22 m fun
Posted by John K5MO on May 09, 2022 at 00:18:21.
Re: new wspr2 hifer
It might have been me reporting SHO - I would have to check the records.
Lowfer SIW QRT for summer
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on May 02, 2022 at 21:43:28.
Turned off lowfer SIW for the summer this afternoon. Had trouble with dual mode operation but QRSS at the watering hole worked fine. Will check things out on the bench in hopes of going QRV again in the fall.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
WM Hifer Frequency Calibration
Posted by Mike N8OOU on May 03, 2022 at 17:21:48.
All:
I have spent some time this morning calibrating the frequency of the WM Hifer beacon. I set my KiwiSDR which is GPS disciplined to WWV 15 MHz-1000 Hz USB. Using Argo set to QRSS 30 I set the Argo calibration to center the trace on 1000 Hz. I rechecked the calibration setting on 5 and 10 MHz.
I then put the KiwiSDR "B" VFO on the WM Beacon frequency - 1000 Hz USB, and adjusted the beacon Osc to track on Argo at the 1000 Hz mark. I verified whole setup by switching between the two VFO's.
I knew the the beacon had shifted over the past years. I think this procedure should produce very accurate results, I am open to comments. I saw no Doppler shift today between 5,10, and 15 Mhz. I also know that quick ambient temperature changes will cause both receiver and transmitter to drift. The correction mechanisms take 30 to 60 seconds to adjust. Temps were stable during the calibration time frame.
To keep signal levels to a minimum, I substituted a short wire for the Kiwi antenna. There was still a significant difference between WM and WWV, but WM did not overload the receiver.
Reception reports welcomed.
Mike 73
Re: New "ZigZag" trace
Posted by John Davis on May 04, 2022 at 17:23:47.
In reply to Re: New "ZigZag" trace posted by Mike N8OOU on April 27, 2022
Most recent word elsewhere is that Paul is now on 13555.320 with long dashes, and is considering going to a QRSS ID of "VLF."
Good pre-storm grab on 22 m
Posted by John K5MO on May 07, 2022 at 00:08:16.
Some nice activity here at grey line just before the T-storms!
https://imgur.com/a/ChV1A9O
Re: WM Hifer Frequency Calibration
Posted by John K5MO on May 07, 2022 at 12:03:03.
In reply to WM Hifer Frequency Calibration posted by Mike N8OOU on May 03, 2022
Mike, I think WM is visible in the grab I posted just above. I'll send you the next clear capture I get , as you're a frequent visitor here!
Reminder to Authenticated Authors About Making Special Features Work
Posted by Webmaster on May 07, 2022 at 18:15:19.
To make URLs convert to live links or post file attachments, remember to include your keyword, the # mark, and your password in the Name box. Otherwise, these features don't work automagically.
We do not use cookies to keep track of you or your computer, so that's why it is necessary to use the above tripcode method to log in on any occasion when you want to use the extra features.
During the most recent board cleanup, it finally dawned on me that some folks were having trouble posting pictures because they were forgetting to use their tripcode when writing their message. Others forgot to use it when posting links, which otherwise would have been displayed in clickable form. It's also possible that one or two may have misspelled their password, which currently has the same effect as not using one at all. I may be able to code the software to be more aware of the possibility of misspellings, but if you neglect to use the tripcode at all, there's no workaround for that.
Also bear in mind the file size limits. If you try to send an oversize file to the board, it simply gets dropped. There's currently no workaround for that, either, though when I finally implement changes to permit editing of posts by Authenticated Authors, that will probably give you a second chance to attach a reduced-size version.
73
John
22 m fun
Posted by John K5MO on May 09, 2022 at 00:18:21.
On QRSS, RY and SIW/slant dominated a so so day. WM has made a good showing along with EH early evenings this past week with some really strong loggings. The ZigZag was in there much of the day today too. I could even see it strong enough to pattern well in the kiwi IF waterfall window.
WSPR was runningtoday, and I logged K3SIW, KA9SZX late in the day and NI5F and W8AC late morning through mid to late afternoon.
I hope to try Bob/EDJ's hardware radio this week. The above logs were using my local Kiwi. (QRSS is a Kiwi/Pi3+Kiwirecorder, WSPR is Kiwi w/onboard decoder/Windows box)
Re: new wspr2 hifer
Posted by ed holland on May 09, 2022 at 04:32:11.
In reply to Re: new wspr2 hifer posted by Ed Holland on May 02, 2022
SHO made some clear appearences here in the last 24 hours. This includes some midnight action.
Overall, a very active weekend on 22m.
Ed
---------------------------------------------------------------
File Attachment 1: 8-May-22_x71.jpg
File Attachment 2: 7-May-22_x99.jpg
File Attachment 3: 8-May-22_x15.jpg
Re: 22 m fun
I see your WSPR grabs this morning on WSPRNET. You got me a few times.
I'm still WSPRing for now, may go back to QRSS soon.
Great work! I'll be looking for the QCX to come on-line!
