EI7GL....A diary of amateur radio activity: May 2024

Sunday, May 19, 2024

EI6KC achieves first Satellite Worked All Zones Award (SAT WAZ) in Ireland

Congratulations to Max, EI6KC on achieving his third CQ Satellite Worked All Zones (WAZ) award. He already holds two SAT WAZ awards as SA5IKN (#40) and M0SKN (#92). His latest SAT WAZ award (#121) is also the first one in Ireland.

Friday, May 17, 2024

ICOM hint at new 60th anniversary X60 product

At the Dayton Hamvention this weekend, ICOM put on display are number of printed circuit boards from what is supposed to be the 60th Anniversary Concept Model “X60”.

ICOM-UK write... "Referred to internally as the "X60" all lips are very tightly and firmly sealed about this project and the exciting concept model behind the secrecy. Only a carefully selected handful of our very top development gurus and members of our absolute senior management in Osaka know the complete and full details about this very special project.

The full reveal will be at the Tokyo Ham Fair which will be held over the weekend of August 24th & 25th 2024. Full details on the new model, its name, its specification and its availability, plus its target price will be disclosed there."

What is it??? Well, it's not a handheld! Considering the number of PCB's and the fact that the one in the middle and at the top has plenty of toroids and relays, it probably is some sort of flagship HF transceiver.

On the PA board PCB, there is 'PA200W' written on it which would certainly suggest a top end HF transceiver.

If it's just another expensive HF & 6m model then I doubt if the hype is worth it. If it's a 'shack in a box' and includes some VHF and UHF bands then it certainly could generate some excitement.

We'll have to wait and see.

More photos below...

Antenna Tuner Board

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Video: Long-haul Ionospheric Propagation on 50 MHz - Roger Harrison, VK2ZRH

On the 14th of May 2024, Roger Harrison, VK2ZRH have a very detailed presentation titled 'Long-haul Ionospheric Propagation on 50 MHz' to the Madison DX Club.

In the video, Roger goes into quite a bit of depth about Sporadic-E propagation, Trans-Equatorial Propagation (TEP) and the complexities of both.

I think anyone who has an interest in propagation at 50 MHz or even in the low VHF region will find this presentation of interest.

The presentation is about 70 minutes in length and is shown below...

Link... See my 50 MHz page for other presentations and posts about some long distance paths on 50 MHz.

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - IZ1KXQ beacon in Italy - 14th May

As part of a challenge for 2024, I've decided to see how many QRSS signals I could capture on the 28 MHz band during the year. On the 14th of May, I got a screengrab of the QRSS signal 'SP' which was sent by the IZKXQ/B beacon in the north of Italy.

Usually, nearly all of the QRSS signals on the 10m band are on 28.1246 MHz and the audio of the signals is about 400-500Hz below the WSPR signals. In this case, the IZ1KXQ beacon was on 28.3215 MHz.

In the image above, the fuzzy part of the signal is when it was sending the callsign of the beacon in normal morse code. The QRSS 'SP' part is sent after this.

The beacon runs 0.1-watts or 100-milliwatts into an inverted V-dipole antenna.

The map above shows the path and the distance was about 1600kms. The signal was almost certainly via Sporadic-E and it's pretty much the ideal distance for that mode of propagation.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 21-callsigns & 10 DXCC.

1) 8th Jan 2024: VE1VDM - DXCC #1
2) 10th Jan 2024: VA1VM
3) 15th Jan 2024: G0MBA - DXCC #2
4) 15th Jan 2024: G0PKT
5) 15th Jan 2024: AE0V - DXCC #3
6) 16th Jan 2024: RD4HU - DXCC #4
7) 16th Jan 2024: W1BW
8) 17th Jan 2024: OH5KUY - DXCC #5
9) 18th Jan 2024: TF3HZ - DXCC #6
10) 6th Feb 2024: VA3RYV
11) 16th Feb 2024: IK2JET - DXCC #7
12) 16th Feb 2024: N8NJ
13) 21st Feb 2024: PY3FF - DXCC #8
14) 26th Feb 2024: VE6NGK
15) 27th Feb 2024: NM5ER
16) 28th Feb 2024: VK4BAP - DXCC #9
17) 2nd Mar 2024: WA1EDJ
18) 5th Mar 2024: FR1GZ/B - DXCC #10
19) 30th Apr 2024: IK1WVQ
20) 8th May 2024: IW0HK/B
21) 14th May 2024: IZ1KXQ/B

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

FM radio stations in the Azores heard in Newfoundland - 14th May 2024

Now that we're well into the Summer Sporadic-E season, there have been plenty of reports of openings on the FM band going from 88 to 108 MHz. Most reports seem to be single hop Sporadic-E for now but this one caught my attention.

On the 14th of May 2024, Larry Horlicks (VO1FOG) recorded an opening from the Azore Islands to Newfoundland. As can be seen from the image above, the distances were in the region of 1894 to 2259 kms.

While the propagation mode was still one-hop Sporadic-E, any openings on the FM band across the North Atlantic are always of special interest. As we move into June and July, there should hopefully be some double hop Sporadic-E openings and reports of radio stations on the 88-108 MHz band being heard across the Atlantic.

Some examples of previous trans-Atlantic openings can be seen on my 88-108 MHz page.

