Hifers today - GNK, FRC, AJO, EH, SIW, 7P
Spent this wintry afternoon DXing HIFERS for the first time. It was a pretty productive day, with 7 stations logged. Copied and mp3 recorded FRC, GNK, and AJO. Spectran was of great value by using the narrow audio filtering available with that program. With Argo copied EH, SIW slant, SIW (QRSS6), and 7P.
Here are links to the Argo captures. I was in QRSS3 normal mode so SIW slant looked really stretched out.
EH:
c0008_zps483e2c95.gif
c0009_zpsec8649ff.gif
SIW:
c0007_zps4598b4d1.gif
c0022_zpsf4e84de3.gif
c0023_zps45422d93.gif
If anyone wants a copy of the mp3s let me know
73 Mark
KU4XR Tree-Tenna Experiment
Posted by Andy - KU4XR on February 03, 2014 at 16:06:14.
Hi all:
Today I started the experimental process of receiving, using a tree as an antenna..This is the first time I have ever tried this, so it will be interesting to see what comesof it..I am pretty sure that my initial setup will be changed.. The tree is a 50ish foottall Hickory Nut tree, about 60 feet from the mobile home.. I drilled a 4 inch deep holeabout 12 feet AGL into the tree, and used a 3-1/2 inch stainless lag bolt to secure the wire to the tree.. I wrapped it tightly around the bolt between 2 washers, and then
screwed it into the tree with a socket wrench.. I tightened it until the washers were flatagainst the wire, which is stranded copper FWIW.. I know that is dissimilar metals, but hey, this is an experiment just to see if there is any merit in the tree for anantenna idea.. Currently there are no transformers.. just a single wire .. I have the wire between 10 to 12 feet above ground for about 60 feet to a tree right at the end of my mobile home.. At this point, I wrap the wire around a branch, and drop it to the ground.
This was in hopes of minimizing noise from the QTH... However.. I feel sure that the 60 feet of horizontal wire is picking up signals, and noise... That will be the first thing That I change the next time I have some time.. Drop the entire wire onto the ground all the way into the shack window.. The Tree-Tenna initially seems to be deaf below 160 meters.. I hear nothing but the strongest A.M. stations in the BCB.. Scanning 530 KHz and below ( during daylight ) heard only a couple of local NDB's.. I started watching 630 meter WSPR at 4:30 pm local time, and started seeing a weak trace from XGR/2 at 7 pm with the first decode at 7:10 pm.. Then the ugly truth, The TV was turned on in the family room at 7:34 pm, and all copy stopped... nothing but TV lines..
Going to try a few different configurations, just to see what the experiment will show.. Earlier listening, I checked WWVB at 60 KHz and it was about 2 S-units below the 160 dipole, and had a buzzy, and fluttery sound.. Can't explain it, since I have never tried this before.. I set at 185.3 KHz and the noise level was very low.. I then ran it thru a variable Inductor and can tune it for about 2 more S-units higher.. That doesn't mean I'll actually hear anything though.. Thru other experiments I found that just because I have noise, doesn't mean I have signal...630 meter WSPR as an example, S meter reading 2-1/2 S-units of noise, but decoding no-one..
*** More to follow as the experiment continues ***
73 to all, and thanks for reading this:
Andy - KU4XR Re: KU4XR Tree-Tenna Experiment Note-1
Posted by Andy - KU4XR on February 03, 2014 at 16:13:29.
In reply to KU4XR Tree-Tenna Experiment posted by Andy - KU4XR on February 03, 2014
Greetings all:
A couple of comments to get out of the way first.. I have read Ralph's very well prepared article on his tree antenna experiment, and I have read every other article I could dig out of the internet archives, including the papers by General George O Squier on the discoveries
of the time by the US Military .. I certainly don't lack available information .. I mention again that I am doing this in a very non-scientific experiment... Out of curiousity... to see what happens..
__________________________________________________________
Contrary to popular belief; tree sap does not recede into the bottom, or roots of hardwood trees during the winter.. A quick Google search with the phrase : " what happens to tree sap in winter ? " will provide plenty of reading on the subject.. If you care to; you can read it for yourself, and I'll leave it at that.. Here in the Knoxville, TN. area; we just came out of a 4 day artic freeze where the day temps were in the 15 to 20 degree range and wind chills were -15 to 5 above.. The night temps hovered between 0 and 11 above with wind chills dropping to - 5 to -20 .. Gentlemen, that is flat out cold for TN. Wx.. and I hit sap when drilling ...
_________________________________________________________
On Sat. 2/1/2014 when drilling the pilot hole for the lag bolt; I hit the sap vein at about 2-1/2 inches ( counting the 1/2 inch bark ) into the tree.. The pilot hole was 4 inches, and the lag bolt was 3-1/2 inches long, so I made connection with the sap vein of the tree.. It was pretty evident that I did when watery sap squirted out of the hole while I was drilling, and that section of drill wood was wet.. And this is 12 feet up the tree...
_________________________________________________________
Tonite 2-2-2014 , when I got home from work, I had just enough light left to be able to see and take the leadwire down from the limbs and lay it flat on the ground.. There is close to 100 feet total wire length all the way from the tree tap point to the connection at the radio..There is a 12 foot section running vertically up the tree.. Apart from burying the lead-in wire; I can't reduce
it's ability to capture signals and noise any further.. I won't make any conclusions based on a couple of hours of monitoring... I'll let it run overnight and see what the results are on Mon.. I am of course using WSPR on 630 meters.. Make of this what you will; but on Sun. night,
XXM was the spot catcher of the 1 watt stations, and NO decodes from XKA.. However ,tonite, after laying the wire on the ground; XKA is decoding repeatedly... XXM is in there, and I fully expect that as the night goes on, he will get stronger, and decode more often.. BTW, I can " Hear " Jay - XGR/2 with just a clip lead connected.. no surprise there though..
__________________________________________________________
OK.. To make this Tree-Tenna actually receive a signal, I had to use a variable Inductor in series with the lead-in wire, and hung an air variable to ground on the antenna side for peaking.. Then, it started to hear signals.. To answer the question whether it is just the wire doing the receiving; the only way to find that out will be to cut the wire and leave it hanging on the side of the tree, and see if it changes reception.. That; I will do a bit later.. Before that;I want to try it on 1750 meters, and possibly 2200 meters to see if it will receive signals, as is.. That's enough for this posting.. more details later as my experiment proceeds..
73 to all: Andy , KU4XR
Re: KU4XR Tree-Tenna 630 meter WSPR Results
Posted by Andy - KU4XR on February 03, 2014 at 16:16:53.
In reply to Re: KU4XR Tree-Tenna Experiment Note-1 posted by Andy - KU4XR on February 03, 2014
Good day Gentlemen:
As of 6 am EDST ( 11 UTC )
WD2XSH/12 - 16 spots ... the most in one night for his station
WG2XKA - 65 spots ... and still coming in as it is still dark
WG2XXM - 138 spots ... and still coming in
WG2XIQ - 80 spots .. last trace was at 5:58 am slot, then appears to have gone into a fade and disappeared
WE2XGR - 36 spots
I didn't have the time this morning to compare receptions to Sun night, but, I'll try to do that later, just for the numbers..
Weather overnight was a steady soaking rain from the passing frontal system,and temps in the low 40's F ... No Solar activity reported ... Have no foundation to base it on, but appears that band conditions were good last night ...The soil is saturated, and the lead-in wire is laying on the ground as I mentioned in my last post, I do not know what effect that may, or may not have had on the
Tree-Tenna performance overnight..
Thanks to the transmitting stations for the signals .. 73 to all for now:
Andy , KU4XR
Re: KU4XR Tree-Tenna Experiment
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on February 03, 2014 at 17:54:07.