Bob Re: Continuous Wave Arcs
WA1EDJ
EM83du
Posted by Ed Holland on May 09, 2022 at 19:59:34.
In reply to Re: Continuous Wave Arcs posted by Ed Holland on April 29, 2022
New carbon rods arrived, and in place of the copper wire anode, I tried a piece of 1/4" brass rod Sturdy connections were made to both (there is quite a bit of heat generated).
Control of the arc separaion was by hand. Not ideal, but there was no opportunity or ready material to hand to fabricate a mechanised advance. Not pretty, but it does sort of work, and allows the current to be cut off quickly should anything untoward be observed.
The coil had an extra layer added, allowing the frequency of the LC circuit to be adjusted to 100 kHz.
Results were interesting. "listening" Was performed with a Lowe HF-150 in active whip antenna cofiguration With the receiver in USB mode, positioned about 3 ft away, the obvious crackles could be heard as connection between the arc electrodes was made and broken. However, when something approaching a sustained arc was achieved, tuning the "transmitter" resulted in a swooshing sound that swept in and out of the receiver passband. Not a continuous wave/pure tone, as we might understand it, but this was definitely a band of noise that tuned relatively sharply and had a changing tonality as tuning varied, suggesting some discontinuous but tuned damped oscillations.
More inductance will be the next test. Also an attempt to get a sound sample.
Ed
Ed
Re: Continuous Wave Arcs
Posted by John Davis on May 09, 2022 at 22:23:26.
In reply to Re: Continuous Wave Arcs posted by Ed Holland on May 09, 2022
Interesting results and a great report, Ed.
234 kHz is OFF AIR according to Web SDR reception
Posted by Adam Ebel on May 10, 2022 at 00:53:24.
I went to check Web SDR from the University of Twente, because that's what I do to get an update of what is on the air before DXing the signals, and I just found a disappointing result. RTL on 234 kHz AM is off the air, and found out from various news sources that they went off the air just to save electricity and operate during the day time hours in Europe using reduced power.
Are you sure they will return back on the air with normal broadcast operations during the daytime hours starting around 0600 UTC?
Re: Luxembourg
Posted by Adam Ebel on May 10, 2022 at 01:04:53.
In reply to Re: Luxembourg posted by Mike Terry on March 16, 2022
That really disappoints me how poor RTL is, not able to keep their transmitter running like always 24/7. Another reason it disappoints me is that French listeners no matter where in the world listens to RTL on 234 kHz even in France and Canada. Receiving this signal at night is going to get more difficult here on the East Coast of the United States, because they will likely sign on the air at 0500 or 0600 UTC during the morning hours over there in Europe, and the power decrease will make it even more difficult to get a clear signal from there. It's going be a big challenge trying to get a copy of this signal late at night.
Re: New "ZigZag" trace
Posted by swlem3 on May 10, 2022 at 03:55:07.
In reply to New "ZigZag" trace posted by ed holland on April 26, 2022
zigzag view from N. Central Texas:
www.dropbox.com/s/0cfmexvon9h9aro/zigzag.jpg?dl=0
Ray ... e-probe w/ airspy HF+ discover
[EDITED 5/10/2022 to fix link.]
Re: New "ZigZag" trace
Posted by Ed Holland on May 10, 2022 at 20:58:31.
In reply to Re: New "ZigZag" trace posted by swlem3 on May 10, 2022
Nice capture Ray.
The zigzag was good copy here in CA during weekend monitoring, following the general good propogation trends seen around dawn, and then again in the later afternoon and evening. IIRC, there were also some after dark snippets caught overnight during 07-08 May.
Re: New "ZigZag" trace
Posted by swlem3 on May 10, 2022 at 23:15:56.
In reply to Re: New "ZigZag" trace posted by Ed Holland on May 10, 2022
Thanks Ed for your comments on the zigzag. Sounds like your getting good results at various times of the day. You mention good prop around dawn. I haven't tried to copy hifers at that time. Normally, I have the rx set up for low frequency stuff for overnight through dawn. I also generally move off of the hifer band towards evening, and start moving lower into HF, like 60 and 160m until bedtime. I probably miss a fair amount of good hifer propagation with my rx habits.
73 Ed and good dx,
Ray
Re: New "ZigZag" trace
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on May 11, 2022 at 20:45:23.
In reply to Re: New "ZigZag" trace posted by swlem3 on May 10, 2022
Ray, Ed, et. al.
Quite a few years ago I came across QRPP efforts by WA3ANQ (https://wb3anq.com/wb3anq-station/) and VK6DI. Using a so-called "snake" pattern which is what here has been called "zigzag", copy was possible using just 1 mW to a 30 meter vertical dipole. That prompted me to transmit an upward ramp signal on MEPT frequencies, which interested a VK ham. Sorry I forget the call, perhaps VK2DDI. Anyway, he was interested in the mental detection advantage ramps have compared to regular CW. The former can be severely punctured by QSB at low SNR but still copied, whereas CW becomes difficult to copy and sending slower doesn't help. I recall stretching the ramp period out to several minutes to be copied in VK-land. Later I moved from 30 mtrs to 22 mtrs and with hifer power sent ramps. That's legal but was criticized because no clear ID was present. That was solved by using upward ramps for dots and downward ramps for dashes, hence the "SIW" presently sent very slowly on about 13555430 Hz. I called this ""slash" code but it's not original. Again sorry I forget the callsign but someone was sending "slant" code on 30 mtrs before me. With modern computers like Raspberry Pi such code is easy to generate but my unit is analog in nature using parts available in the junk box.
