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Europe 1 183 khz
Posted by Mike Terry on November 01, 2019 at 09:28:14.
Ydun Ritz wrote at WRTH Facebook group - World Radio Tv Handbook
1 November 2019 - 32 mins ago ·
From a Belgian dxer:
Europe 1 on LW 183 Khz, off the air at 08:00 UTC.
No reason given.
Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time
Posted by Jerry Parker on November 01, 2019 at 15:37:12.
Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time
Or listen online at kfs:
http://69.27.184.62:8901/?tune=3927lsb
or
KPH Point Reyes:
http://198.40.45.23:8073/
or
Utah Web sdr:
http://websdr1.utahsdr.org:8901/
If you cannot get into the net on 80 meters you can listen on KFS and participate by sending net control your thoughts t wa6owr@gmail.com
73,
Jerry WA6OWR
Re: Europe 1 183 khz
Posted by Mike Terry on November 01, 2019 at 17:37:39.
In reply to Europe 1 183 khz posted by Mike Terry on November 01, 2019
Gaétan Teyssonneau wrote on DXLD
wor@groups.io
1 November 2019
Hello,
I inform you that friday 1 november from 8:00 utc europe 1 and absent on 183 khz can not currently listen Europe 1
So I contacted Anne Fauconnier in charge of the operation of Europe 1 transmitters
Anne.Fauconnier@europe1.fr
"" We are currently testing our long wave transmitter ""
In short, the test consists of measuring the reactions of the listeners.
To see if the listener is still listening to the 183 khz in order to possibly perform a drop in power, or more simply, delete this program.
Feel free to send him an email if you listen to 183 khz for this program to be maintained ...
Good afternoon Gaétan
Re: Europe 1 183 khz
Posted by Mike Terry on November 01, 2019 at 17:38:52.
In reply to Europe 1 183 khz posted by Mike Terry on November 01, 2019
Christian Ghibaudo wrote on the WRTH Facebook page:
No certainly not a close down. I phoned to Europe 1 in Paris. Today it's a Bank Holiday in France, and they told me no answer until Monday....
Technical works in Felsberg transmitter site. Europe 1 hope to be back on the air soon...They ask to the listeners to listen on FM or Internet.
Re: Europe 1 183 khz
Posted by Mike Terry on November 02, 2019 at 08:55:33.
In reply to Re: Europe 1 183 khz posted by Mike Terry on November 01, 2019
I had this email reply from the station :
Hello
you can also listen to us on europe1.fr or on our mobile application.
Regards
Anne Fauconnier
Re: Europe 1 183 khz
Posted by Mike Terry on November 02, 2019 at 10:07:09.
In reply to Re: Europe 1 183 khz posted by Mike Terry on November 02, 2019
It seems that depending on the amount of protest they receive, they will decide whether to keep going, to use lower power or to close the LW service altogether.
Re: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning
Posted by Clint Turner KA7OEI on November 02, 2019 at 20:04:03.
In reply to Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time posted by Jerry Parker on November 01, 2019
Notes on 2 November, 2019 Lowfer net
Present were:
WA6OWR, Jerry; Dave, WD4PLI; Clint, KA7OEI; Ed, KI6R; John, AEØCQ
Jerry:- Been working on the vertical (one he'd made for JOTA) - 40-10 meter coverage - based on a 30 foot extendable (aluminum) flagpole with PVC stand-offs.
- Set up like a fan dipole: A wire for 40/15 on one side, one for 20 and another for 10 - thinking of adding one for 6 meters.
- There are about 40 radials around the base of the antenna and the wires are fed directly with coax, without a tuner: Might add a tuner to use it on other bands.
Dave:- His friend John, KK6GK - making progress on the HW-18 conversion to 630 meters, brought it up to 100 watts output.
- It is hoped that John will be on the air in the next week or two.
Ed:- Still working on the house - able to get on the air with a "real" antenna this week.
- Commented on seeing HW-12, 18 and 22s at swap meets for pretty cheap.
- A friend of his (Mike) is handling the gear from the estate of Eb Keller - still quite a few interesting items (selective level meters, etc.)
Clint:- Finally replaced final transistor (a power FET) in the transmit converter - it took longer to find the bag of transistors than it did to do the replacement! (FWIW, transistor is a 080N65B, Mouser P/N 488-D3S080N65B-U - a device rated for 650V @ 38 amps.)
- Up and running with about 85 watts input, 1.5 amps of antenna current.
- Worked several stations on JT-9 - most in the western U.S., but also in Fort Wayne, IN. Was heard by several other stations back east on JT-9 as well.
- Ran WSPR overnight, heard by 61 unique stations, including east coast, AK and HI and parts of Canada.
- Commented on the QRP-Labs ProgRock (about 3 kHz to 200 MHz+) - $18 for the kit, an extra $3 or so for a TCXO - good for projects where you need an arbitrary frequency (or frequencies - it has 3 outputs) with about 1 Hz resolution.
- Built a UHF signal source: ProgRock at 210-ish MHz, doubled with a diode, filtered with tuned lines and amplified with several MMICs: "Clean enough" in terms of spurs, fine in terms of phase noise.
John, via email:- No progress on the garage repair - contractor was supposed to show up yesterday, but no-show. Has water on-site to aid in cleaning/construction.
- Still awaiting zoning approval to be able to locate shack on-site, but was given incorrect advice and missed the November meeting agenda - have to wait for the December meeting: If there was a house on the property, it would be no problem, but has to get permission to put the shack there with no house.