In reply to KU4XR Tree-Tenna Experiment posted by Andy - KU4XR on February 03, 2014
Hi Andy Afternoon Hifers in NE IL
A tree is also a good antenna for ELF. Way back in 1958, I first tried it with an audio amp. what inspired me was an article on the "Baxter effect", plants emitting pulses vs peoples thoughts in a magazine that I don't recall since it's been so long when I was a young nerd in middle school. I revisited in 1992 and used "tree probes" with a better amplifier scheme and heard spherics, and whistlers. The tree scheme was also used for an experimental transmitting antenna in another article, I think in the 1970s.
Later.........
Posted by Garry on February 04, 2014 at 22:07:06.
The watering hole is nicely populated today with the usual 3 sources: NC, EH, and USC (high-to-low in frequency). Elsewhere, both PBJ and MTI are also coming in well.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: Hifers today - GNK, FRC, AJO, EH, SIW, 7P
Posted by Ward K7PO on February 05, 2014 at 01:45:19.
In reply to Hifers today - GNK, FRC, AJO, EH, SIW, 7P posted by Mark AB0CW / WG2XNI on February 02, 2014
Mark,
Thanks for posting. That's probably the best capture of 7P I've seen so far. If you don't mind, I'd like to have the MP3 of AJO. They are located at the same site, about 60 feet apart. Oh yeah, what's your QTH?
Ward K7PO No Maine NDBs heard?
In southern AZ, where it was in the 70's today.
Posted by Lee in Maine on February 05, 2014 at 15:32:07.
Hi people.
I'm up on the NB/ME border. I'm getting lots of Maritime/QC/ON traffic in the form of NDBs and DGPS stations.
I'm getting Maine DGPS stations.
I'm not getting a single Maine NDB.
Are they still on or have they all been decommissioned? I see one listing in the RNA database for a Maine NDB heard this year...
(Next time I'm down in Presque Isle I gotta take a radio with me and see if PQ is anywhere to be heard.)
TIA for any light you can shed on this,
Lee
Re: Hifers today - GNK, FRC, AJO, EH, SIW, 7P
Posted by Mark AB0CW on February 06, 2014 at 02:19:24.
In reply to Re: Hifers today - GNK, FRC, AJO, EH, SIW, 7P posted by Ward K7PO on February 05, 2014
QTH here is Westminster, CO, near Denver, grid square DM79kv. I'll send you the AJO mp3. Suggest you wear headphones while listening, it's pretty weak !
Mark AB0CW / WG2XNI Re: No Maine NDBs heard?
Westminster, CO, currently -8F !
Posted by John Davis on February 06, 2014 at 20:18:47.
In reply to No Maine NDBs heard? posted by Lee in Maine on February 05, 2014
Although there are not nearly as many are there used to be, there are supposed to be several Maine NDBs still on. The ones shown below are listed both at the DX Information Centre website and also turn up on the www.airnav.com/navaids search by frequency, providing some hope that they may still be with us. Although that's not absolute confirmation they're still on, I have omitted six others that were not verifiable by at least two sources.
LIF 220 Limestone
RGM 221 Rangeley
SZO 227 Freyburg
XQA 236 Greenville
EPM 260 Eastport
OLD 272 Old Town
BST 278 Belfast
BUP 348 Pittsfield
SUH 356 Owls Head
That may give you some targets to look for, at least.
John
20 meter QRP beacon
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on February 08, 2014 at 18:27:41.
For a keep your sanity in a long cold winter project, I cooked up a matrix ID and a QRP 500 mW out CW 20 meter beacon. Now running on 14.0638 MHz sending K1RGO/B at ~ 8wpm CW. I'm using a tuned 120' long wire. Anyone interested while cooped up due to ice covered snow and miserable WX can give a listen to help break the boredom. Below 9 KHz
Later...........Sal,K1RGO
Posted by AG6YM on February 11, 2014 at 03:29:11.
I was reading Part 2 of the FCC rules, and learned that frequencies below 9KHz are not allocated. Is this because they are completely useless? If there are stations in these regions who operates them? Re: Below 9 KHz
Thanks
AG6YM
Posted by John Davis on February 11, 2014 at 04:57:02.
In reply to Below 9 KHz posted by AG6YM on February 11, 2014
Not completely useless, but more trouble than they're worth for commercial transmissions. The military have experimented there often, for the same reason that VLF is used for submarine communication, but currently the main activity is geological and geophysical research.
Some amateurs do experiment below 9 kHz, and in fact, the activity is fairly popular in Europe at this time, though I'm surprised that anyone hears anything with some of the receiving setups I see described. At any rate, here are some links to the ham activity that may be of interest:
http://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/
http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2011/03/vlf-dreamers-band-video.html
John Re: Below 9 KHz
Posted by AG6YM on February 11, 2014 at 06:30:39.
In reply to Re: Below 9 KHz posted by John Davis on February 11, 2014
Thanks for the response Mr. Davis
If this is such a popular activity in Europe why don't more US hams xmit below 9 KHz. Do they agree with the commercial people? Or is the licensing too hard and/or too expensive for average Joes?
AG6YM
Re: Below 9 KHz
Posted by John, W1TAG on February 11, 2014 at 18:13:37.
In reply to Re: Below 9 KHz posted by AG6YM on February 11, 2014
"Popular" in Europe means that there are probably 20 or less involved with the activity. As you will see from reading the references that John Davis posted, the communication taking place is very limited -- turning on a carrier for a morning, and seeing if it makes a dot on a very narrow bandwidth FFT display. I'd guess that most hams don't have much interest in that. The signal to noise ratios involved are extremely small, and reception techniques require much digital processing, and oscillators locked to commercial/military VLF signals.
Regarding licensing, conventional thought here in the U.S. that "not allocated" means just go ahead and play around, taking care not to interfere with any licensed services higher up in frequency (by harmonics or spurs). By that approach, no license would be needed. The mindset in other countries might run contrary to this, with the feeling that regulatory permissions should be obtained before entering an activity that does not already appear to be regulated.
Be advised that the 9 kHz upper limit on this is likely to be revised down to something like 8.3 kHz, due to protection being offered internationally to lightning detection services that monitor the range just below 9 kHz. But for the moment, the U.S. hasn't changed the rule.
Personally, I think this range would be troublesome in many residential settings, as it could easily be picked up in home electronics, and could get quite annoying. Just a thought...
John, W1TAG
Re: Below 9 KHz
Posted by John Davis on February 11, 2014 at 18:52:07.
In reply to Re: Below 9 KHz posted by John, W1TAG on February 11, 2014
"Personally, I think this range would be troublesome in many residential settings, as it could easily be picked up in home electronics, and could get quite annoying."
True. Regardless of allocated frequency status, the effects on other people's electronics cannot be ignored. Much of the existing activity involves types of antennas that are impractical in a residential environment anyway, so that probably mitigates interference potential somewhat. The awkwardness of implementing effective antennas is also part of the reason there aren't more people experimenting at such low frequencies.
Re: Below 9 KHz
Posted by AG6YM on February 12, 2014 at 01:40:35.
In reply to Re: Below 9 KHz posted by John Davis on February 11, 2014
I get it, it's not popular in Europe just most of the experimenting is being done there. I know for a fact that I am not interested in listening to a carrier for hours. I am however interested in the 1750m LowFER band. (I was reading FCC Part 2 to figure out how LowFER operators get non US call signs). I actually just designed a LowFER XMTR, and once I get enough non 30 gauge wire to build a variometer (rather expensive for an 11th Grader like me), I will probably get on the air on that band. Unless I can use 30 gauge wire, I already have a hundreds of feet of that.
