot later.
Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday
Posted by Jeff K8NDB on January 31, 2022 at 18:50:56.
In reply to Re: Hifer Balloon Flight this Sunday posted by Edward Holland on January 31, 2022
Thanks Ed, I have ARGO running at my house this morning and have not seen anything yet. Only 3 days of battery life left so I hope to capture something before the beacon goes to sleep permanently.
Re: Balloon Lauch Successful!
Posted by John Davis on January 31, 2022 at 20:22:25.
In reply to Re: Balloon Lauch Successful! posted by Jeff Jaquays on January 31, 2022
A neat project indeed, Jeff. Nothing further heard here yesterday evening or through noon today, but depending on what altitude the balloons ultimately reached, they could easily have been past here by dark.
With the new information on timing, I need to re-review my Argo captures from yesterday and see if I can find one of the signals I earlier discounted because its duty cycle was shorter and its repetition rate was slower than what I was looking for.
Since Epson oscillators tend to increase in frequency with decreasing temperature, the frequencies Bill and I reported look like they could be within the right range, at least.
Out of curiosity, did you include contact information so someone might be able to tell you where the package comes down, if or when it is found?
potrzebie