Together on the big screen at last! Or rather, on two little screens stitched together.
VO1NA QRV
Hello all,
The beacon is back on 137.7770 kHz. It had been drifting and hopefully this is under control. The keying is now phase-coherent QRSS30 with a power output of 150 watts and an aerial current of 2 amps.
Reports welcomed
73 and tnx HiFers 1 and 2 June, 2013
Joe VO1NA
Newfoundland and Labrador
Canada GN37
Posted by EdWSlidell,LA on June 02, 2013 at 03:31:20.
Listened today(Saturday/CDT), and have been hearing AJO around ~13558 KHz, from about 0200 through 0330 UT. Signal have been good, reaching 449 at times. Have not heard MTI on ~13557.5 KHz, for a couple of days now. Possibly it has been shut down of its move south. None of the other HiFers are being heard at this time. Ed W Slidell, LA EM50cg
Re: HiFers 1 and 2 June, 2013
Posted by John Davis on June 02, 2013 at 05:36:25.
In reply to HiFers 1 and 2 June, 2013 posted by EdWSlidell,LA on June 02, 2013
Good thing AJO is located where it is. The Maximum Usable Frequency of the ionosphere over the northern half of the country has been pathetic the past couple of days, with G2 magnetic storm levels at times not helping matters either. Folks in the northern tier of states are probably enjoying good auroras for the second night in a row, though.
John
Hifer FRC
Posted by K3SIW, Garry on June 02, 2013 at 12:43:14.
Hifer FRC CW is peaking nicely rather early this morning. Frequency is 13,565,040 Hz. At the waterning hole only seeing EH and NC right now. HF has been "troubled" lately, but 7 MHz VK and ZL WSPR signals were fine around local sunrise. Lowfers EAR and MP and coming through via groundwave nicely as usual. DGPS LF signals were also good overnight with all the more distant western stations decoding, including BC on 320 kHz.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
HiFers copied this weekend
Posted by Bob Confrey on June 03, 2013 at 14:03:03.
EH 579 around 7 PM EDT almost every day. Good enough for a QSO easy! Both SIW frequently seen. USC on 5/31. First I've seen of USC, he is only about 125 mi NE of my QTH. MP seen also.
I have some SGR-8002's on order from DigiKey and should have them in a day or so. I hope to get EDJ on around 13.5555?? soon. More details when I measure the freq I actually get....Later Bob...EDJ....
HiFER FSK Standard?
Posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 05, 2013 at 20:02:26.
I'm building a HiFER TX and want to be certain about the FSK convention. From what I've seen on EH, mark is higher in frequency than space. But then does that depend on what mode my rx is in ( LSB, USB, CW )? I'll be using an Epson 8002DC programmable osc. for the TX. The Epsons seem to go down in frequency when V goes up. I'm just trying to get the FSK shift direction correct before I get too far into this. The beacon will be EDJ QRSS3 in EM83du, Monroe, Ga.
Bob...WA1EDJ
Re: HiFER FSK Standard?
Posted by John, W1TAG on June 05, 2013 at 20:17:47.
In reply to HiFER FSK Standard? posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 05, 2013
Bob,
There are two approaches, as far as I can see. For FSK, where the carrier is not turned off, mark is usually higher in frequency than space. EH and USC both follow this. So, EDJ would become:
-___---_-_-___-_---_---_---
On the other hand, for dual-frequency CW (DFCW), which shortens ID times, dashes are on the high frequency side of dots, and both are the same length, with the carrier being turned off between characters. This makes:
_ -__ _---
(or as close as the computer display of this message will make it!)
John, W1TAG
Re: HiFER FSK Standard?
Posted by John Davis on June 06, 2013 at 00:52:02.
In reply to Re: HiFER FSK Standard? posted by John, W1TAG on June 05, 2013
"But then does that depend on what mode my rx is in ( LSB, USB, CW )? I'll be using an Epson 8002DC programmable osc. for the TX. The Epsons seem to go down in frequency when V goes up. I'm just trying to get the FSK shift direction correct before I get too far into this."
Yes, the general FSK CW convention is for the mark frequency to be the higher one and idle to be low at the transmit end. (As John A. noted for DFCW, it's an analogous situation regarding transmit frequency: dot low, dash high, while intercharacter space=carrier off. While that has the added complexity of requiring both a frequency shift and keying of the carrier, it is very efficient in terms of transmission time.)
If the person at the receiving end uses USB and/or a CW detector that also responds to upper sideband (most but not all radios), then the sense of the frequency shift will come out right-side-up on Argo.