Re: Below 9 KHz
Posted by Andy - KU4XR on February 12, 2014 at 04:29:27.
In reply to Re: Below 9 KHz posted by AG6YM on February 12, 2014
Part-15 is where you will find the rules that pertain to lowFER operation.. You can use 30 guage wire for your variometer, but, yes it will be more lossy ( resistive ) than larger size wire.. However, the larger the wire, the more length, and space it takes to get the Inductance you'll need.. I built my lowFER variometer on an orange 5 gallon bucket from home depot, and used wire that was about 28 guage that I scavenged from cheap 4 conductor telephone wire.. You can see a photo of my variometer here.. : "6R' 180.58, El Dorado Hills, Ca is off-the-air
http://ku4xr.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=103021789
Good luck with your lowFER adventure, and 73: Andy - KU4XR
Posted by Ed Larsen on February 13, 2014 at 04:07:12.
CW beacon 6R is off-the-air. It looks like the transmitter was blown due to nearby lightning. I'll replace the MOSFET within a couple of weeks, and post an update. 73s, Ed, KI6R.
How can I best match my spifire AM transmitter?
Posted by Thomas Schneider on February 13, 2014 at 17:36:36.
I have bought a such called Spitfire AM transmitter ( http://www.vcomp.co.uk/spitfire/spitfire.htm ) and I want to optimize its 3 metres antenna as good as possible by switching a series inductivity between the antenna and the transmitter. In order to find out the best value for the inductivity and the best way to construct this coil, I have got the following questions and I would be glad, if you can answer them:
1.) Which is the formula to calculate the ( static) capacity and ( static) inductivity of a vertical wire over a conductive plain?
2.) which is the best formula for calculating the inductivity of a coil with a core of non-magnetic material?
3.) How do I best build the coil? Do I build better a long thin or a short fat coil? Which wire is the best?
Czech longwave - 2 weeks left
Posted by Mike Terry on February 14, 2014 at 18:50:42.
There are just two weeks left for you to listen to the Czech Republic on longwave, as it is marked for closure at the end of February. The ending of transmissions on 270 will leave a completely empty channel across Europe, presumably for the first time on either longwave or mediumwave since the early days of radio.
Re: No Maine NDBs heard?
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 15, 2014 at 12:46:12.
In reply to Re: No Maine NDBs heard? posted by John Davis on February 06, 2014
While monitoring for other NDBs last night, I noticed that BST on 278 kHz from Belfast, Maine was coming in fine on LSB with an offset of 1050 Hz and interval of 7.63 seconds. http://www.classaxe.com/dx/ndb/rna/signal_list indicates 11 Maine NDBs have been received in the last year. Probably most if not all of them are still active.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z
Posted by Jim on February 15, 2014 at 18:03:05.
o Freq shift looks to be about 7 Hz
o Using Spectrum Lab to look at output of IC-756Pro3
Narrowed up Spec Lab to view the shift ... amazing what one can see using this technique.
Jim
Re: Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z
Posted by John H. Davis on February 15, 2014 at 18:07:46.
In reply to Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z posted by Jim on February 15, 2014
"amazing what one can see using this technique"
Yes indeed. Where are you located, Jim? Re: Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z
Posted by Jim on February 15, 2014 at 18:24:36.
In reply to Re: Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z posted by John H. Davis on February 15, 2014
Hi John.
Oops ... sorry! In Texas, near Dallas.
Using a vertically-oriented tuned QW Edginton-type loop which seems to yield better signal strength and a little less noise than using an 80m 1/2 wave dipole through a tuner.
Dipole apex at 32' w/sloping arms and vert QW tuned loop bottom at 12' about earth.
I am used to running WSPR on 160, 80 and 40m bands where signals are a little stronger.
Still seeing USC bcn at 18:22z ... need to install S/W to decode it next. Eyeballing the signals using Spec Lab so far.
Jim
Re: Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z
Posted by John Davis on February 15, 2014 at 18:39:44.
In reply to Re: Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z posted by Jim on February 15, 2014
Thanks for the additional information, Jim. Excellent results, and apparently a pretty effective receiving setup!
I would be intrigued to find software that would decode slow FSK signals like USC's. Most of us simply do it visually.
John
Re: Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z
Posted by Jim on February 15, 2014 at 19:45:17.
In reply to Re: Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z posted by John Davis on February 15, 2014
Confirmed; "USC". Had to find the optimal settings for Spectrum Lab and then the band was cooperative for several cycles in a row and confirmed the three-letter identifier.
Was going on the basis of freq 'keying' shift before, but this confirms it.
Might put the 30 dB power pad inline with the transceiver here and have a go at it ...
. . 2 Watts --> 30 dB power pad --> 2 milliwatts
Need to work up a wav file with the proper CW and shift for DFCW/QRSS3 though ... there is probably a utility that does that already, or I could use Sound Forge and create something.
Jim
Also seeing traces of SIW @ 13.555.440 MHz 2000z
Posted by Jim on February 15, 2014 at 20:03:50.
In reply to Re: Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z posted by John Davis on February 15, 2014
Also seeing traces of SIW @ 13.555.440 MHz 2000z and sometimes SIW at 430 ... much less at 430 compared to 440 though.
USC really strong at the moment.
Jim
Who would be active at 13.555.616 MHz 2006z?
Posted by Jim on February 15, 2014 at 20:11:21.
In reply to Re: Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z posted by John Davis on February 15, 2014
An identifiable 4 Hz or so shifted DFCW signal with base freq 13.555.616 MHz moments ago ... no chance yet to make out the identifier.
As I typed this and checked some things the signal faded substantially ...
Jim
Copy MTI and PBJ on 557.540 and 557.576 2020z
Posted by Jim on February 15, 2014 at 20:23:02.
In reply to Re: Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z posted by John Davis on February 15, 2014
Also copied these two stations
MTI on 557.540
PBJ on 557.576 - a little drifted from what's listed.
Jim
AJO on 13.558.511 MHz 2106z
Posted by Jim on February 15, 2014 at 21:08:01.
In reply to Re: Copy USC FSK bcn on 13.555.380 MHz 1630z posted by John Davis on February 15, 2014
I can also see why FDCW is preferred over straight CW too!
hifers heard
Jim
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on February 16, 2014 at 00:30:25.
I copied MTI on 13.5575 quite well tonight at 1210 UTC, also GNK was coming through the crud, 569. In the hole I could only see SIW wid QSB. EH Becomes HEE HEE ?
By the way, right now it's snowing big time here......again
later......... Sal
Posted by John Davis on February 16, 2014 at 02:49:46.
You never know what you'll see in the HiFER band. Earlier in the afternoon, I didn't see either 7P or EH here in SE Kansas. Later, though, 7P was present with considerable short-term fading...it took several cycles to get the mostly-complete IDs shown here. But then I realized EH seemed to be having an outright identity crisis:
Note the bifurcation already starting to appear on the EH signal. It wasn't the only one to show it today. I'll have another post for that topic.
John
Re: Who would be active at 13.555.616 MHz 2006z?
Posted by John Davis on February 16, 2014 at 02:58:18.
In reply to Who would be active at 13.555.616 MHz 2006z? posted by Jim on February 15, 2014
That's very possibly NC, which doesn't actually identify in FSK Morse, but uses a continuous "square wave" shift as its graphical identifier. As with EH/HEE, it tends to drift around with ambient temperature. You probably won't see it in exactly the same spot tomorrow.
John
LowFER Call signs
Posted by AG6YM on February 16, 2014 at 03:07:45.
How do LowFER stations acquire call signs, I saw no references anywhere in Part 15.
Thanks,
AG6YM
Re: LowFER Call signs
Posted by John Davis on February 16, 2014 at 03:52:47.