- Is hopeful in having some vertical antennas up by the end of the year.
73,
Clint KA7OEI
Re: Europe 1 183 khz
Posted by Mike Terry on November 03, 2019 at 11:26:18.
In reply to Re: Europe 1 183 khz posted by Mike Terry on November 02, 2019
Christian Ghibaudo on WRTH Facebook group
November 3, 2019
This morning Bernard Poirette anchorman of the weekend morning news told that LW will be back tomorrow Monday.
2200m band dx
Posted by swlem3 on November 03, 2019 at 15:09:11.
Was pleasantly surprised to find VK4YB in my overnight 2200m wspr decodes.
2019-11-03 10:54 VK4YB 0.137596 -27 0 QG62ku 1 SWLEM3 EM03rf 13250 65
Antenna used: 7m length vertical. Perhaps this will be a good winter season for dx on the lower freqs.
Re: Europe 1 183 khz
Posted by Mike Terry on November 04, 2019 at 13:39:43.
In reply to Re: Europe 1 183 khz posted by Mike Terry on November 03, 2019
Europe 1 now back on air.
Kalundborg 243 kHz
Posted by Mike Terry on November 04, 2019 at 15:12:58.
Ydun Ritz reports today in the WRTH Facebook group:
Due to antenna maintenance work at DR Kalundborg 243 kHz there will be no noon transmissions (1045-1115 UTC) Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.
Re: 630m Spots
Posted by Ed Holland on November 04, 2019 at 18:50:56.
In reply to Re: 630m Spots posted by Ed Holland on October 31, 2019
I played around with a loop antenna yesterday. This was a contraption I built a while ago, and takes the classic form of two 4' timbers crossed at the centre, wound with about 10 turns of enameled wire. An old variable capacitor tunes the coil and the range is nicely centered close to 630 m (accident?). An independent single turn provides coupling and impedance transformation for a coax connection to the receiver.
This aerial has a pretty good capture, and despite my tests being in the radio room in our basement, the natural static peaked higher on the S meter than for the long wire, IIRC. Reception tests brought in plenty of WSPR spots.
One benefit of the loop is its selectivity against broadcast band signals, which are at risk of overloading even the best among my receivers. Several locals practically peg the S meter at S9+40 or S9+50!
Anyway, it makes for fun, cheap radio tinkering.
Re: 2200m band dx
Posted by Roger, VK4YB on November 05, 2019 at 01:03:53.
In reply to 2200m band dx posted by swlem3 on November 03, 2019
To SWLEM3
Many thanks for your report on 2200m and the many reports on 630m. I am conducting experiments to see how my 2200m signals are reaching to Eric, NO3M in PA at a distance of almost 15000km. I had thought the signals was taking a more Northerly route, skirting the polar region, owing to the lack of reports from intervening stations. Your location is right on the Great Circle route to NO3M, so perhaps my Northern Route theory is wrong. Keep up the good work.
73 Roger, VK4YB
Re: 2200m band dx
Posted by swlem3 on November 05, 2019 at 10:02:30.
In reply to Re: 2200m band dx posted by Roger, VK4YB on November 05, 2019
I appreciate your reply Roger, thanks. I plan to be more active on 2200m, (shifting my focus from 630m), over this NA winter season so hopefully I can supply a few more "data points" for you. 73
Re: 630m Spots
Posted by Ed Holland on November 06, 2019 at 18:07:37.
In reply to Re: 630m Spots posted by Ed Holland on November 04, 2019
With WSPR now running like clockwork, I felt it was time to see what was happening with the interactive traffic. The wider track of JT9 signals are frequently apparent in the spectrum display of WSJT-x, and after synchronising clocks, The system was decoding CQ's and the occasional QSO. I left the system running (somewhat by accident) and should have a 24 hour snapshot of activity available later this evening.
Cheers
Ed
Re: 630m Spots
Posted by Tom on November 06, 2019 at 22:19:54.
In reply to Re: 630m Spots posted by Ed Holland on November 06, 2019
Very good Ed. I'm pretty sure you'll find the 630m activity mostly an evening endeavor, but there's bound to be exceptions. If you're in the Western US, there's a number of guys using the slower modes on JT9 that aren't included in the wsjt-x software suite. If you want to monitor that activity, go to this site and get the decoding program:
http://www.472khz.org/SlowJT9/
Unfortunately, I can't participate in decoding and uploading my decodes because the program isn't capable of being set up to report with a non-ham call. It won't accept an swl call.
Re: 630m Spots
Posted by Ed Holland on November 07, 2019 at 16:19:30.
In reply to Re: 630m Spots posted by Tom on November 06, 2019
Thanks Tom - You answered a question that was in the back of my head - no Ham call here either, so no reporting.
- Is it the same for WSPR?
I also had a quick tune down to 136 kHz yesterday evening and pulled in WH2XND from Arizona, despite a remarkable set of wobbly stripes no-doubt emanating from a switched PSU somewhere nearby.
This was using the Lowe HF-225 reciver, which seems very capable at LW and MW frequencies. The only thing that makes use of this radio a little more difficult compared to some of my others is that the dial readout is to the nearest kHz, so accurate tuning/freq reporting is more of a challenge. The good thing is that, with a quiet LCD readout, it generates no LF noise of its own. The Lowe range are good receivers - I'm a bit of a collector of this brand...
Ed
2200m WSPR
Posted by Ed Holland on November 07, 2019 at 16:52:40.