If I can get one of my other electronic projects and some farm work out of the way soon, I hope to get my own Epson-based HiFER going. This year it will be a bit different... I'll be using a 100 ohm PTC thermistor located between a roughly 5.6V adjustable supply and the Epson module. This will be followed by a multi-section 74HC chip (probably a hex inverter) with all gates in parallel as a buffer, powered from a 5V regulated source. This will--I hope--let me benefit from thermal compensation courtesy of the thermistor, but still maintain a nice, steady output level regardless of the temperature-induced resistance fluctuations. I'll be using plain on/off QRSS3, as the degree of frequency shift would also vary with the temperature compensating voltage changes.
Re: under water vlf
Posted by Robert E Rode W9ESX on June 06, 2013 at 07:51:38.
In reply to under water vlf posted by robert rode on May 09, 2013
...a week or so ago I asked for info on under water vlf,..a few guys responded, and many thanks, one of you mentioned 6 meters use,..would you please respond again? Did u use a 6 meter r/c rig, or Ham Radio rig,..please enlighten me,..thanks..
Re: HiFER FSK Standard?
Posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 06, 2013 at 20:53:00.
In reply to Re: HiFER FSK Standard? posted by John Davis on June 06, 2013
Thanks guys....Good info. I'm working on the final cleaned up build of the TX now. Let you know when done. Not sure about the antenna though. I have a 173' EFLW with tuner I'm listening with now with a tuner. I may just try it on that at first. What do other use? Re: under water vlf
Bob....EDJ...
Posted by John Davis on June 07, 2013 at 06:33:25.
In reply to Re: under water vlf posted by Robert E Rode W9ESX on June 06, 2013
"one of you mentioned 6 meters use"
That would be me. It was a 6 meter ham rig, and my colleague and I immersed a dipole that resonated (if I recall correctly) at something a little less than 6 feet end-to-end in fresh water. Even at what we took to be resonance, SWR was high, but I had no means to do accurate impedance measurements back then.
The object of that experiment was not actually R/C, but instead to see if radio was a practical means of returning telemetry to the surface; and if so, what might be the optimal frequency range. For that test, the radios were on shore, with coax running into the water to the test antenna, which was stationary.
I had read somewhere that high HF and low VHF could escape the air-water interface fairly well. We never did get around to trying other bands as much as we wanted to, though. Even at 6 meters, the antenna was a bit large to be practical on a sub, so we never tried 10 or 11 meters. On the other hand, at 2 meters I never achieved a good enough match to the antenna to get much power out.
I'd love to revive those experiments just to get a few answers and satisfy my curiosity, but I no longer live near a lake or pond.
John Re: HiFER FSK Standard?
Posted by John Davis on June 07, 2013 at 06:48:10.
In reply to Re: HiFER FSK Standard? posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 06, 2013
Hi Bob,
The thing about an antenna for this band is, unless you use one whose gain is known or can be inferred from standard references, you kind of need to be able to measure the actual radiated field. Field intensity in the maximum direction is the real criterion for compliance in this band, not power.
Dipoles and verticals are the most commonly used types. An antenna with the same gain as a dipole will be within limits with something like 4.5, 4.7, or 4.8 mW applied (I need to go look that up again...don't have my notes available tonight). That could include a literal horizontal dipole, or a vertical with sufficiently drooping radials to appear as a dipole. An antenna behaving as (or nearly as) a true monopole would require about half that. Maybe John A has the exact numbers handy.
The catch with dipoles (or loops) is, of course, their directionality. You achieve less than total coverage of your potential audience. Another option would be a turnstile...two dipoles crossed at right angles, driven with RF in phase quadrature. In principle, each of the dipoles could be fed the nominal 4.7 mW and achieve the desired field strength omnidirectionally. However, I don't know anyone who has actually tried this at 22 meters.
73 Re: HiFER FSK Standard?
John
Posted by Paul on June 08, 2013 at 22:34:00.
In reply to Re: HiFER FSK Standard? posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 06, 2013
Hi Bob,
Hifer FRC (K6FRC) uses a 20m "hamstick" mobile antenna mounted on top of a small metal shipping container. It's signal gets heard a lot.
Re: HiFER FSK Standard?
Posted by John Davis on June 08, 2013 at 22:46:31.
In reply to Re: HiFER FSK Standard? posted by Paul on June 08, 2013
"Hifer FRC (K6FRC) uses a 20m 'hamstick' mobile antenna mounted on top of a small metal shipping container. Its signal gets heard a lot."