73, Garry, K3SIW
Re: 22 m fun
Posted by swlem3 on May 12, 2022 at 00:30:31.
In reply to Re: 22 m fun posted by WA1EDJ Bob on May 09, 2022
Bob, I've a quick comment for you since you're mentioning going back to qrss. I don't know why, but I haven't been doing well here with your wspr2 decodes. Just get one every now and then. I'm not sure what has changed. Just a "fyi"...
Ray
Re: New "ZigZag" trace
Posted by John Davis on May 12, 2022 at 02:27:52.
In reply to Re: New "ZigZag" trace posted by Garry, K3SIW on May 11, 2022
I can certainly attest to the effectiveness of Garry's setup. The SIW Slant is visible here well before and well after the regular WSPR/QRSS version can be discerned.
Unlike LF, you can only slow down QRSS just so much before it gets hopelessly chopped up by HF propagation ...and the destructive effects are much worse at Part 15 power levels than they are at ham QRP levels. In ham bands like 20 m, QRSS6 and even slower speeds are effective at overcoming brief 20 - 30 dB fades; but reduce the transmit power another 30 db, and those slower modes get chopped every bit as badly as if you were running a higher speed. QRSS3 seems to be about the point of diminishing returns for 22 m, and dual frequency FSK doesn't really help a lot unless you're already well familiar with the pattern of the particular signal you're looking for. (If QSB is bad enough, it can easily appear to be two unrelated, chopped-up signals for a long, long time.)
Slant mode improves on that situation by substituting direction of the slope for presence or absence of signal, making longer symbol time your friend again. Only very long term and very deep fades, such as when the band closes entirely for a while, will puncture the tens-of-seconds slopes. Here inside the first skip zone from SIW, I generally always run a QRS30 session center around 13,555.430 so I'll have a clue when or whether to expect propagation from Illinois, and what the current state of Es and/or F layer propagation is, depending on the season.
Only drawback to reception on that time scale is the need for even tighter frequency stability in the receiver. Thermal drift of as little as 0.5 ppm during a hot summer day on the farm can slide a 22 meter signal right out of the Argo window.
That signal is a valuable tool, Garry. Thanks for keeping it going.
Re: 22 m fun
Posted by John Davis on May 12, 2022 at 02:32:33.
In reply to Re: 22 m fun posted by swlem3 on May 12, 2022
Perhaps it would be worthwhile to do both WSPR and QRSS in each cycle.
Algeria on 252 is back
Posted by Mike Terry on May 12, 2022 at 14:45:42.
Since yesterday, Channel Chaine 3 from Algeria has been back on air with the usual strong field strength and good audio quality on 252 kHz after a long time.
As a result, interference with RTE radio from Ireland on the same frequency.
Re: 22 m fun
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on May 12, 2022 at 15:04:23.
In reply to Re: 22 m fun posted by swlem3 on May 12, 2022
Thanks Ray.
I check my power level every now and then. Because my TX sits on my bench, and gets bumped and moved, sometimes the power level pot gets moved slightly.
About a 2 weeks ago I notice the power was a little high. I dropped it down.
I noticed my spots on WSPRNet dropped a bit but I do seem to have a pipeline to the northeast. Always have.
KD2OM, N2NOM and W1BW, all to my NE, frequently spot me. Right now KD2OM has many spots on me. You and WA5DJJ occasionally spot me lately. I don't do well to the west. Other spotters out west never spot me.
I'll let you know when I make a change for you to look for. I think I have your
direct email.
Bob Re: 22 m fun
EDJ
EM83du
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on May 12, 2022 at 15:08:14.
In reply to Re: 22 m fun posted by John Davis on May 12, 2022
Current TX is not that flexible. The U3S can do that but suffers from instability. If I replace the synth board with a TCXO upgrade, I might try this.
Too many other rabbit holes seem to pop open lately......
Bob LW/HiFer WSPR
EDJ
Posted by John k5mo on May 12, 2022 at 15:18:49.
I spent some time going down the rabbit hole of getting a Pi set up to continuously do WSPR monitoring using Rob Robinette's wonderful WSPRdaemon. His software has just had a major release and it's available on GIT. While it's focused on Kiwis (ANY kiwi, I suppose, not just a local one) it appears to allow audio input from other sources.
Features include extremely flexible time and band scheduling, and a very simple configuration (WSPRnet setup, and various data extracts) file with in-line documentation. The software runs problem free and seems very stable.