In reply to LowFER Call signs posted by AG6YM on February 16, 2014
Call signs for Part 15 activity are self-assigned. The FCC used to have an informational brochure that included a discussion of this, but I'm not sure if it is currently available. The general principle is that you can identify in any way that cannot be mistaken for a station in a licensed service. So, if you were operating in AM or FM mode in the applicable broadcast bands, you should not use a standard three or four letter broadcast-type call beginning with K or W. If beaconing at LF, you shouldn't use the ident of a real aerobeacon anywhere in your vicinity.
It's also not wise to use your full ham call, as that could be construed as out-of-band operation of your licensed station. Thus, many hams undertaking Part 15 operation use the final letters (or sometimes the number and final letters) of their amateur calls. But most anything that isn't a real call sign of a licensed station is usually OK.
It's a good idea also, of course, not to duplicate the identifier of another Part 15 station. Makes for a lot of confusion when reporting reception. <g> A check of our Operator Info page at the LowFER/HiFER link from the LWCA home page is recommended.
John
Bifurcating HiFERs
Posted by John Davis on February 16, 2014 at 04:19:21.
The effect I have increasingly observed on EH over the past year began showing up on other beacons as well over the winter. This set of captures from January 13 will look familiar to LOWDOWN readers:
Today, for the first time, I saw signs of it trying to happen to SIW slant mode! It doesn't show up very strongly here, but the uncharacteristic raggedness of the trace resolves into two barely separated traces in some captures, the lower of which is apparently more affected by fading than the main signal. Earlier in the afternoon, and again right at sunset, the signal was its usual clean self.
Overall, it was a fairly good day for HiFERs. I saw or heard USC, the SIWs, EH/HEE, 7P, NC, MTI, PBJ, and GNK. Level fluctuations were very wide on MTI, PBJ, and GNK...even more so than the watering hole stations. Often made it hard to get more than a letter or two at a time on the CW beacons, and PBJ's long characters tended to be broken and hard to recognize at times.
John
Re: Bifurcating HiFERs
Posted by Jim on February 16, 2014 at 16:22:06.
In reply to Bifurcating HiFERs posted by John Davis on February 16, 2014
Interesting ... by inference (deductive reasoning) then one can conclude that two different paths existed for a period of time, one perhaps stationary and another 'moving' (as it were) in order to induce a relatively constant Doppler frequency shift, as exhibited on the Argo screen caps ...
Jim
Re: Bifurcating HiFERs
Posted by John Davis on February 16, 2014 at 17:13:57.
In reply to Re: Bifurcating HiFERs posted by Jim on February 16, 2014
Yes, I think that's the best hypothesis at this point.
I've got a series of captures showing "real" EH on a day when its frequency is fairly steady, then gradually a "ghost" EH fades in a Hz or two lower in frequency. The usual course of events is that this state of affairs persists for several minutes, then the secondary trace gradually works its way up in frequency and either fades out or merges with the original. On the day in question, though, the receding path became the stronger one and the primary path faded out completely for several minutes; after which, the main path gradually returned and the receding one faded. If you look at the captures from a distance, it looks just as if EH dipped in frequency by about 1.5 Hz and then returned. It's only if you look closely enough to see the two traces coexisting that you realize one temporarily replaced the other.
What's odd to me is that I've been listening and watching from my farm for three years now, and the effect never showed up at all during the first two years. About a year ago, it happened once on the EH signal. Some months later, it began happening on an intermittent basis. Now it's almost a daily occurence in the late afternoons, and also happens to other signals at times.
This January, after witnessing the effect on three HiFERs in the same afternoon, I stumbled across the KL7L 30 meter grabber in Alaska and saw the effect was also quite common on that band at the same time.
Perhaps there is some phenomenon unique to Solar Max or the downslope therefrom that has gone unnoticed in the past, before so many people were watching signals with spectrum analysis?
John
Re: hifers heard
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on February 16, 2014 at 18:03:59.
In reply to hifers heard posted by Sal,K1RGO on February 16, 2014
Correction on the time, it was 0010 UTC , my 24hr clock died, had to use my alarm clock set to UTC
Re: How can I best match my spifire AM transmitter?
Posted by John Davis on February 16, 2014 at 18:11:11.
In reply to How can I best match my spifire AM transmitter? posted by Thomas Schneider on February 13, 2014
Hi Thomas. Having looked at the description of the Spitfire transmitter, I'm not sure whether you will need a matching coil. It claims to be able to match a 3 meter antenna by itself. Therefor, I think you will do better to experiment with it first rather than try to calculate and construct a coil which ultimately might not be needed.
I would first see what results I could get with whatever tuneup procedure is recommended in the owner's manual. Then find an inductor of 100 to 250 microhenry (depending on whether you plan to operate on a high or low frequency), insert it in series with the antenna temporarily, and go through the tuneup procedure again. If the results improve, then I would consider an external matching coil.
As for calculations of antenna capacitance, there are "rules of thumb" which don't always agree with each other, but I have found values in the vicinity of 20 pF to be fairly typical for 3 meter whips that I have used. If the antenna were a metal pipe instead of wire, the capacitance would be greater. The inductance of that length of wire is small enough to ignore at AM frequencies.
If a coil does prove desirable with the transmitter, the chances are that it would need to be a fairly high impedance, which would favor a longer and relatively thin coil. At mediumwave, Litz wire (Litzendraht) offers low resistance to RF energy, but good results can be obtained with regular enamelled magnet wire as well.
John
Starting up a carrier on 13.555,600 MHz at 2100z
Posted by Jim on February 16, 2014 at 21:06:01.
Just on for a brief test for awhile.
Signal source is an HP sig gen putting out +3 dBm or 2 milliwatts of RF.
No modulation, no shifting ... just a carrier.
Any one sees it, let me know here.
I can shift it manually in 10 Hz steps to confirm.
Actual Freq will be +- 5 Hz.
Jim Off at 2355z
Posted by Jim on February 16, 2014 at 23:55:29.
In reply to Starting up a carrier on 13.555,600 MHz at 2100z posted by Jim on February 16, 2014
Will try again tomorrow starting about 10 AM or so.
Jim
HiFers 15-17 Feb., 2014
Posted by EdWSlidell, LA on February 17, 2014 at 02:21:58.
After some rearranging of the receiving antennas, noticed that on 15 Feb., after 2100UT, and into the period of 0400UT on 16 Feb., that a couple of the stations were quite strong. MTI on about ~13557.5 and GNK on ~13564KHz were reaching the 579 level before 2300UT. About as strong as ever heard. Also heard were AJO on ~13558KHz(449 for a brief period), and K6FRC on ~13565KHz, after 0200UT, for an extended period, but only at 339 level. During 16/17 Feb., in the later part of the day, the same signals heard, but conditions were not as good, MTI and GNK only reaching S3/4 and FRC barely S3, with a lot of flutter on that signal. AJO not heard during this period. The 22m dipole about 20ft up is much quieter than the 20ft vertical located about 80ft further away from house. It also has about a 10dB better signal on the SWBC "WINB" (PA) on 13570KHz. Most noise seems to be vertically polarized after all. WX warming up here, so some ant. work possible. From the NOAA WX site, would not want to try that at the GNK location at this time. Ed WSlidell, LA EM50cg Re: LowFER Call signs
Posted by AG6YM on February 17, 2014 at 06:03:06.
In reply to Re: LowFER Call signs posted by John Davis on February 16, 2014
I like the call TTTT but I don't know what all the air beacon calls are. How can I find out.
AG6YM
On Monday at 1345z 2-17-2014 13.555.600 carrier
Posted by Jim on February 17, 2014 at 13:48:38.