It certainly does. In fact, at 7:15 PM CDT on Thursday of this week, it was the best signal in the top half of the band here in SE Kansas. Caught a number of complete IDs.
Slightly OT: Wasn't having a lot of luck from the northeast that evening, though. Saw MP and USC for a time, had fair reception of NC, and another anomalous event involving EH. I'll try to post a capture of that when/if things settle down a bit this weekend.
John
Re: HiFER FSK Standard?
Posted by Paul on June 10, 2013 at 19:36:38.
In reply to Re: HiFER FSK Standard? posted by John Davis on June 08, 2013
Thanks, John.
Still have a giant stack of FRC QSL cards to send out. Just sayin...
I bought way too many, expecting to be bombarded with reports. It gets about 1 or 2 per month is all. So, 500 cards will last a lifetime.
Hifer short skip
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on June 14, 2013 at 16:31:51.
No signal is strong here at the hifer watering hole, but MP is coming in and out of the noise, along with NC, EH, and USC. Overnight conditions on 20 meter WSPR were anything but short skip. Over-the-arctic decodes were obtained from Japan, Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore, with Europeans often coming through the beam sidelobes.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Testing EDJ
Posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 14, 2013 at 23:16:39.
I'll be testing beacon EDJ in the evenings for the next few days ( while no storms ). Best I can measure freq is 13555.488. I'm seeing it on my system about 62 Hz above EH. Running a EFLW thru a tuner and long coax. Not great but just testing. Will try to leave on over the weekend. FSK QRSS3........Bob....EDJ
Re: Testing EDJ
Posted by John, W1TAG on June 15, 2013 at 14:05:11.
In reply to Testing EDJ posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 14, 2013
Bob,
It's working! In fact, at mid-morning here at my Maine
QTH, it's the strongest of the bunch. See:
http://www.w1tag.com/files/Hifer061513.jpg
The only potential issue is that you are presently right on top of NC. The "presently" comes from NC's expected temperature drift over the course of a day. Dex is a tough target to avoid.
John, W1TAG/1 Re: Testing EDJ
FN43sv
Posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 15, 2013 at 14:57:11.
In reply to Re: Testing EDJ posted by John, W1TAG on June 15, 2013
Thanks John! First report. I'll leave it on over the weekend as long as no TS's pop up. You know the south in the summer. I do have a few more Epson osc's on different freq's close to this one that I can try if I'm on NC. Let me know. What freq are you seeing me at? My counter is saying around .545. TNX!.......Bob....EDJ
Re: Testing EDJ
Posted by John, W1TAG on June 15, 2013 at 15:30:03.
In reply to Re: Testing EDJ posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 15, 2013
Bob,
I make the mark frequency as 13,555.533 kHz. NC has drifted down, as expected, and is now well clear of you. My calibration check at the moment is to take readings on WWV at 10 and 15 MHz, and should be within a couple of Hz. Can do better at home with fancier gadgets...
I think you're fine where you are. The earlier screen shot used Spectran, which allows a wider frequency range than
Argo. USC sets the bottom end, and either you or NC would set the top. The only signal that didn't appear on that capture was EH, which is a bit close to me for regular copy. He has shown up a couple of times this morning, though.
John, W1TAG
Re: Testing EDJ
Posted by John Davis on June 15, 2013 at 15:59:16.
In reply to Re: Testing EDJ posted by John, W1TAG on June 15, 2013
Don't know what sort of directionality to expect from your antenna, but I'll give it a try here in Kansas today.
John
Re: Testing EDJ
Posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 15, 2013 at 16:16:39.
In reply to Re: Testing EDJ posted by John Davis on June 15, 2013
John TAG....tnx for the freq check. I'll leave this Epson in. Antenna favors the NE. I see EH almost every night solid, so Kansas probably is a poor direction. But I'd like to know if you catch it. It will be on till Monday morning. I want to add a little more interword time to the ID......TNX...Bob....EDJ
Re: Testing EDJ
Posted by John Davis on June 15, 2013 at 20:18:25.
In reply to Re: Testing EDJ posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 15, 2013
Well, apparently I spoke a little too soon about the chances for trying today in Kansas, Bob. Those t-storms you were talking about decided to visit us here this afternoon and chased me back home. Will try later.
John D
Re: Testing EDJ
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on June 15, 2013 at 23:16:02.