I'll be running both QRSS and WSPR monitoring on 22M , and WSPR on 630 24/7 from now on. Reports will be sent to Wsprnet with K5MO-1 as my reporting call. Looks like there's pretty good coverage of most of the country now for 22M at least. The QRSS instance may be up and down over the next couple days as I migrate it to the Pi4 brick that's doing the WSPR decoding. The 22M QRSS grabber also makes use of a Kiwi (any kiwi) via KiwiRecorder and is Pi based.
It will be interesting to see how well these configurations do compared to reception on a "normal" receiver.
Not having to run a noisy, power hungry PC is a real plus though.
SWLEM3
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on May 12, 2022 at 15:18:52.
Ray,
below500kc@protonmail.com does not seem to work for you.
Whats a good one?
Bob
Re: LW/HiFer WSPR
Posted by John Davis on May 12, 2022 at 19:47:21.
In reply to LW/HiFer WSPR posted by John k5mo on May 12, 2022
Not having to run a noisy, power hungry PC is a real plus though.
LowFER WM
The WM Lowfer beacon is down for maintenance. ... In an SDR Far, Far Away
--
73 de N8OOU - Mike Meek
Posted by John Davis on May 15, 2022 at 03:15:25.
In reply to Re: New "ZigZag" trace posted by John Davis on May 12, 2022
Speaking of SIW slant, here it is coming into the KPH Kiwi SDR at Point Reyes earlier today. Been investigating recently reported unknown signals but don't have a working receiver of my own down at the farm right now, so I thought I'd check out the West Coast Kiwis for a change.
Couldn't get aural copy of the CW targets, but I could hear 7P well enough by ear. Decided to crank up Argo on the home HP notebook but didn't expect results due to not having a virtual audio cable installed. To my surprise, the Realtek internal mixer software let me pipe the audio from Firefox right into Argo ayway.
And the sorta-solid line parked a few tens of Hz below 7P, and nestled between a couple of codar lines, turned out to be SIW.
---------------------------------------------------------------
File Attachment 1: 14may01.jpg
Re: ... In an SDR Far, Far Away
Nice!
KPH seem to have a very nice setup, with a good antenna. Their website is interesting www.radiomarine.org/
WM Hifer Off
Posted by Mike N8OOU on May 15, 2022 at 21:16:43.
I turned WM Hifer off for the last storm front, and forgot to turn it back on. I will leave it off for this up coming unsettled weather.
Mike
Re: WM Hifer Off
Posted by John K5MO on May 15, 2022 at 23:16:56.
In reply to WM Hifer Off posted by Mike N8OOU on May 15, 2022
I wondered where it went! :-)
I'll look forward to it's return.
Re: WM Hifer Off
Posted by John K5MO on May 15, 2022 at 23:17:47.
In reply to WM Hifer Off posted by Mike N8OOU on May 15, 2022
I wondered where it went! :-)
I'll look forward to its return.
Re: ... In an SDR Far, Far Away
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on May 16, 2022 at 00:17:55.
In reply to ... In an SDR Far, Far Away posted by John Davis on May 15, 2022
Thanks for the interesting report John. Hifer propagation has really come alive with wspr2 decodes seen recently from Europe and even New Zealand.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: 22 m fun
Posted by swlem3 on May 16, 2022 at 14:13:32.
In reply to Re: 22 m fun posted by WA1EDJ Bob on May 12, 2022
Bob, I was wondering what had changed with your hifer. I just seemed to have rx'ed more decodes in the past than I now do. Maybe it's just propagation, who knows. You're saying that the western direction is not working well for you, as other stations in that direction are having difficulty also. Yes, I did e-mail you, so you can use that e-mail for the time being, if you need to.
Ray
Lowfer TAG Off for Summer
Posted by John, W1TAG on May 16, 2022 at 23:59:52.
All,
Lowfer beacon TAG, which has run in QRSS60 on 185.303 KHz over the winter, is now off the air until the fall. I will be experimenting with antenna alternatives over the summer, and might have a better signal next season. Then again, I've said that before...
Thanks to the few, the proud who actually copied the thing, and to those equally valiant souls who tried.
John, W1TAG
Hifer Beacon RY Off for the Summer
Posted by John, W1TAG on May 17, 2022 at 00:03:38.
All,
Hifer beacon RY, which ran this winter on 13555.490 kHz in DFCW mode, is now off until the fall, when it will likely return. Thanks to those who posted reports this year.
John, W1TAG
Re: New "ZigZag" trace
Posted by swlem3 on May 17, 2022 at 02:15:14.
In reply to Re: New "ZigZag" trace posted by John Davis on May 12, 2022
I haven't checked on the SIW slant trace in a while, so I thought I'd do so today. The bifurcation is quite visible.
www.dropbox.com/s/pgrj67qfjmeqc4z/siw%20bi.jpg?dl=0
Re: New "ZigZag" trace (SIW)
Posted by John Davis on May 17, 2022 at 02:32:40.
In reply to Re: New "ZigZag" trace posted by swlem3 on May 17, 2022
Nice capture. Even some triplets.
153 kHz
Posted by Mike Terry on May 17, 2022 at 14:52:47.