In reply to Off at 2355z posted by Jim on February 16, 2014
Up again today for a test ... antenna is a tuned QW (QuarterWave) Edginton loop, 4 feet per side (4 ft square), total circumference 16 feet.
Jim
Monday 2130z now 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs 555.600
Posted by Jim on February 17, 2014 at 21:28:53.
In reply to On Monday at 1345z 2-17-2014 13.555.600 carrier posted by Jim on February 17, 2014
Just instituted some 'code' to step the frequency back and
forth 10 Hz (DFCW?) to allow easier ID of the signal ...
Jim
Off at 2355z Re:Monday 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs
Posted by Jim on February 17, 2014 at 23:29:58.
In reply to Monday 2130z now 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs 555.600 posted by Jim on February 17, 2014
Be back tomorrow ... maybe get spotted then?
Jim
USC EH 7P + Dasher seen tonite 2-18-2014 0035z
Posted by Jim on February 18, 2014 at 01:38:33.
Using ARGO was able to ID the follow HiFERS tonight:
0035z (6:35 CST)
13.555.483 7P
13.555.445 EH
13.555.384 USC
0043z (6:43 CST)
13.557.537 Dasher
Also SIW slant was seen a little later
Location: north of Dallas, Texas
Antenna: A QW (4' sq, 16' circumference) tuned Edginton loop up 12 ft above ground
Jim
Re: Off at 2355z Re:Monday 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs
Posted by John Davis on February 18, 2014 at 04:08:31.
In reply to Off at 2355z Re:Monday 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs posted by Jim on February 17, 2014
Been pretty much tied up and unable to get to the field the last couple of days, but maybe I can get down there to look for you tomorrow.
John
On 1610z Tues, 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs 13.555.600
Posted by Jim on February 18, 2014 at 16:05:39.
In reply to Re: Off at 2355z Re:Monday 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs posted by John Davis on February 18, 2014
Okay John.
I'm putting it back on the air in a few moments.
Jim
Re: Off at 2355z Re:Monday 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs
Posted by Jim on February 18, 2014 at 17:27:47.
In reply to Re: Off at 2355z Re:Monday 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs posted by John Davis on February 18, 2014
John, you might post what time you are able to monitor and I will double check and assure everything is operating here.
I presently have a PC running a LabView app which 'talks' to an IEEE-488 interface card to repeatedly 'toggle' a signal generator to operate on two different frequencies (right around 13.555,600 MHz) that differ by 10 Hz every three seconds.
My main interest is to see if my antenna is sufficiently efficient to use for this application, at which point I'll work to make things a little more permanent, for longer term beaconing.
If this looks promising, I'll add more to the code to do an actual ID (of two or three Mores characters) instead of this simple 'toggling' between two frequencies.
Jim Re: On 1610z Tues, 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs 13.555.600
Posted by John Davis on February 18, 2014 at 20:06:34.
In reply to On 1610z Tues, 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs 13.555.600 posted by Jim on February 18, 2014
Had a surprising amount of errands to run today, too, but will be down on the farm listening in a few minutes.
John
Copy that ... everything is working here ...
Posted by Jim on February 18, 2014 at 20:23:42.
In reply to Re: On 1610z Tues, 10 Hz shifting every 3 secs 13.555.600 posted by John Davis on February 18, 2014
Just verified freq shift on the Icom 756Pro2 receiver ...
Jim
Decreased the rate to 5 secs on each of the two freqs..
Posted by Jim on February 18, 2014 at 20:50:06.
In reply to Copy that ... everything is working here ... posted by Jim on February 18, 2014
.. just in case 3 secs was too fast.
This was at about 2045z or 2:45 CST.
Jim
Re: Decreased the rate to 5 secs on each of the two freqs..
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 18, 2014 at 22:03:24.
In reply to Decreased the rate to 5 secs on each of the two freqs.. posted by Jim on February 18, 2014
Jim, I'm seeing your square wave weakly above NC at 2145Z. The low tone frequency is 13555600 Hz and the high tone is up 10 Hz as you've noted. Don't know what your QTH is. Think it was mentioned in one of the earlier emails but there are so many I can't find it. Good practice would be to cite your name and QTH with every posting.
MP is sending QRSS in between USC and EH. Don't often see that short skip. Earlier this morning I copied 7P above EH but it's not in there now. Higher up MTI and PBJ are doing well as usual.
73, Garry, K3SIW, Elgin, IL EN52ta
You have it ...
Posted by Jim on February 18, 2014 at 22:28:45.
In reply to Re: Decreased the rate to 5 secs on each of the two freqs.. posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 18, 2014
It looks like you have spotted my signal, Garry.
I verified the sig gen output against the 756P2 and
that is within a cycle of WWV at 10 MHz and looking
just now I am at 13.555,601 and 555,610 respectively.
Good idea Garry. I'll put location at the bottom from
now on.
I was copying USC and PBJ earlier today. Did not spend a lot
of time looking for others, as I was actively xmitting from earlier in the day.
Jim
Allen Tx, EM13qc
Re: You have it ...
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 18, 2014 at 22:45:31.
In reply to You have it ... posted by Jim on February 18, 2014
Thanks Jim. I thought you were in TX but wasn't sure. Saw your signal rather late in the afternoon. It probably would have been stronger earlier in the day, but just got back from running errands. Receiving with the vertical antenna I use for my slash code hifer and an SDR-IQ whose clock is externally generated and locked to GPS. Thanks for putting on a new signal to look for.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Upcoming sked - tomorrow on abt 10 AM CST Wed and -
Posted by Jim on February 18, 2014 at 23:09:28.
In reply to Re: You have it ... posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 18, 2014
Upcoming sked ... tomorrow on abt 10 AM CST Wed. and on for the rest of the day, although we have T-storms later in the day Wed. and into evening and Thurs.
So, will be playing it by ear after Wed afternoon and Thur.
But on for sure Wed. morning about 10 AM.
Jim
Allen Tx, EM13qc
Off in about 30 mins Tue 2355z on 13.555,600
Posted by Jim on February 18, 2014 at 23:27:44.
In reply to Upcoming sked - tomorrow on abt 10 AM CST Wed and - posted by Jim on February 18, 2014
Just an update to plans this evening ...
Jim
Allen Tx, EM13qc
Re: Upcoming sked - tomorrow on abt 10 AM CST Wed and -
Posted by John Davis on February 19, 2014 at 06:17:20.
In reply to Upcoming sked - tomorrow on abt 10 AM CST Wed and - posted by Jim on February 18, 2014
No luck here in SE Kansas, either mid or late afternoon. We may be separated by one of those awkward skip distances.
Did see USC, both SIW signals, EH (drifted down right on top of SIW slant), 7P later in the afternoon, and NC at the watering hole. Up a bit, there were MTI and PBJ, with lots slower and less deep fades than Saturday; and GNK was slightly audible.
My final HiFER check of the day was at 7 PM CST, when I was still seeing USC, EH, and a little bit of SIW slant (but no QRSS6), still some copy of PBJ and MTI, and a little AJO.
Will try again Wednesday if the rain holds off here.
John
Fixing to come up on 13.555,550 with a sq wave Wed.
Posted by Jim on February 19, 2014 at 16:01:18.
Fixing to come up on 13.555,550 (+10 hz shift) with a sq wave today,
Wed., 2-19-2014
Noticed active this morning "NC" on 13.555,595 about 1552z 9:52 AM CST
Also evident about 1530z 9:310 AM CST were:
SIW . 431
Slant 440
7P .. 480
USC . 369
Jim
Allen Tx, EM13qc
This -->13. 555.550 with sq wave ... Wed 2-19-2014
Posted by Jim on February 19, 2014 at 16:12:03.