A first (successful) listen in on 2200m featured last evening (6-NOV-19 local time). I received just two WSPR beacons, in the period 0536-0600 UTC (7-NOV-19). These were N6 LF, and WH2XND.
Antenna is an 80 ft long wire, transformer coupled at the feed point. The receiver was a Lowe HF-225.
Ed
Re: 2200m WSPR
Posted by Tom on November 07, 2019 at 20:18:53.
In reply to 2200m WSPR posted by Ed Holland on November 07, 2019
I knew that wire would do well for you Ed, even if it could use some "optimizing" on 2200m. You may be able to copy W7IUV up in Washington the next time he fires up the tx. There's also WH2XXP, close-by to XND in AZ, but I've not seen him on for awhile. KA7OEI in Utah is also a possibility if you can catch him in the tx mode.
Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time
Posted by Jerry Parker on November 08, 2019 at 18:27:33.
Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time
Or listen online at KFS:
http://69.27.184.62:8901/?tune=3927lsb
or
KPH Point Reyes:
http://198.40.45.23:8073/
or
Utah Web sdr:
http://www.sdrutah.org/websdr1.html?tune=3927lsb
If you cannot get into the net on 80 meters you can listen on KFS and participate by sending net control your thoughts t wa6owr@gmail.com
73,
Jerry WA6OWR
Re: 2200m WSPR
Posted by Ed Holland on November 08, 2019 at 19:34:27.
In reply to Re: 2200m WSPR posted by Tom on November 07, 2019
Cheers Tom.
The wire is doing well, I hope this Winter i kind to it, it fell a couple of times last year due to high winds. I think the coupling transformer may be running out of steam at LF, and that may contribute to some noise getting in from the coax. Easy to test, and produce an alternative with more impedance at the frequency of interest.
Cheers,
Ed
Re: Lowfer net 3927Khz Saturday morning
Posted by John Davis on November 09, 2019 at 16:58:40.
In reply to Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time posted by Jerry Parker on November 08, 2019
Clint was not with us this week to take his usual excellent notes on the net, and I was Away From Keyboard myself, but fortunately the recording worked. It's shorter than some recent sessions, so you can probably stream the whole thing just by clicking the link. However, right-click if you want to save it to your local drive anyway.
websdr_2019-11-09_3927kHz.mp3
Re: 2200m WSPR
Posted by John Davis on November 10, 2019 at 18:42:01.
In reply to Re: 2200m WSPR posted by Ed Holland on November 08, 2019
This thread reminded me I hadn't looked at 2200 m WSPR in some time, so I did that from about half an hour before sunset last night, well into this morning. Prior to sunset, I already had decodes of WA9GCZ, K3MF, and eventually N4WLO (the latter was visible early on, but the PLC right at 137.500 kept it from decoding for a time). Stations overall during the night, listed in reverse order of first time decoded, followed by some random observations:
Timestamp Call MHz SNR Grid Pwr km az #Spots
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019-11-10 09:20 WB5MMB 0.137550 -30 EM22nm 0.001 510 358 3
2019-11-10 03:46 W7IUV 0.137421 -21 DN07dg 0.5 2305 110 1
2019-11-10 03:34 N1DAY 0.137456 -24 EM85sg 5 1154 284 36
2019-11-10 03:32 NO3M 0.137520 -10 EN91wr 1 1385 253 4
2019-11-10 01:10 KA9OKH 0.137556 -22 EM67fx 5 675 264 8
2019-11-10 00:58 N6LF 0.137468 -17 CN83lt 1 2463 98 31
2019-11-09 23:46 K3RWR 0.137480 -16 FM18qi 1 1630 271 114
2019-11-09 23:22 N4WLO 0.137501 -12 EM50uo 0.2 959 321 58
2019-11-09 23:20 K3MF 0.137411 -14 FM19sr 1 1649 266 50
2019-11-09 23:12 WA9CGZ 0.137433 -26 EN61ch 0.5 786 236 12
Reporter: AE0CQ EM27kc
Antenna is the 40 foot vertical on the farm, with buffer amp at the base. The receiver was an ICOM R-75, and software was WSPR X. Now, the random thoughts...1. WSPRnet must be drastically overloaded these days... lots of timeouts when loading pages this morning.
2. One thing that makes WSPR a poor tool for propagation studies (at least, on bands with low usage) is that we have no way of knowing whether a station stopped showing up because the path closed, or because the operator simply shut down. That's an uncontrolled variable; in the absence of other ongoing stations from the same vicinity, we can't even draw any meaningful guesses based on statistics. Is N4WLO the only station in the country that stayed on the air past 6 AM today, or did the band really close in every other direction from here? No way to tell.
3. Some amateurs may not be using the best assumptions about radiation resistance or ground losses when performing their power calculations.
Based on prior years' observations of Part 5 experimental operations in the band, there are a couple whose signal strengths suggest better efficiency than their low reported power level. On the other hand, some that display a nominal 0.5 or 1 W don't seem to be doing quite as well as one might hope, even in the absence of QRM.
And it's totally unclear to me why anyone would want to advertise running 5 times the power authorized for 2200 meters, even if the received signals don't necessarily appear to back up the claim.
Re: 2200m WSPR
Posted by Tom on November 10, 2019 at 20:46:16.
In reply to Re: 2200m WSPR posted by John Davis on November 10, 2019
Looks like you've had a good overnight rx session on 2200m,John.
1. wsprnet... :-( takes sometimes forever to load, and you may have noticed that a percentage of spots supposedly uploaded don't get posted... they get "dropped".