May 16, 2022
As is well known, Radio Antenna Satelor broadcasts from Romania on 153 kHz if Radio Romania Aktuell is not being broadcast instead of Antenna Satelor.
But a station from Algeria is also broadcasting on 153 kHz [Radio Algérie Int. Chaine 1 / Ed], although it can hardly be received in Europe. However, for some time now it has happened again and again that the Algerian broadcaster has temporarily displaced Romania and this has caused interference.
Steffen Mehnert, Germany Re: Algeria on 252 is back
(via Mediumwave News)
Posted by Mike Terry on May 17, 2022 at 14:55:48.
In reply to Algeria on 252 is back posted by Mike Terry on May 12, 2022
May 16, 2022
Radio Chaine 3 from Algeria switched off again on the 252 kHz.
This means that only RTE from Ireland can currently be received on 252 kHz alone.
It is currently not known whether Algeria was only switched off temporarily or whether broadcasting is limited – like RTL-France does on 234 kHz .
Steffen Mehnert, Germany (2022-05-15)
I made a check this morning via a Spanish KiwiSDR and could hear Algeria on 252 kHz weak and in French.
Ydun Ritz (2022-05-16) Re: 22 m fun
(Mediumwave News)
Posted by Andy G0FTD on May 17, 2022 at 16:56:39.
In reply to Re: 22 m fun posted by WA1EDJ Bob on May 17, 2022
I've sent you an email Bob just to see what happens.
73 de Andy
Re: 22 m fun
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on May 17, 2022 at 19:47:32.
In reply to Re: 22 m fun posted by Andy G0FTD on May 17, 2022
Received! TNX
Short hop WSPR decode
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on May 19, 2022 at 18:34:25.
John spotted me this afternoon:
2022-05-19 18:10 WA1EDJ 13.555368 -27 0 EM83 0.005 K5MO-1 FM05 429 km
SWL call
Posted by Ed Holland on May 19, 2022 at 20:08:42.
Hi Folks,
In order to submit WSPR reports - and now that this is available at 22m, I have applied for an SWL callsign. I'll let the group know when this is issued.
Cheers and 73s
Ed
Re: Short hop WSPR decode
Posted by John K5MO on May 20, 2022 at 00:22:12.
In reply to Short hop WSPR decode posted by WA1EDJ Bob on May 19, 2022
Hi Bob
Found you several times including last night
2022-05-19 18:10 WA1EDJ 13.555368 -27 0 EM83 0.005 K5MO-1 FM05 429 58 2
2022-05-19 00:46 WA1EDJ 13.555369 -26 0 EM83 0.005 K5MO-1 FM05 429 58 2
2022-05-19 00:34 WA1EDJ 13.555368 -26 0 EM83 0.005 K5MO-1 FM05 429 58 2
2022-05-19 00:22 WA1EDJ 13.555368 -29 0 EM83 0.005 K5MO-1 FM05 429 58 2
2022-05-19 00:18 WA1EDJ 13.555368 -28 0 EM83 0.005 K5MO-1 FM05 429 58 2
Also seen, have been:
W8AC
K3SIW
KA9SZX
NI5F
and KG7BZ making the trip from Oregon to NC.
Switching to WSPRdaemon for the decoding has really improved things.
Re: SWL call
Posted by WA1EDJ Bob on May 20, 2022 at 14:51:00.
In reply to SWL call posted by Ed Holland on May 19, 2022
Great Ed! More reports are always welcome.
Bob Loop for SAQ
EDJ
Posted by Chris Waldrup on May 21, 2022 at 18:01:15.
Hi Guys,
I'm sitting at a car dealer today for most of the day so there's lots of time to get lots of reading done. I started on LF Today book which is quite brilliant.
It got me to thinking about the large loop I want to build for SAQ reception the next time it's on. I mentioned this on a recent Western LF Net so apologies if I'm dragging this up again. I tried over Christmas with my active whip and couldn't hear the transmission from my location about an hour south of Nashville.
I already bought several king sticks of 3/4 inch PVC pipe at Lowes. I plan to build a 5 foot diameter loop and use 14 AWG THHN wire. What would be optimal for number of turns? I can resonate with capacitors so it's not a problem for less or more turns. I was thinking something like 20 turns so there will be more wire in the loop then I can resonate with caps to get it to SAQ frequency. I got three way elbow fittings, 90 degree elbows and a few crosses. I intend on having the loop form have about 8 inches of "bar" that I can use to place the turns side by side rather than just jumbled on top of each other. I can place a one turn loop as well to couple the signal into a low noise preamp then into my receiver.
Does that sound reasonable?
Thanks for any comments.
Chris 127.75 kHz 'dit-dit-dit' station
KD4PBJ
Posted by Bruce WA1HGJ on May 21, 2022 at 22:21:26.