In reply to Fixing to come up on 13.555,550 with a sq wave Wed. posted by Jim on February 19, 2014
This is different from previous days, as I now am seeing "NC" sq wave just below .600 and don't want to be too close to NC beacon.
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx, EM13qc
Re: Observations and all ...
Posted by Jim on February 19, 2014 at 17:21:40.
In reply to Re: Upcoming sked - tomorrow on abt 10 AM CST Wed and - posted by John Davis on February 19, 2014
Thanks for taking a look, John.
I've got it running again today (Wed. 2-19-2014), on a little different frequency than yesterday as I saw NC was near where I was!
Jim
Allen/Dallas, Tx, EM13qc
Re: This -->13. 555.550 with sq wave ... Wed 2-19-2014
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 19, 2014 at 18:55:31.
In reply to This -->13. 555.550 with sq wave ... Wed 2-19-2014 posted by Jim on February 19, 2014
Jim, I powered down my hifers and have been looking for your signal about an hour. I do see a signal near 13555550 Hz, but it is the 5 Hz shift square wave of NC, not your signal. Guess Dex's beacon has drifted down in frequency. I see bits from MP and USC is strong. Nothing from EH at the moment. It faded out or went QRT. MTI is good further up the band.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Changing to a 20 Hz shift at 1:02 PM CST 1902z Wed
Posted by Jim on February 19, 2014 at 19:03:39.
In reply to Re: This -->13. 555.550 with sq wave ... Wed 2-19-2014 posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 19, 2014
Subj: "Changing to a 20 Hz shift at 1:02 PM CST 1902z Wed"
Copy Garry.
You might be seeing my beacon. NC was around 13.555.595 a few hours ago and I was near 13.555.550 with a +10Hz shift.
I will change the shift to 20 Hz for the rest of the day to allow easier IDing ... need to write more code if I want to output a set of Morse characters for an ID ...
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx, EM13qc Changed to a 1:2 ratio - HighF to LowF rectangular waveshape
Posted by Jim on February 19, 2014 at 19:19:43.
In reply to Changing to a 20 Hz shift at 1:02 PM CST 1902z Wed posted by Jim on February 19, 2014
Changed to a 1:2 ratio - HighF to LowF rectangular waveshape
About 5 secs High freq and 10 secs Low freq.
Verified using ARGO here locally.
Maybe this will be easier to ID compared to "NC" beacon.
Freq shows that low freq is a little below 550 and then shifts up by +20 Hz.
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx, EM13qc
now at 13.555.517 and shift to 13.555.527 1:2 ratio H/L
Posted by Jim on February 19, 2014 at 19:28:44.
In reply to Changed to a 1:2 ratio - HighF to LowF rectangular waveshape posted by Jim on February 19, 2014
now at 13.555.517 and shift to 13.555.527 1:2 ratio H/L
I powered down for a couple mins and saw "NC" so I moved lower ..
Jim Re: now at 13.555.517 and shift to 13.555.527 1:2 ratio H/L
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 19, 2014 at 19:36:41.
In reply to now at 13.555.517 and shift to 13.555.527 1:2 ratio H/L posted by Jim on February 19, 2014
Jim, starting to see your signal now (1935Z). Interesting that NC is good but both EH and USC have disappeared. A bit of MP, which is a pretty short skip, is in there too.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: now at 13.555.517 and shift to 13.555.527 1:2 ratio H/L
Posted by John Davis on February 19, 2014 at 22:25:12.
In reply to Re: now at 13.555.517 and shift to 13.555.527 1:2 ratio H/L posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 19, 2014
So far all I've seen identifiably are USC, 7P, and NC today in SE Kansas. Came back to town for a few minutes to check mail, so now that I have a better idea where to look, maybe I'll see something.
John
Beacon still on as of 0035z 6:35 PM CST
Posted by Jim on February 20, 2014 at 00:35:46.
In reply to Re: now at 13.555.517 and shift to 13.555.527 1:2 ratio H/L posted by John Davis on February 19, 2014
Just a quick update ..
Jim
Re: Beacon still on as of 0035z 6:35 PM CST
Posted by John Davis on February 20, 2014 at 00:54:47.
In reply to Beacon still on as of 0035z 6:35 PM CST posted by Jim on February 20, 2014
Still no copy by the time I had to pack up and leave the field at 0030 when the showers started. I kept watching right up until then, in hopes gray line propagation might help with the skip zone. Unfortunately, the codar pulsed emissions were stronger than everybody except 7P by then, and even he had trouble with them at times. Will go back and review all the afternoon captures in case I missed something, though.
John
Beacon off 0255z 8:55 PM CST Wed.
Posted by Jim on February 20, 2014 at 02:54:42.
In reply to Re: Beacon still on as of 0035z 6:35 PM CST posted by John Davis on February 20, 2014
Will play it by ear tomorrow ...
73 and thanks to John and Garry for observing.
Jim
Allen/Dallas, Tx, EM13qc
Shifting 13.555.512 to 555.522 (10 Hz) THU afternoon
Posted by Jim on February 20, 2014 at 21:02:13.
Been on and off today, observing signals and am now active,
shifting from 13.555.1512 to 555.522 THU afternoon with a
1:3 H/L freq ratio rectangular wave. 10 sec / 30 sec to be
specific. This seems to show up okay using ARGO.
Positioned between a couple other signals as I last saw a few
minutes ago.
Will check again a little later to assure I am on a clear freq.
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx EM13qc
Local ARGO screen capture
Posted by Jim on February 20, 2014 at 21:23:15.
In reply to Shifting 13.555.512 to 555.522 (10 Hz) THU afternoon posted by Jim on February 20, 2014
Here's what I 'look' like locally (with signal generator output turned way, way down!):
http://i61.tinypic.com/2n8yeef.jpg
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx, EM13qc Re: Local ARGO screen capture
Posted by John Davis on February 20, 2014 at 21:50:51.
In reply to Local ARGO screen capture posted by Jim on February 20, 2014
Pretty distinctive on a local capture, but I suspect it may be harder to copy at a distance than a shorter cycle would be. At 22 m, propagation can fluctuate quite a bit in 5 seconds, let alone 30, with the result that solid traces can end up broken into pseudo dots and dashes. This is sometimes a problem in being sure I'm looking at PBJ's 6 second dots and 18 second dashes.
Another point to consider is that wider frequency shifts tend to be harder to recognize by eye as part of the same signal, if the traces are less than perfectly solid at the receiving end. If the two frequencies were separated by a smaller amount, say, only 4 or 5 Hz, the eye might be able to reconstruct the pattern a little more easily.
Doesn't look as if I'll be able to make it to the field before dark today, which for all practical purposes means no listening here until tomorrow. Temperatures are plunging right now and will be well below freezing before I could get out there this evening, unfortunately.
John Re: Local ARGO screen capture
Posted by Jim on February 20, 2014 at 22:39:06.
In reply to Re: Local ARGO screen capture posted by John Davis on February 20, 2014
John,
Unfortunately, I am limited to 10 Hz steps using this particular signal generator (model HP 8657A) when setting the frequency (it does 10 Hz steps only.)
I can do 1 Hz steps with an HP 8660C I have, but, the last time I tried using it the output was all goofy! The 8860C is also a bit bigger/heavier than the 8657A and I have 'drivers' in LabVIEW to easily talk to the 8657A.
Still experimenting/working up some code to do a proper CW ID sequence too.
Also thinking of writing the 'code' here to observe a 'quiet period' here on property to allow a receiver to be used during those quiet periods. It would work something like this:
. Minute marks
. 00 - 15 local beacon active
. 15 - 30 quiet period for local receiver operation
. 30 - 45 local beacon active
. 45 - 00 quiet period for local receiver operation
What do you think?