2. I'll add... no, N4WLO is not the only station continuing to TX but, wb5mmb with limited power-out, isn't getting heard unless the right station at the right distance is "on the air" to decode him. Another factor that upsets things for a good propagation study is that 2200m reception is very dependent on the stations ability to control the local "noise-makers"... either from his own home or the surrounding neighbors. I've had local qrm at times drastically impairing my ability to get decent decodes when propagation was just fine. The db level of the decodes sent to wsprnet didn't accurately reflect the real situation of how well the signals were coming in.
3. Yes, some hams just "wing-it" with their EIRP estimations. A number of stations' figures are probably not accurate. I'm sure most are doing their best but may not have the proper "tools" or the technical knowledge to factor in all the variables. From experience, I've noted that far more "egregious" things have gone on other than a fellow advertising higher power than allowed. There's a certain fellow occasionally on 630m ... well, I just leave things there. ;-)
New Hifer AN2
Posted by Jeff on November 11, 2019 at 01:40:25.
Hifer beacon AN2 on the air today near Maryville, Tennessee (EM85bs). Frequency is 13563.090 Khz with a 13 wpm CW ID. AN2 is solar powered and is transmitting into a half wave dipole up 12' using a twisted pair feedline. The Beacon is assembled from a Blackcat System kit and will transmit 24/7. Reports appreciated. Jeff K8NDB
Re: 2200m WSPR
Posted by mike N8OOU on November 11, 2019 at 13:03:28.
In reply to Re: 2200m WSPR posted by John Davis on November 10, 2019
John,
As to knowing whether a station is on, you can look at the WSPR Database page and see if any one else is reporting the station. I have a 24/7 receiver on 2200m and just looked up my past 48 Hrs. I found N4WLO in almost every timeslot. We are about the same distance from him.
I must admit that I was surprised to see the 24Hr report, because I have seen my receptions completely stop in the daytime too, even though the noise level seemed to remain low.
As to Power calculations, I admit my understanding of all the factors is not complete. I don't have equipment to make calibrated measurements. At best all I can say is "relative to yesterday" I'm better or worse.
Another factor as to what power number to put in the WSPR message, is it depends on who/where you ask. I was told EIRP by some, Input power by others, and even by one person said, "Don't worry about the number we can figure it out!".
73 Mike
RTE
Posted by Mike Terry on November 12, 2019 at 12:08:50.
After it's recent lengthy maintenance shutdown, RTE R1 on LW 252 kHz is off again air today (12 Nov) but only for up to 7 hours between 1000-1700.
(radio.ie @BrianGreene on Twitter, via Alan Pennington BDXC)
Re: RY On for the Winter
Posted by Ed Holland on November 12, 2019 at 16:54:52.
In reply to RY On for the Winter posted by John, W1TAG on October 29, 2019
It's possible that RY was received here in CA during monitoring on 10th Nov. Certainly there was a CW trace observed at, or very close to the correct frequency. Alas, it was not readable for a positive ID - conditions never really allowed signals to lift against the noise. However, since EH has been recorded very clearly in recent weeks here at CM87, I am hopeful for RY when conditions do perk up a bit.
Cheers
Ed
Re: RTE
Posted by Mike Terry on November 13, 2019 at 09:53:46.
In reply to RTE posted by Mike Terry on November 12, 2019
Good to know RTE seems committed to the postponement of closure plans at least until 2021.
Bad news for dxers is that the high power Algeria transmitter knocks it out during darkness, even in the UK!
630 m WSPR
Posted by Ed Holland on November 13, 2019 at 21:58:49.
There was a lot of 630 m activity last night. Focusing on WSPR, I received many instances of signals in excess of 2000 km and some in excess of 3000 km here in California (SF Bay Area). Of Note were K9FD in Hawaii, WA9CGZ in Illinois, and KL7L in Alaska.
The Lowe receiver + Longwire seem a good combination.
Re: New Hifer AN2
Posted by Jeff K8NDB on November 14, 2019 at 13:51:17.
In reply to New Hifer AN2 posted by Jeff on November 11, 2019
I tweaked the frequency of AN2 today and it is now pounding away on 13563.500 Khz. 73's Jeff K8NDB
Re: Lowfer SIW again QRV
Posted by Rob - K3RWR on November 14, 2019 at 14:35:33.
In reply to Lowfer SIW again QRV posted by Garry, K3SIW on October 02, 2019
Four nice WSPR-15 decodes of K3SIW on 188185 Hz overnight 11/14/2019 at FM18qi (1113 Km)
Re: Lowfer SIW again QRV
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on November 14, 2019 at 16:59:50.