For months I've been hearing a "dit-dit-dit" station on precisely 127.75 kHz, 120 dits/minute, barely above noise levels here in NE Massachusetts USA but always there regardless of whether I can hear WWVB on 60 kHz. Never any ID. Anyone know anything about this? My first post - great to be reconnected with LWCA after a couple decades. 73, Bruce WA1HGJ
Midnight HiFERs
Posted by ed holland on May 23, 2022 at 03:54:39.
More Midnight HiFERs - Pacific Daylight time ~ 00:00 hrs 23 May 2022. Possibly the best trace I have ever recorded from USC :-)
---------------------------------------------------------------
File Attachment 1: 21-May-22_x87.jpg
Re: Loop for SAQ
Hi Chris....back around 2004 I built an LF loop for 136 kHz. based on the design of VE7SL, and it has served me well over the years. The frame is of two inch PVC and gave me an octagon shape that is ten feet across.
I went with 16 turns and resonated it with a multi-gang 365 pF varicap that had five sections, and I used a shielded one turn pickup loop about six inches inside of the main windings to feed a preamp located right at the antenna.
My advice to you would be to build it bigger than five feet, as you're going for a much lower frequency than I was. There are two things that make a loop perform, capture area and turns count, with the former being the one that can make the biggest difference between success or failure.
I'd go with at least thirty turns and space them about a wire diameter apart. Inter-winding capacitance at the SAQ frequency won't be a concern for you, as your going to need a lot of C to get the loop resonant down at 17.2 kHz. I wish you luck with your project.
73, J.B., VE3EAR Re: Midnight HiFERs
Posted by Pat Bunn on May 24, 2022 at 15:25:30.
In reply to Midnight HiFERs posted by ed holland on May 23, 2022
Ed
Thanks for the report. Take a looks out for LCSC. It is on the Atlantic shore about 200 miles from USC.
Pat Bunn
Re: Midnight HiFERs
Posted by Ed Holland on May 24, 2022 at 16:02:54.
In reply to Re: Midnight HiFERs posted by Pat Bunn on May 24, 2022
Patt,
I'll keep an ear out. Thanks for the reminder,
Ed
Re: Loop for SAQ
Posted by John Davis on May 25, 2022 at 02:10:27.
In reply to Re: Loop for SAQ posted by John Bruce McCreath on May 24, 2022
J.B. has some good advice, Chris. My own differs in only one particular: I wouldn't bother shielding the coupling loop.
Shielded or not, it is going to pick up exactly the same signal that is circulating in the resonated primary loop--which also includes exactly the same noise that the primary sees. No net benefit.
Secondly, the presence of a shield on the coupling makes it harder to maintain the balance of the primary windings to ground. A shield is going to have to be grounded somewhere (and preferably not via the coax all the way back to the receiver), meaning that it becomes more critical to keep it well centered within the primary winding. Otherwise, one side or the other of the primary will have more capacitive coupling to ground than the other, resulting in imbalance and reduced noise rejection. Most of the time it won't be a huge imbalance, but why risk it when there's no benefit to be had anyway.
Speaking of coupling to the main loop, there are a couple of additional options to consider other than a secondary loop. Remember that a resonant primary loop can be regarded as either series or parallel resonant, depending on how you prefer to sample its "contents."
Viewed across the capacitor, it's a high-Z parallel resonant LC circuit that yields a voltage you could amplify and then send to a receiver. There are balanced-input instrumentation circuits you could use, but I suspect the power supply needs would be hard to meet with sufficient common mode rejection in the real world with a remote loop.
Viewed in series with the capacitor, the L and C are series resonant and the circulating signal current can be sampled with a very low-Z transformer. Transformer coupling means the active circuitry itself need not be balanced, and that also eases the power situation. One turn passing through a toroid with a lot of secondary windings terminated in 50 Ω is one way. The Burhans loop preamp with the Xicon audio input transformer is another, although you have no control over the turns ratio and the series-R is therefore harder to control. Another possibility for transformer coupling might be the current sensing transformers used in SMPS-es, some of which are intended for 50 ohm termination and may work up to hundreds of kHz...but I haven't tried those yet myself, despite long-standing plans to do so.
Re: Algeria on 252 is back
Posted by Mike Terry on May 25, 2022 at 09:05:04.
In reply to Algeria on 252 is back posted by Mike Terry on May 12, 2022
It's reported that spares are being sought, no so easy to acquire now. Luxembourg 234 kHz - RTL "France"
Posted by Mike Terry on May 25, 2022 at 09:14:03.
Michel Fremy writes on the longwave.io group:
More mixed speech of RTL on the stop of the long waves. The station recognizes that “The audience of RTL via the long waves is still important”. To this day, no more stop date exists. We are even talking about 10 years, 5 years or 3 years! Re: Algeria on 252 is back
The station will, however, continue to suspend its broadcast between 12:30 a.m. or 1 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. or 5 a.m. During this time slot, the station rebroadcasts programs of the day.
The station accuses the genes of reception "following the jamming caused by computer screens and any other equipment"!
She also claims that the transmitter settings have not been changed, while the power has been reduced by five, compared to the glory days.
Posted by Mike Terry on May 25, 2022 at 09:16:40.