Jim Operating 13.555.400 - .410 w/1:3 duty cycle 'pulse'
Allen/Dallas Tx, EM13qc
Posted by Jim on February 21, 2014 at 20:46:36.
Operating 13.555.400 - .410 with a 1:3 duty cycle wave
7.5 sec High / 22.5 sec Low = 30 sec period overall
Seeing USC and EH during my "quiet period" at 15-30 mins.
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx, EM13qc
Re: Operating 13.555.400 - .410 w/1:3 duty cycle 'pulse'
Posted by John Davis on February 21, 2014 at 22:21:54.
In reply to Operating 13.555.400 - .410 w/1:3 duty cycle 'pulse' posted by Jim on February 21, 2014
Sounds like those may be good compromise parameters where a 10 Hz shift is necessary. The scheduled quiet period to give yourself a chance to listen is a good idea too, IMO.
Haven't been able to get away today to listen, but I should be available tomorrow.
John
Seeing USC and EH and SIW 'slant' signals here 4:45PM CST
Posted by Jim on February 21, 2014 at 22:42:00.
In reply to Re: Operating 13.555.400 - .410 w/1:3 duty cycle 'pulse' posted by John Davis on February 21, 2014
Seeing USC and EH and SIW 'slant' signals here 4:45PM CST
http://i61.tinypic.com/2cgkhoy.jpg
Also have my signal in there (low Freq is just under 1400 in the waterfall) .. the attenuator is set for -95 dBm output power on the local sig gen to do this and using a separate antenna to receive.
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx, EM13qc Re: Seeing USC and EH and SIW 'slant' signals here 4:45PM CST
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 21, 2014 at 23:20:50.
In reply to Seeing USC and EH and SIW 'slant' signals here 4:45PM CST posted by Jim on February 21, 2014
Jim, I've been looking for your signal occasionally throughout the day. Saw a brief fade-up before your latest change, but nothing since. That is until your note about seeing SIW slant. Looked again and did spot you weakly above USC and just below MP. One of these days the path will perk up and you'll be strong.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Seeing EH, SIW Slant, USC at 2224z 4:24PM CST
Posted by Jim on February 22, 2014 at 22:28:14.
Seeing EH, SIW Slant and USC this afternoon 2224z 4:24PM CST
Also, have bcn on here on 13.555.400 + 10 Hz shift rectangle wave.
Operating guaranteed at 00-15 and 30-45 mins and doing perhaps some
listening during periods 15-30 and 45-00 mins.
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx, EM13qc
Re: Seeing EH, SIW Slant, USC at 2224z 4:24PM CST
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 23, 2014 at 14:37:54.
In reply to Seeing EH, SIW Slant, USC at 2224z 4:24PM CST posted by Jim on February 22, 2014
Jim, wasn't around to look last night but this morning I see your signal occasionally rising above the noise floor just above USC. EH and NC are in there too as usual, as are MTI and PBJ higher in the band.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: Seeing EH, SIW Slant, USC at 2224z 4:24PM CST
Posted by Jim on February 23, 2014 at 17:22:58.
In reply to Re: Seeing EH, SIW Slant, USC at 2224z 4:24PM CST posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 23, 2014
Roger that Garry! I've been letting things run overnight into the next day since the software has shown to be stable and outputting a reasonable pattern for identifying.
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx, EM13qc
Czech longwave closure date delayed
Posted by Mike Terry on February 24, 2014 at 14:13:50.
It will be officially announced on February 27 or 28 that the longwave 2058z 2:58CST screen capture USC SIW EH NC etc.
transmitter Topolna 270kHz will stay in operation even after February 28.
(Karel Honzik, Czech Republic, 0953 February 24, Hard Core DX)
Posted by Jim on February 24, 2014 at 21:07:42.
2058z 2:58 PM CST screen capture of USC SIW EH NC etc using Spectrum Lab
http://i57.tinypic.com/apfeoo.jpg
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx, EM13qc
Testing QRSS - 60 beacon on 74.321.5
Posted by Pat Bunn on February 25, 2014 at 00:21:41.
Will be testing my new loading coil all night tonight. All reports would be appreciated.
Re: Testing QRSS - 60 beacon on 74.321.5
Posted by W1FVB on February 25, 2014 at 16:55:45.
In reply to Testing QRSS - 60 beacon on 74.321.5 posted by Pat Bunn on February 25, 2014
I'll fire up my E-field Probe tonight and give it a listen. Re: Testing QRSS - 60 beacon on 74.321.5
I've tried before but usually only see CFH on 73.6 Khz
73, Frits W1FVB FN44ej
Posted by John Davis on February 25, 2014 at 23:23:53.
In reply to Re: Testing QRSS - 60 beacon on 74.321.5 posted by W1FVB on February 25, 2014
Pat indicates he might be about 1 Hz higher, or maybe a smidgen more, tonight. Two other stations are planning to be on the air this evening close to the originally stated frequency.
Re: Testing QRSS - 60 beacon on 74.3226 KHz
Posted by Pat Bunn on February 26, 2014 at 00:46:13.
In reply to Re: Testing QRSS - 60 beacon on 74.321.5 posted by John Davis on February 25, 2014
Testing tonight QRSS-60 on 74322.6 Hz at about 120 watts
HiFER Stations today in EM75xr
Posted by Andy - KU4XR on February 26, 2014 at 01:38:13.
Hi all: I monitored the HiFER band all day, and saw quite a few signals.. Some I can easily identify, and some I cant.. EH as always was explosively loud. and Both SIW's were in there all day.. The Slash Code signal on 440 Hz would occassionally rise high enough to be audible.. I was pleasantly surprised to see TAG in there with traces all day on 13,555.410 MHz. I was also seeing a " Dit-Dasher " with a 10 cycle spread between 390 to 400 Hz . There is a signal from 375 to 385 Hz that I can not make out at all.. Maybe because it's just noise of some kind.. Thru out the afternoon, I was seeing frequenct blips of signals at 475 Hz, and 490 Hz but too weak to ID .. Caught a couple of times when EH went off, and corrected frequency then came back on.. Both SIW's went off a couple of times, and then came back.. The receiving setup here is a Kenwood TS450S with dual 500 Hz filters, feeding a Vectronics Active audio filter set for 180 Hz BW.. The software is Spec Lab using its filtering, set for 170 Hz BW.. The Scroll rate is about every 3 seconds .. Here is a link to a decent capture from the afternoon.. I choose this one specifically because TAG shows up easily Identifiable in it.. http://ku4xr.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=189863697 ... Well that's it for now.. 73 to all: - Andy , KU4XR , Friendsville , TN. - EM75xr
Seeing Dallas Tx HiFER looks like
Posted by Jim on February 26, 2014 at 02:11:19.
In reply to HiFER Stations today in EM75xr posted by Andy - KU4XR on February 26, 2014
Interesting .. looks like you were seeing my 10 Hz shifted "Dit-Dasher" signal from 555.393 to 444.403
http://ku4xr.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=189863697
Total cycle time is 30 seconds: 7.5 secs high and 22.5 secs low, ot two pulses 10 Hz 'high' every minute.
Equipment used to output that signal is an HP 8657A signal generator set to +4 dBm (a tad bit over 2 milliwatts) into
a 4 foot square tuned vertical loop about 12 ft off the
ground. Some code written in LabVIEW talks to an IEE-488 interface card then onto the sig gen to affect the freq change.
Location is north of Dallas Texas, EM13qc grid square.
Jim
Re: HiFER Stations today in EM75xr
Posted by John Davis on February 26, 2014 at 02:13:55.