In reply to Re: Lowfer SIW again QRV posted by Rob - K3RWR on November 14, 2019
Thanks for the report Rob. Andy, KU4XR has been decoding both wspr-15 and opera-32 in TN, along with locals NK9M and KB9PWQ. For opera we're now using the program OP32Rx.exe, available for download at http://rn3aus.narod.ru/Op32Rx/index.html (translate Russian to English with Google). Thanks I believe to Luis, EA5DOM for pointing out that program. Jim, K8RZ portable in FL has also copied the beacon, first via QRSS30/60 then last night on opera-32. That's a path of over 1000 miles and represents state #22 where the beacon has been copied:
List of States receiving SIW lowfer beacon located at EN51uq, Oswego, IL
1. Illinois (K3SIW - EN52ta, 23.4 mi; NK9M - 0 mi; K9BAG - 29.5 mi)
2. Connecticut (W1VD - FN31ms, 794.1 mi)
3. Indiana (W9NU - EN71as, 120.8 mi)
4. Ohio (N8TL - EN80ex, 247.6 mi)
5. Tennessee (KU4XR - EM75xr, 470.7 mi, KB4OER - EM86ui, 509.1 mi)
6. Minnesota (K0MVJ - EN36wt, 401.6 mi)
7. Louisiana (W5JGV - EM31js, 735.9 mi)
8. Oklahoma (KL1X - EM26ar, 534.7 mi)
9. South Carolina (WD4NGG - EM92of, 772.3 mi)
10. Texas (Charles Wenzel, Austin - EM10cg, 964.4 mi)
11. Pennsylvania (WA3USG - FN10le, 597.3 mi), later WA3TTS - EN90xn, 437 mi
12. North Carolina (W4DEX - EM95tg, 616 mi)
13. Missouri (KC0TKS - EM38iq, 347 mi), later K0AZ - EM37cd, 430 mi
14. Colorado (KD0GS - DN70ke, 886 mi), later AB0CW - DM79ku, 891 mi
15. Oregon (AA7U - DN15ao, 1503 mi)
16. Kansas (John Davis, KD4IDY - EM27kc, 483 mi)
17. Arkansas (Paul, K5WMS - EM34ww, 529 mi)
18. Maine (John, W1TAG/1 - FN43sv, 823 mi)
19. Massachusetts (Jon, WS1K - FN41qw, 911 mi)
20. Alabama (Ben, KD5BYB - EM64pu, 479.1 mi) 11/21/14
21. Georgia (Jim, K8RZ - EM84aj, 556 mi) 02/11/15
22. Florida (Jim, K8RZ – portable, EL87vb, 1065.6 mi) 11/13/19
73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL
Re: Lowfer SIW again QRV
Posted by Rob - K3RWR on November 14, 2019 at 20:25:32.
In reply to Re: Lowfer SIW again QRV posted by Garry, K3SIW on November 14, 2019
And hopefully Maryland will be #23 with both EbNaut and WSPR-15 rx reports :-)
Re: Lowfer SIW again QRV
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on November 15, 2019 at 03:36:07.
In reply to Re: Lowfer SIW again QRV posted by Rob - K3RWR on November 14, 2019
Rob,
Sorry I forgot you already decoded lowfer SIW November 15 last year. I've added you to the list as state #22 and moved FL to state #23. Don't recall if you also decoded wspr-15 signals - poor documentation on my part.
73, Garry, K3SIW
Re: 630 m WSPR
Posted by Tom on November 15, 2019 at 16:14:03.
In reply to 630 m WSPR posted by Ed Holland on November 13, 2019
Very good Ed. Keep monitoring, you should be able to get further east as propagation permits... even to the East coast. The band will get quieter as the fall/winter season progresses. Looking to the W/SW, I'll bet you'll see VK4YB in your overnight decodes soon. He'll decode near your local sunrise, I believe.
Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time
Posted by Jerry Parker on November 15, 2019 at 19:42:09.
Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time
Or listen online at kfs:
http://69.27.184.62:8901/?tune=3927lsb
orKPH Point Reyes:
http://198.40.45.23:8073/
or
Utah Web sdr:
http://www.sdrutah.org/websdr1.htmlIf you cannot get into the net on 80 meters you can listen on KFS and participate by sending net control your thoughts t wa6owr@gmail.com73,
Jerry WA6OWR
Re: 630 m WSPR
Posted by Ed Holland on November 15, 2019 at 21:19:45.
In reply to Re: 630 m WSPR posted by Tom on November 15, 2019
Thanks Tom,
A trans-pacific spot would be great - your note on timing for that makes sense. Last night showed that US activity seems to be improving/increasing, but I was not willing to leave things running unattended due to concern over the weather. Noise here is measuring S1-S3 at the moment using the long wire.
/Ed
My Youtube video
Posted by Lee on November 15, 2019 at 21:34:28.
Please check out my new youtube video. The title is "Amateur Radio Beacon 136khz lowfer 2200 meters longwave". Only took me a year to complete.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6C1vS-4C9E
Re: 630 m WSPR
Posted by Tom on November 15, 2019 at 23:02:36.
In reply to Re: 630 m WSPR posted by Ed Holland on November 15, 2019
I also think 630m activity is increasing Ed. You're doing right to not leave things unattended overnight when there is any threat of T-storms. That wire can gather a lot of static charge hooked up to equipment. Your noise level of s1-s3 sounds about normal. Of course, that will ramp up with approaching storms or local electronic device qrm.
Re: Lowfer net 3927Khz Saturday morning
Posted by Clint Turner KA7OEI on November 16, 2019 at 19:04:12.
In reply to Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time posted by Jerry Parker on November 15, 2019
Notes on 16 November, 2019 Lowfer net
Present were:
Jerry, WA6OWR; Ed, KI6R; Clint, KA7OEI; Dave, WD4PLI; John, AE0CQ - and a brief appearance at the end by Larry, K6VLF in Fresno, CA
KI6R:- Not a lot of radio projects - Busy with yard sale/projects
- Re: 630 SSB comments, below - Wished he still had the 630 system up to work 476.0 USB - good out to 700 miles pretty easily when conditions are good with reasonably-equipped stations.
- Hoping to build a multi-band capable monopole at the new place in AZ that will allow work on LF, MF and HF.
- Putting CA place on the market in the spring - been taking things apart - including radio stuff - so soon will have only a portable workbench for the projects for which he will have time.