In reply to Re: Algeria on 252 is back posted by Mike Terry on May 25, 2022
This dx report was posted to the longwave.io group:
Logged Algeria with a weak signal on 252 around 2300 UT May 16, 2022 @ New Delhi.
73 Severe BBC cuts announced
C K Raman
Posted by Mike Terry on May 26, 2022 at 14:51:53.
The BBC DG has announced a long list of expected closures.
The official text of his remarks makes no mention of a specific date for closing LW. Here's what it says:
"We do plan to stop scheduling separate content for Radio 4 Long Wave, consulting with partners, including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, ahead of the closure of the Long Wave platform itself. 5Live on Medium Wave will also close no later than December 2027, in line with a proposed industry-wide exit from the platform."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/speeches/2022/digital-first-bbc-director-general-tim-davie
New Beacon
Posted by Bmell on May 27, 2022 at 16:24:35.
New Beacon PIE/B FL ( CW at 13 wpm )located in EL87 CLEARWATER, FL ~ 13.564.52 MHz ACTIVATED April 18, 2022. Dipole antenna positioned/facing NNW/SSE
MN back on the air
Posted by KMONAS on May 27, 2022 at 21:04:55.
Hey All, just in time for the holiday weekend I finally got out in the yard to do antenna repair. The antenna for MN had malfunctioned and I rebuilt it but the SWR was bizarre so I took it down and double checked. Hmm, looked fine at the antenna. A careful inspection showed that the rabbits chewed through the feed line coax in not one, not two but three different places over the winter. I have a temporary solution in place with my POTA coax but the good news is that the MN beacon is back on the air. Should still be at 13562.86. Good to have it back on the air beeping away. Let me know if you hear it!
Re: A little LCSC short prop
Posted by John K5MO on May 28, 2022 at 00:12:29.
In reply to A little LCSC short prop posted by John K5MO on May 28, 2022
BTW, the distance between TX and grabber is only about 240 miles.
There were 2 grabs with LC which occurred ~2340-2350 5-27 (today)
Re: A little LCSC short prop
Posted by John Davis on May 28, 2022 at 00:18:18.
In reply to A little LCSC short prop posted by John K5MO on May 28, 2022
Thanks, John B, and an interesting result.
Giving us an answer to the age-old question: how much prop would a short prop prop if a short prop could prop short?
Re: New Beacon
Posted by RVA on May 28, 2022 at 18:51:53.
In reply to New Beacon posted by Bmell on May 27, 2022
I think I copied you on 5/10 via KB0FX SDR. See the HFunderground 22m board. Will listen for you again.
Re: New Beacon
Posted by BMell on May 29, 2022 at 00:39:39.
In reply to Re: New Beacon posted by RVA on May 28, 2022
Yes glad you found this entry
EH and VLF
Posted by John K5MO on May 30, 2022 at 15:59:00.
Both peeking in on 22M most of the morning. VLF has a new frequency of zigzag which shows up well.
RR received
Posted by Ed Holland on May 30, 2022 at 18:07:10.
Hi Folks,
More later, on what has been a very good crop of beacon receptions over the last 48 hours. However, I have one new catch - a short hop of ~245 miles, ,and clear, audible reception of RR, signaled in CW with a long dash. The keying has a slight droop in the received note, when listening in USB.
Lots more to report in a later post, more midnight HiFERs and even Midnight WSPRing,
No sign of my SWL call yet - I wonder if that is a dead page...
73s
Ed
Re: RR received
Posted by John Davis on May 30, 2022 at 19:19:24.
In reply to RR received posted by Ed Holland on May 30, 2022
No sign of my SWL call yet - I wonder if that is a dead page...
Which one would that be, Ed?
SWL Call
Posted by John K5MO on May 30, 2022 at 19:29:02.
In reply to RR received posted by Ed Holland on May 30, 2022
Ed
I just registered myself as k5mo-1 to distinguish my spots from another grabber with the k5mo call. The software didn't argue when I added the
-1". You might try registering as SWLEd or something like that, as it could well accept it.
John
Re: EH and VLF
Posted by John Davis on May 30, 2022 at 19:33:46.
In reply to EH and VLF posted by John K5MO on May 30, 2022
VLF's zig-zag only shows up well on displays that encompass a wider span than really gives optimum decoding at that repetition rate.
Its 25 Hz shift (!) is wasteful. Four to six WSPR signals could fit in the same amount of spectrum, depending on their frequency stability (more, if they coordinated their transmission schedules), and as many as a couple dozen "dull, ordinary, everyday" QRSS CW signals.
Re: SWL Call
Posted by John Davis on May 30, 2022 at 21:33:45.
In reply to SWL Call posted by John K5MO on May 30, 2022
John B makes a good point.
Really, there's no need to register anything with anyone. Just pick an identifier like the one he mentioned (SWLEdH should even fit, as well). Then test it out on WSPRnet by doing a database search with your chosen ID in the Reporter field, and set the search period for the full two weeks. If nobody else has used it, just start reporting under that "call," with your grid square set in the WSJT software just in case of accidental duplication.