In reply to Re: Testing EDJ posted by John Davis on June 15, 2013
Looked several times through the day but nothing of EDJ noted here. NC, EH, MP, and USC all came in well at times. Right now (1115Z) only EH is seen at the watering hole, but CW from FRC on about 13565040 Hz is rising above the noise at times.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: Testing EDJ
Posted by John Davis on June 16, 2013 at 06:43:46.
In reply to Re: Testing EDJ posted by Garry, K3SIW on June 15, 2013
Together on the big screen at last! Or rather, on two little screens stitched together.
I was able to get back to the field about sunset, and watched these same stations for quite a while. Then I took a break and looked/listened for others outside the watering hole. (Minimal success there...saw traces of what was probably AJO's dash after ID, heard a few pieces of FRC, but that was about it.) Returned to the watering hole for a few minutes, just in time to see EDJ disappear, shortly after 9:41 PM CDT.
I continued to watch for another 20 minutes or so, until I thought I saw some distant lightning and shut down. It looked like there were bits of EDJ, but some of it may have been artifacts from the clipper. A few times after dark, USC and EH both got very strong. The 800 Hz mark is 13555.400 kHz within a Hz or so.
Will look again tomorrow morning if it's not too wet to get into the field. From the forecast, tomorrow night will be out of the question, as they've already issued flood watches for then.
John D
Re: Testing EDJ
Posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 16, 2013 at 16:40:35.
In reply to Re: Testing EDJ posted by John Davis on June 16, 2013
John, Thanks for looking, great to hear EDJ is making it out to Kansas! TNX for everyone listening for the reports. I'll be taking it down tonight since storms are comming later. Going to make a few changes and try to get it in a box. I'd like to try a 1/4 wave vert antenna when I get some material .......I'll try to have it back on the air next weekend. Bob....EDJ
Rycom in TV trailer
Posted by Lee on June 17, 2013 at 07:07:56.
Anybody seen this. There is a new TV show called "Under The Dome". And the promo trailer shows a guy tuning a device that clearkly says "Rycom" on it. And it has the distinctive 8 knurled knob with the speed twirl knob on it. Did anyone see the actual model number. Just curious. Maybe a device I need to own........ Thanks. Re: Testing EDJ
Lee
Posted by Paul on June 17, 2013 at 18:17:17.
In reply to Re: Testing EDJ posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 16, 2013
Invest $65 in a Polyphaser, install it, and never worry about t-storms.
FRC has been on the air 24/7 for years through many t-storms, and it's up on a mountain peak that gets plenty of lightning action. The worst that can happen is the antenna gets blown up. If (when) that happens, there's already a spare ready to go.
I surfed the net for lowest price, found this one here- http://www.copper.com/cart/product_info.php?products_id=414
EDJ Back on air for the weekend
Posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 20, 2013 at 15:32:05.
I'll have the proto version of EDJ back on air starting 6/21 ( tomorrow )in the evening, running through the weekend. Will just tweek the msg timing a bit....Bob...EDJ...
Re: Testing EDJ
Posted by DAVID G. on June 22, 2013 at 18:02:42.
In reply to Re: Testing EDJ posted by Paul on June 17, 2013
fb cpy on EDJ @ 1800z 22 june.
ant G5RV/TS2000
GL
david/wd4kpd Re: EDJ Back on air for the weekend
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on June 22, 2013 at 18:43:53.
In reply to EDJ Back on air for the weekend posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 20, 2013
No copy here near Chicago, IL. But hifers NC, EH, MP, and USC are coming through well. Don't know from past messages just where EDJ is located, but think it's in Georgia. If that's the case the antenna must be far from omnidirectional since NC and USC are coming through. Receive antenna here is the omnidirectional quarter-wave vertical used by the slash-code SIW hifer.
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: EDJ Back on air for the weekend
Posted by John Davis on June 23, 2013 at 03:56:35.
In reply to Re: EDJ Back on air for the weekend posted by Garry, K3SIW on June 22, 2013
Just faint traces in Kansas this evening, but on the other hand, I got a very late start today and hardly any signals were visible. EH was good some of the time, but there were only faint traces of USC, SIW slant mode, and NC. No MP at all. Will try again tomorrow.
John
NEXT SAQ TRANSMISSION WILL BE ON SUNDAY, JUNE 30 2013
Posted by Todd WD4NGG on June 23, 2013 at 13:23:28.
Hi All, I received this update from Lars SM6NM over at SAQ.
73 - Todd WD4NGG
REMINDER!