- Mentioned that at a swap meet, set up an old receiver (WRR-3B) - from Eb Keller's estate - for testing - found a signal, from KPH, at around 438 kHz (25 WPM CW). Apparently, they have a permit to run this - seeming to operate around 2-4 PM (PT) or thereabouts.
- Noted at the official KPH web site ( http://www.radiomarine.org/ ) that they may be operating 426 and 500 kHz on occasion, in addition to several HF frequencies.
WD4PLI:- Hoping to try 630 meter CW later today with John, KK6GK - the person who modified Dave's old HW-18, mentioned in previous comments - later today.
- John (KK6GK), while tuning around, heard someone in SoCal (who?) doing some testing with CW - so someone else down there is "lurking" about on 630.
- Had some trouble with arcing over on antenna leads - slapped some self-amalgamating tape on the offending conductors to solve the issue.
WA6OWR:- Been working on antenna system - the tophat on the mesa-top vertical is one of the major items.
- Later, sealing some trailer roofs, hoping not to completely ruin his clothes in the process.
KA7OEI:- Noted that signals on 630 meters from some stations were extremely strong from Ward, K7PO (WSPR >=10dB) and we went to 476.0 USB: Over the 500 mile path, he was an easy 59, but he has an extremely good antenna. Originally, he had some loud spikes that de-sensed his RX, but they cleared up and was able to copy me easily, around 54.
- Ward uses "passive" transverters - 100 watts in, about 30 watts out on 630/2200 via separate units (see VE7CNF's design - http://phasordesign.com/VE7CNFamateurRadio/MFTransverter/VE7CNF_630mTransverter.htm ) and uses no T/R switching at all.
- From what I can tell from reports on the kHz Slack group he was able to work a station in "8" land - about 1600 miles - after much trying and serendipitous QSB.
- An audio recording of part of this QSO may be found here: http://www.ka7oei.com/K7PO_KA7OEI_USB_2019-11-16T02_38_19Z_476.0kHz.mp3
AEØCQ:- Winter conditions happened on Monday and car wouldn't make heat so some errands were foiled and not much work done on the new shack.
- Glad to hear about the 630 meter SSB QSOs - maybe start monitoring
- Completed building permit and turned it in - very involved in that it is for "accessory" use (e.g. no house) and shows every small detail of 3-acre tract. Hopefully, it will be reviewed in time for the December zoning board - but is expecting an initial rejection (per the wording of local ordinances) and has already prepared the requisite appeal, for which he is hopeful, considering the uses to which his neighbors are using their properties.
K6VLF:- Checked in - mentioned his web site, "Larry's Very Low Frequency Site": http://home.pon.net/785/
- Wants to reconnect with Mike Mideke - working on posting past VLF recordings (e.g. spherics, whistlers, etc) on YouTube - would like to hear from those that have such recordings and get permission to do so.
- He was put in touch with John Davis, AE0CQ, who may be able to help.
Comment related to K6VLF's query/comments:- A short film, "Magnetic Movie" by British Broadcaster Channel 4 using Steve McGreevy's recordings of "natural radio" in the background may be seen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E-cL9VvXQg
73,
Clint KA7OEI
RTÉ is going to spend €250,000 per year
Posted by Mike Terry on November 17, 2019 at 11:59:07.
RTÉ is going to spend €250,000 per year transmitting its Radio One station to the Irish diaspora in Britain – while closing down all its digital stations.
The station is shutting down RTÉ Gold, RTE Junior, RTÉ 2XM, RTÉ Pulse and RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, but would not specify how much this will save.
However, it has confirmed that it is going to continue its Longwave radio service to the Irish diaspora in Britain up to 2022.
https://www.businesspost.ie/news/rte-continue-spending-e250k-year-longwave-radio-service-axed-457245
Re: New Hifer AN2
Posted by KF7RPF John on November 17, 2019 at 14:48:15.
In reply to Re: New Hifer AN2 posted by Jeff K8NDB on November 14, 2019
Jeff,
I have adjusted my station to listen on 13563.5
AM 1710
Posted by Robert on November 18, 2019 at 23:22:15.
I hear New Jersey Turnpike on 1710 kHz with a "technical difficulties" loop using the sdr.hu kiwi WebSDR's. But, I hear another very weak, poorly modulated station on Nevada SDR's with male and female announcers. The male mentions storing this frequency in your car radio in case of emergencies. It never gets loud enough to ID.
I only see New Jersey Turnpike listed for 1710 kHz in the FCC database. Are there others on this frequency?
73 KB7AQD Robert, Glendale, AZ
Re: 630 m WSPR
Posted by Ed Holland on November 19, 2019 at 01:57:26.
In reply to Re: 630 m WSPR posted by Tom on November 15, 2019
There is definitely more activity and variation in conditions than I had expected. Although I have been following HiFER activity for a while, and "get" the use/fun that can be made of a thin sliver of spectrum at 22 m, 630 m has taken me by surprise.
On the antennas, simple static should not be a problem. All the systems have isolating transformers with separate primary and secondary windings, so the wire antennas are provided with a DC path to ground, and no DC path to the radio. However, there is still danger in some conditions.
Re: AM 1710
Posted by Chris KC3GFZ on November 19, 2019 at 02:27:47.
In reply to AM 1710 posted by Robert on November 18, 2019
1710 AM 9/11 flight 93 Memorial Travelers information station. This is located in somerset,PA and and i think they have one in Bedford, PA too. I hear both of these at night time fade in and out in Western PA.