John WPEØBUI Re: SWL Call
(my Popular Electronics SWL ID from 60 years ago that means nothing
to anyone anymore, and is probably too long for WSPRnet anyway...)
Posted by Ed Holland on May 30, 2022 at 23:16:54.
In reply to Re: SWL Call posted by John Davis on May 30, 2022
Thank you John and John.
I agree, it seems worthwhile just to wing it. I'll let you know what I use for ID.
Ed Re: RR received
Posted by Ed Holland on May 31, 2022 at 00:26:38.
In reply to Re: RR received posted by John Davis on May 30, 2022
Good point. I submitted a request to this page:
swarl.org/materials/swl-call-signs
...and have yet to hear anything. There has not been any acknowledgement of the application.
But as noted in the other conversation, this may not be needed at all to work with WSPRNet.
Ed
Re: EH and VLF
Posted by Pat Bunn on May 31, 2022 at 02:16:39.
In reply to Re: EH and VLF posted by John Davis on May 30, 2022
Been seeing VHF for several weeks here in EM94. Very wide span signal.
See EH most every day. PLM Returns
Posted by John Davis on May 31, 2022 at 07:38:01.
Tonight just before 0200 UTC, there it was on 13557.715 kHz, with one CW ID at a time, alternating with a long dash this year. Nice, clean, stable signal. Too bad we don't have a clue where it's from after all these years.
Pardon my crankiness, but this may be the only time I report on it online this season. It just strikes me as being a very lopsided exchange! It's bad enough when an operator chooses to remain anonymous and provide no contact information, but it truly is worse when the op declines to even mention the city and state (or province).
The gratification is totally one way: "Ha ha. I get to feed my ego reading reports from Kansas or California or Florida, but not only will the saps monitoring me never get a QSL or any word of acknowledgement, they'll never have a clue whether they heard real DX or someone on the other side of the county. Dance little DX monkeys, dance! Bwa ha ha ha."
Therefore, if I am going to be deprived of any reward for my labor due to... what, sheer selfishness or some kinky form of sadism?... then I see no reason for anything more than a perfunctory notice to enable other listeners to look out for the signal if they so choose, and just sit on the rest of mm potential information. Not just singling out PLM, here--anonymity in general runs contrary to the point of beaconing.
Re: SWL Call
Posted by swlem3 on May 31, 2022 at 16:14:01.
In reply to Re: SWL Call posted by Ed Holland on May 30, 2022
Still think you should go with SWL(your grid square) Ed, but it's your choice. Just mho.
Ray
hifer prop
Posted by swlem3 on May 31, 2022 at 16:20:14.
The last two days I've seen a drop in wspr2 hifer ID's. Basically copying only NI5F with just a few other "strays", and even he's been mostly in the higher neg numbers. He's usually 'teens or single digit db levels. This is from my Texas perspective and may not reflect the propagation from other locations. Just fyi and fwiw.
Ray
Re: hifer prop
Posted by John K5MO on May 31, 2022 at 16:43:37.
In reply to hifer prop posted by swlem3 on May 31, 2022
My logs agree with your observations, Ray, the past couple days have been skimpy on WSPR snags.
Re: hifer prop
Posted by swlem3 on May 31, 2022 at 18:39:47.
In reply to Re: hifer prop posted by John K5MO on May 31, 2022
Thanks for your comment John. At least I know that it's not my equipment. The only other wspr2 station I'm presently copying is SZX, and that's just a few and far between decodes.
73,
Ray
Re: hifer prop
Posted by John Davis on May 31, 2022 at 18:46:46.
In reply to Re: hifer prop posted by John K5MO on May 31, 2022
Agreed, though yesterday evening was my first session in a couple of months, so I don't have a good baseline to go by locally. I've been seeing what has to be NI5F, based on frequency and transmission time as reported on WSPRnet. (Can't use WSJT on my present field computer, plus USC walsk over the lower tones of his signal.) Also several of what look to be decodable intercepts of KG7BZ WSPR, as confirmed by the FSK3 IDs of "SHO" afterward. There were hints of what could have been WA1EDJ last night, but not enough to verify forensically.
As of this morning, KG7BZ/SHO was less consistently visible, but NI5F was more frequent than last night. When I return to the farm after lunch, based on what I just saw on WSPRnet, I wouldn't be surprised to see N2NOM blasting in. He's reporting 5 watts of power, and may very well be running that, based on the positive single digit SNRs reported by W8AC and the -22 dB SNRs in Switzerland!
Current grab - Wow!
Posted by John K5MO on May 31, 2022 at 22:14:04.
https://i.imgur.com/lDOau2z.jpg
It's a t a l l grab but there's a little bit of everyone in here !
Re: hifer prop
Posted by swlem3 on May 31, 2022 at 23:13:58.
In reply to Re: hifer prop posted by John Davis on May 31, 2022
Ok John on your estimation of poor propagation also. First I've heard about NOM. I'll be on the lookout for him. Pretty good rprts from Switzerland. ;-)
Ray
potrzebie