We will remind you of the Grimeton Radio/SAQ transmissions on 17.2 kHz, CW, with the Alexanderson alternator on Sunday, June 30, 2013, “Alexanderson Day", at 09:00 UTC and 12:00 UTC. (Note: Second transmission time was revised on 23 June.)
We will start tuning up some 30 minutes before message.
The radio station is open to visitors.
There will be activity on amateur radio frequencies with the call "SK6SAQ" from 08:00 to 09:00 UTC and 10:00 to 11:00 UTC.
Any of following frequencies:
- 14.035 kHz CW
- 14.215 kHz SSB
From 07:00 UTC also on:
- 3.755 kHz SSB
QSL-reports are kindly received:
- E-mail to: info@alexander.n.se
- or fax to: +46-340-674195
- or via: SM bureau
- or direct by mail to: Alexander - Grimeton Veteranradios Vaenner,
Radiostationen
Grimeton 72
SE-432 98 GRIMETON, SWEDEN (NB: new address)
Also read our web site: www.alexander.n.se
Yours
Lars Kalland
SM6NM
sm6nm@telia.com
lars.kalland@telia.com Re: EDJ Back on air for the weekend
Posted by John Davis on June 23, 2013 at 18:53:03.
In reply to Re: EDJ Back on air for the weekend posted by John Davis on June 23, 2013
This morning I went out to the field to do two things: look for LowFER WMS, who is back on the air after repairs; and check again for EDJ. My rule of thumb is that the atmosphere is usually quieter on a late June morning in southern Kansas than later in the day, but Mother Nature didn't agree this time. Saw what were probably the dashes of the W and the M, but not any of the dots. Would've needed QRSS180 and a couple of hours to get anything through that static!
EDJ did much better than yesterday evening, although the ionosphere is still unsettled. When I started looking during the 11 o'clock hour, nobody was very clear. By 12:30 MP and USC were very good, NC was fading in some of the time, and EDJ was a bit broken up but readily identifiable. No SIWs visible.
I came back to town for food and tea, and to escape the heat for a few hours, but I'll go back out later this afternoon and try again.
John
Re: EDJ Back on air for the weekend
Posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 24, 2013 at 14:15:26.
In reply to Re: EDJ Back on air for the weekend posted by John Davis on June 23, 2013
Thanks everyone for keeping an eye out for EDJ. I'm glad to hear it's being seen. Location is EM83du. Ant is 173' EFLW, long coax, less than idea. I will be back on the air testing starting Friday nights and run through the weekends wx permitting. I will measure the frequency and update later this week...TNX!...>EDJ....
EDJ Testing this weekend
Posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 29, 2013 at 14:45:55.
EDJ is back on the air starting last night and will stay on through Sunday evening wx permitting. Different tx this time, running the N4LTA pcb I built up last week. Freq is about 50Hz higher than EH. Re: EDJ Testing this weekend
Been seeing EH every night here in Monroe, Ga. Also both SIW's and MP.....Bob....EDJ
Posted by John Davis on June 29, 2013 at 17:56:41.
In reply to EDJ Testing this weekend posted by Bob WA1EDJ on June 29, 2013
In the wake of a G3 magnetic storm, I suspect there won't be a lot of signals to see out here in Kansas today. HF looks pretty poor. The 13 MHz MUF contour is way down south over the Gulf Coast and the Mexican border. But if no miracles occur today, I'll check again tomorrow!
John
2200m
Posted by John on June 30, 2013 at 01:31:47.
Testing on 137.777 kHz in qrss30 with VA7JZ (190km) most evenings .. his grabber is frequently on in the evenings. http://www.qsl.net/va7jx/argocaptures/
73 John / VE7BDQ cn89la SAQ
Posted by Steve on June 30, 2013 at 16:06:51.
Hi..did anyone copy SAQ this am ? I tried without success...Steve
Re: SAQ
Posted by Todd WD4NGG on June 30, 2013 at 16:25:26.
In reply to SAQ posted by Steve (KQ7E) on June 30, 2013
Sorry to say the band conditions were a washout here along coastal SC this morning. Static was running 40 over S-9 and there were thunderstorms all around my area. Hope someone in the Northeast may have had better luck. Re: SAQ
73 - Todd WD4NGG
Posted by KB8TVB on June 30, 2013 at 16:39:20.
In reply to Re: SAQ posted by Todd WD4NGG on June 30, 2013
Nothing heard in Detroit this morning. Static was extremely high.
potrzebie