Re: AM 1710
Posted by Robert on November 20, 2019 at 10:06:27.
In reply to Re: AM 1710 posted by Chris KC3GFZ on November 19, 2019
Much clearer tonight on the Southern Nevada and Northern Nevada WebSDR.
Travis AFB, CA with OM announcer loop and ID.
Thank you!
Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time
Posted by Jerry Parker on November 22, 2019 at 19:12:40.
Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time
Or listen online at kfs:
http://69.27.184.62:8901/?tune=3927lsb
orKPH Point Reyes:
http://198.40.45.23:8073/
or
Utah Web sdr:
http://www.sdrutah.org/websdr1.html
If you cannot get into the net on 80 meters you can listen on KFS and participate by sending net control your thoughts t wa6owr@gmail.com
73,
Jerry WA6OWR
SJ back
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on November 23, 2019 at 02:19:36.
Tonight I am running SJ QRSS30 on 185.304 kHz 0100 to 1300 UTC for the lowfer season.
later.............Sal,K1RGO
Re: SJ back
Posted by Garry, K3SIW on November 23, 2019 at 13:51:02.
In reply to SJ back posted by Sal,K1RGO on November 23, 2019
Sal, I copied lowfer SJ throughout the night here in NE Illinois. Some fading but generally not bad for a 1289 km path.
73, Garry, K3SIW, Elgin, IL EN52ta
137.480 khz
Posted by swlem3 on November 23, 2019 at 14:48:19.
Saw this last night in the wspr segment of the 2200m band. Good strong signal. View at
https://drive.google.com/open?id=183hiE_dr7uX9hOuJvWkSqKSuhjG3ctpi
Most likely k3rwr as mentioned in the Lowfer reflector posts.
Re: Lowfer net 3927Khz Saturday morning
Posted by Clint KA7OEI on November 23, 2019 at 18:10:20.
In reply to Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time posted by Jerry Parker on November 22, 2019
Notes on 23 November, 2019 Lowfer net (+/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time)
Comment: Even if you can't join on 80 meters, you are welcome to "join" by listening to the net via KFS or other WebSDR and commenting to Jerry via email.
Present were:
Jerry, WA6OWR; Dave, WD4PLI; Clint, KA7OEI; John, AEØCQ; Ed, KI6R
Jerry:- Working on the ground system and on the mesa.
- Approx. 100 ground wires, 15' long
- To add as many 100'-ish ground wires as possible as time/materials permit.
- Commented on MØMCX's assertion that a reasonable number of short-ish, non-resonant ground radials (particularly if elevated above ground) will often out-perform a small number resonant, buried radials. (For more information, google "M0MCX" and "DX Commander" antenna)
- Lots of planning for antennas - but less actual work thus far.
Dave:- QSO with John (KK6GK) went well - very strong signals, but not too surprising considering the 25 mile distance: John was on SSB, Dave on CW, John using the Modified HW-18
- To make the radio work (re: Pi network on the tube finals) - John had trouble with the blocking choke resonating (bad!) - put the choke at the "cold" end of the Pi network, feeding the V+ on the 50 ohms side, feeding the power via the Pi network, eliminating the need for a Hi-Z blocker choke.
- Was able to get 150-160 watts - maybe more with modification.
Ed:- Posited that 630 operation during Field day (after appropriate planning) in Wyoming - which has had no 2200/630M activity - would be an interesting idea.
- Still loading stuff in boxes for the move to AZ, little time for radio activity other than the occasional net.
- Will leave at the CA house one minimal HF station.
Clint:- CW QSOs: A couple new stations, re-worked some, mostly in Canada. A new state or two on JT-9
- Propagation - Seems to be more N/S, less E/W - hearing fewer stations back east this season, except when conditions suddenly (and too-often briefly) become "magical" and signals suddenly appear.
- Dave reported hearing a strong, local signal on 630 - suspected that it was a digital mode.
- In general: JT-9 = 55 second long transmissions, beginning at 00 sec of the UTC minute, will occur on either even OR odd minutes during CQ/QSO.
- WSPR, starts at 00 sec of the UTC minute, but lasts about 110 sec - may be periodic or semi-random in occurrence.
John, via email, listening via WebSDR:- Probably won't be around next week due to family obligations.
- No time to listen this past week - but noted that LowFER "SJ" is online and being reported - will try to copy in an upcoming session.
- Did paperwork and actual work on the edge of town property - dealt with the city "slow walking" the ham shack building permit: needed a formal rejection so that he could apply for a special use exception. He did get the appeal submitted in time for the December zoning meeting.
- Did some mowing of the property, which is about 3 acres for the future radio site - the marsh grass/boggy area adds a bit of challenge.
73,
Clint KA7OEI
Re: SJ back
Posted by Sal,K1RGO on November 23, 2019 at 20:59:51.
In reply to Re: SJ back posted by Garry, K3SIW on November 23, 2019
Cool, hope for a good lowfer season. I usually keep it running until around March. I run my 630m beacon(cw or qrss6) at times for a couple of hours 8pm to 10pm local when I get on if I'm not in QSO.
later...........Sal
Re: SJ back
Posted by John Davis on November 23, 2019 at 21:32:53.
In reply to Re: SJ back posted by Sal,K1RGO on November 23, 2019
Am setting up now to look for SJ tonight here in Kansas.
new lowfer station up
Posted by new lowfer 182 KHz AM mode music on November 24, 2019 at 16:05:50.