In reply to HiFER Stations today in EM75xr posted by Andy - KU4XR on February 26, 2014
Congratulations, Andy! It took me a while to see "TAG" in there (my eyes apparently don't distinguish yellow on orange so well any more) but that certainly looks like it between 1555 and 1557. Wonder when John put it back on?
As for the "dit-dasher," that is almost certainly the rectangle-wave signal from Jim in Dallas, who has been posting here recently. [Update: ...and I see he posted confirming that fact while I was still typing.]
It would appear that Spectrum Lab at these settings is roughly equivalent to Argo's QRSS6 speed in terms of time compression, as the SIW slant and QRSS6 signals are quite readable, but USC (whose FSK is at a 3-second dot rate) merges into two indistinct traces. That's what you're seeing centered around ~.380 in this capture.
John
Re: Testing QRSS - 60 beacon on 74.3226 KHz
Posted by Frits W1FVB on February 26, 2014 at 04:37:49.
In reply to Re: Testing QRSS - 60 beacon on 74.3226 KHz posted by Pat Bunn on February 26, 2014
I have to unplug for the night. But, no copy tonight in Whitefield, NH. When the snow melts , I hope to relocate my E-Field probe to a quieter location.
Frits
Re: HiFER Stations today in EM75xr
Posted by John, W1TAG on February 26, 2014 at 11:55:22.
In reply to Re: HiFER Stations today in EM75xr posted by John Davis on February 26, 2014
Andy, JD,
It's been on for a week or so, running on a lousy 40 meter dipole (with tuner). Not a permanent thing, but thought I'd add to the fun.
John, W1TAG
Re: HiFER Stations today in EM75xr
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 26, 2014 at 13:50:18.
In reply to Re: HiFER Stations today in EM75xr posted by John, W1TAG on February 26, 2014
TAG is coming through to NE IL just a bit after local sunrise, along with USC, EH, and NC at the hifer watering hole.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
10 Hz dit-dasher back on air 1407z 8:07 AM CST
Posted by Jim on February 26, 2014 at 14:08:09.
In reply to Re: HiFER Stations today in EM75xr posted by Garry, K3SIW on February 26, 2014
Done b/c of lightning in the area last night ...
Jim
Seeing USC SIW at 1646z 10:46 AM CST
Posted by Jim on February 26, 2014 at 16:54:23.
Seeing USC and SIW at 1646z 10:46 AM CST and seeing a trace of something
above SIW but not enough to make anything out.
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx, EM13qc
PS 10 Hz dit-dasher up on 13.555,400 MHz nominal (usually within +-5 Hz on the
low tone b/c the sig gen does drift a little w/temperature, but I strive to
keep it +- 5 Hz of 400).
Quiet periods (no xmit) _may_ be observed here between 15-30 and 45-00 mins
past the top of the hour, allowing local receive ops to take place; xmitting
at all other times (guaranteeing xmits ops at 00-15 and 30-45 mins past the
top of the hour).
Re: HiFER Stations today in EM75xr
Posted by Pat Bunn on February 26, 2014 at 23:06:29.
In reply to HiFER Stations today in EM75xr posted by Andy - KU4XR on February 26, 2014
Andy - Wish you were a bit closer. I put XR on the air for about 45 minutes while testing it before I shipped it this afternoon. Unplugged USC for a while and plugged in XR. I set the shift at about 3 Hz and recorded the signal on ARGO and saved the screen shot. I'll send you the screen shot.
Pat
HiFERs today in SE Kansas
Posted by John Davis on February 27, 2014 at 01:22:20.
Was watching the watering hole from 2:30 PM CST until a little before 3:00 this afternoon (meaning, Wednesday...the board works on UTC, so the date of the post is a few hours "fast"). Excellent signals from USC, the SIW duo, EH, 7P, and NC. Also saw a persistent bump in energy level right where TAG ought to be, but couldn't make out any definite code. There were even fainter traces where Jim's rectangle wave should be, but not consistently.
Above the watering hole, MTI was great. PBJ was audible some of the time and visible most of the time, but with short, deep fades breaking up some of the dashes into random dots.
Still farther up, GNK was more consistent than I've heard it in some time, even though SWBC sideband splatter was hitting it in a way that sounded about like lightning crashes some of the time. Seemed to be a faint keyed signal from FRC, but the sidebands were even worse up there.
John
Czech transmitter to continue on lower power for 3 years
Posted by Mike Terry on February 27, 2014 at 18:53:06.
It was officially announced today that the Topolna longwave transmitter on 270kHz will stay in operation for another 3 years but not without changes. Current high power transmitter (750kW) will be replaced by a new 50kW transmitter. (Karel Honzik, Czech Republic, Hard Core DX, February 27)
(via Mike Barraclough on DXLD) SJ off for the season
Posted by Sal, K1RGO on February 28, 2014 at 01:42:20.
I am shutting down SJ on 185.303 kHz for the season. There hasn't been much Lowfer activity lately and I have to do some work on the antenna as this winter did a job on it. I still have hifer EH going strong and may get a 160 meter one watt beacon on 1999.075 kHz going for the helluv it as my next project. Re: SJ off for the season
later all............Sal,K1RGO
Posted by John Davis on February 28, 2014 at 02:02:37.
In reply to SJ off for the season posted by Sal, K1RGO on February 28, 2014
Well, we'll miss it. Garry Hess had daytime copy on SJ a week ago this past Tuesday, and if I were able to be out more at night, I'd be looking for it too.
At SIW: Thursday Afternoon HiFERs, Part 1
Posted by John Davis on February 28, 2014 at 08:21:20.
I'm doing this in two parts because it's going to take me a while to prepare one of my (in)famously long scrollable captures of the watering hole from later in the afternoon. First, though, let's take a look at a few memorable screens from mid afternoon--memorable for being the first time I've caught a sign of Jim's rectangle wave, and also one of the rare appearances of SZX here. Both of these seem to be within the awkward first skip zone distance from here, so any reception is notable. Jim's signal was a good omen, as you'll see later in Part 2.
I've marked the 10 Hz separated "dits" and "dashes" of Jim's rectangle wave here, and just about 2 Hz below the "dits" is a broken line of...something. It's right about where TAG was in Andy's recent capture, but I'm far from ready to call it that. NC's square wave was having glitches of some sort for a while. Also present just outside both of these screens was 7P, somewhat broken up by QSB.
Above the watering hole, MTI was audible most of the time and PBJ was audible some of the time. Both were subject to deep, rapid fades of the sort that frequently broke up the "T" of MTI into another "I" for instance. Afterward, what to my wondering ears should appear but SZX! It and GNK were both hard to capture with Argo's NDB mode, and admittedly there was quite a bit of deep, rapid fading on both of them as well, but to the ear they were still very distinct! (No FRC yet, although it might have been buried under the ferocious SWBC sidebands.)
Both USC and EH were already showing signs of bifurcation above. Wait till you see what happened in the hour before dark.
John
Re: SJ off for the season
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on February 28, 2014 at 14:52:46.
In reply to Re: SJ off for the season posted by John Davis on February 28, 2014
Hi John Tnx for report Re: Thursday Afternoon HiFERs, Part 1
I can keep it on longer if you want. I just checked a guy rope and its frozen solid ,so things have to thaw a bit here anyway. I thought everybody was done listening. I had a poor season here , nothing seen here even at quiet times which were few. I usually can see PBO, TAG, WM anyway.
Later.........
Posted by Jim on February 28, 2014 at 17:39:41.
In reply to Thursday Afternoon HiFERs, Part 1 posted by John Davis on February 28, 2014
Thanks for the update/report, John.
Jim
Allen/Dallas Tx EM13qc
potrzebie