Just setup my first lowfer station, with a 10 meter long and 3 meter tall loop. The antenna is not that good, and I am wondering if anyone can hear me, or if i need to rebuild the antenna. anybody know of a good HOA restricted antenna?
Re: SJ back
Posted by John Davis on November 24, 2019 at 19:20:20.
In reply to Re: SJ back posted by John Davis on November 23, 2019
SJ, WM, and SIW together last night:
Attached are two more captures, one showing the first appearance of SJ last night around 8:40 PM CST with the first substantially recognizable ID 10 minutes later; and the other, showing the last recognizable ID at 5:13 AM as seen in a QRSS60 display, followed by no more signal visible after around 6 o'clock.
Best captures of the night occurred between roughly 11:00 PM and 2:30 AM. All three stations faded quite independently of each other throughout the night.
John
---------------------------------------------------------------
File Attachment 1: 23novc09.jpg
File Attachment 2: 23novc15.jpg
File Attachment 3: 23novd30.jpg
Sunday Mid-day (24 Nov.)
Posted by John Davis on November 24, 2019 at 19:29:58.
The pipeline to the northeast was open at noon CDT, with EH and RY consistently visible, sometimes audible. Not a peep out of NC or 7P, the other two pipeline regulars. No WV, either. AZ was visible but not audible.
K6FRC varied from nil to fair. No sign of anyone else in the top half of the band.
XIL / ILX / LXI ?
Posted by John Davis on November 25, 2019 at 01:29:14.
Something new has been added! Not sure which is the correct ID because there is no word spacing included, but this new signal first started appearing faintly a little after 3:30 PM CST this afternoon. At first, I was hopeful that it might mark the return of long-absent USC to the frequency. It gradually grew stronger, and I could tell that the frequency shift was much narrower than USC had been, but for a long time there were gaps of 3-20 seconds (probably rapid QSB) that made it hard to copy; but eventually the FSK Morse became evident. RY was frequently audible, and sometimes so was the new signal.
At the start of this late afternoon session, RY and EH were still present at the watering hole as they were at noon (but a little less consistent), along with the "dotted line" pattern that is characteristic of PVC. Still no MTI or Illinoisians today. Elsewhere on the band, WV was faint to fair copy, and K6FRC was faint to good. Nobody else visible or audible.
---------------------------------------------------------------
File Attachment 1: 24nova07.jpg
13.5636 MHZ CW Beacon QIW Running
Posted by Alex Engelke on November 29, 2019 at 01:13:52.
All:
I have placed in service my 5 WPM CW beacon QIW on 13.5636 mhz. For now, the RF is fed into a wire 1/2 wave dipole about 5 feet in the air while it goes through a usual stress test. Everything looked within specs on the old 'scope. The power supply is a 9V battery fed into regulated power supply producing 3.3V. Reception reports would be greatly appreciated'
Re: 13.5636 MHZ CW Beacon QIW Running
Posted by Alex Engelke on November 29, 2019 at 01:47:52.
In reply to 13.5636 MHZ CW Beacon QIW Running posted by Alex Engelke (N9QIW) on November 29, 2019
It might help if I also provided my grid, aye? DM06du
Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time
Posted by Jerry Parker on November 29, 2019 at 15:24:53.
Reminder: Lowfer net +/- 3927Khz Saturday morning 0800 California time
Or listen online at kfs:
http://69.27.184.62:8901/?tune=3927lsb
or
KPH Point Reyes:
http://198.40.45.23:8073/
or
Utah Web sdr:
http://www.sdrutah.org/websdr1.html
If you cannot get into the net on 80 meters you can
listen on KFS and participate by sending net control
your thoughts t wa6owr@gmail.com
73,
Jerry WA6OWR
Re: 630 m WSPR
Posted by Ed Holland on November 29, 2019 at 16:19:22.
In reply to Re: 630 m WSPR posted by Ed Holland on November 19, 2019
Not having much luck this week. I brought a small portable comms receiver along on our Thanksgiving trip as well as a laptop. With only an indoor antenna, there is too much noise. Some of this was traced to the PC power supply, and some to the wall-wart for the radio itself. Even with both operating from batteries, there is still nothing to be had at 630 m. Need to rethink my strategy, as we come to this location quite often.
Re: new lowfer station up
Posted by Dave Childs on November 30, 2019 at 03:28:45.
In reply to new lowfer station up posted by new lowfer 182 KHz AM mode music on November 24, 2019
What it your location, loop antenna orientation & operation schedule?
Re: new lowfer station up
Posted by Dave Childs on November 30, 2019 at 03:33:47.
In reply to new lowfer station up posted by new lowfer 182 KHz AM mode music on November 24, 2019
What is your operating schedule, location & loop antenna orientation?
Norway 153 kHz will close tomorrow
Posted by Mike Terry on November 30, 2019 at 14:51:39.
From Alan Pennington on the BDXC list:
From Svenn Martinsen on WRTH Facebook group today:
"From a reliable source: 153 kHz Ingøy Broadcasting Station will close tomorrow Sunday December 1st at 23.59.59 CET after 19 years of operation. In this connection, NRK will issue a "Last Day transmission" QSL, such as when Fredrikstad Broadcasting was closed. I suppose one wants as many dxers, radio listeners and interested as possible to send in listeners report on this latest broadcast from NRK P1 over Ingøy. Reports may be sent to:
NRK Audience Service
Phone: (+47)23 04 70 00
Email: info@nrk.no
NRK Finnmark
Phone: (+47)78 44 42 00
Email: finnmark@nrk.no
potrzebie