HAARP director says timing of the May 2024 HAARP tests and aurora were a coincidence

I recently had a post up about the May 2024 HAARP radio transmission tests in Alaska... see HERE

During the HAARP tests which ran from the 8th to 10th of May, there was also a very large aurora visible on the 10th of May. Apparently many people in the media and public were wondering if the two were connected?

In a statement, HAARP director Jessica Phillips said that the two events were a coincidence and were in no way connected.

Phillips writes... “We have been responding to many inquiries from the media and the public. The HAARP scientific experiments were in no way linked to the solar storm or high auroral activity seen around the globe.”

The news item on the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska website goes on to say... “The May HAARP campaign was scheduled about a month and a half before the geomagnetic storm. The timing was purely coincidental; geomagnetic storms are unpredictable, with lead times before a solar event is detected from Earth measured in minutes, not months.”

Link... https://www.gi.alaska.edu/news/solar-storm-not-haarp-creates-intense-auroral-display

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Huge X8.7 flare erupts on the sun - 14th May 2024

At the moment, I pretty much have my HF radio on 28.1246 MHz USB all of the time listening for QSPR and QRSS signals on the 10m band. Over the last few weeks and months, I've noticed plenty of solar noise from flares erupting on the sun.

The vast majority of these hardly move the S meter on the radio, it's just that I can hear the increase in noise level. At 16:47 UTC on the 14th of May 2024, there was a huge burst of noise and when I looked, the S meter was up at S6.

The is shown in the audio spectrum display above with time moving from right to left. The sudden onset of the solar noise can be seen as a result of the flare on the sun.

I knew that this flare was a really big enough and sure enough when I checked later, it turned out to be X8.7 solar flare and the largest one so far for the the current solar cycle.

I posted on Twitter /X that a big flare had occurred and Chris, G4IFX in England noted that he had heard the same thing on the 50 MHz band.

Larry, VO1FOG in Newfoundland got a screen capture of the solar noise while listening at 92.3 MHz so it was certainly broadband as expected.

It also resulted in a big radio blackout on the HF bands. The question now is if this will result in a big aurora in the next day or two? We'll have to wait and see.

Monday, May 13, 2024

Help wanted for IRTS VHF/UHF management team...

The Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS) is the national association for radio amateurs in Ireland. They had this news item on the 12th of May 2024...

"The IRTS is currently looking for a person or perhaps a team of people to form a VHF/UHF management team. This team will look after all things VHF/UHF. Ideally people who do a lot of VHF/UHF radio work and know what's happening around the world in VHF/UHF would be ideal but not necessary. Anyone interested is asked to please contact IRTS Secretary, Owen EI4GGB at irts_secretary AT irts DOTie"

Friday, May 10, 2024

Solar Noise on the 28 MHz band - 10th May 2024

10th May 2024: I had the radio turned on in the background this morning and I noticed a large burst of noise from the sun. I had the SpectrumLab software running since yesterday and I took this screen grab.

Just to explain the image above...

1) I was listening on 28.1246 MHz USB which is the 10m WSPR & QRSS frequency.

2) Around 06:42 UTC, a meteor burnt up about 100kms above the west of England or Wales leaving an ionised trail behind. This lasted long enough that I was able to hear some of the QRSS signals from stations to the east of London, about 600kms to the east of me. The signals lasted for about a minute.

3) At about 06:43:30, the noise from a solar flare erupting on the sun reached the Earth and I heard the burst of solar noise as a loud hissing sound on 28 MHz. You can see this as the brighter colour in the image. It then faded slowly with some minor peaks over the next few minutes.

I later checked the NOAA website in the US and sure enough, there was a peak in the GOES X-Ray flux at about the same time. Link - https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/goes-x-ray-flux

It looks as if it was a X3.9 burst from the sunspot group AR 3664.

Maximum 10 May 2024 06:54:00 GMT X3.9 Integrated flux: 4.4e-1 J m-2

I often hear solar noise on the 28 MHz band but this one was a bit stronger than usual.

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - IW0HK beacon in Italy - 8th May

As part of a challenge for 2024, I've decided to see how many QRSS signals I could capture on the 28 MHz band during the year. On the 8th of May, I got a screengrab of the QRSS signal 'HK' which was sent by the IW0HK/B beacon near Rome in Italy.

Usually, nearly all of the QRSS signals on the 10m band are on 28.1246 MHz and the audio of the signals is about 400-500Hz below the WSPR signals. In this case, the IW0HK beacon was on 28.322 MHz.

In the image above, the fuzzy part of the signal is when it was sending the callsign and locator of the beacon in normal morse code. The QRSS 'HK' part is sent after this.

The beacon runs 1-watt into a vertical five-eight wave antenna.

The map above shows the path and the distance was about 1800kms. The signal was almost certainly via Sporadic-E and it's pretty much the ideal distance for that mode of propagation.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 20-callsigns & 10 DXCC.

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Tracking the KJ7VBX-11 Pico-Balloon over Ireland & the UK - 8th May 2024

As we are now at the peak of the solar cycle, some radio amateurs are using WSPR on the 28 MHz band for their Pico-Balloons as they travel around the world.

Back in April of 2024, I had a post about reception of the KD9NGV pico-balloon as it made its way off the west coast of Ireland to the North Sea. See post HERE

I often see these pico-balloon on my receive list for 28 MHz WSPR but they're nearly all somewhere far away and the propagation mode is via the ionosphere. What I find interesting about the rare really close passes is that there is no propagation mode as such, the balloon is essentially line of sight to my location.

KJ7VBX-11... On the 8th of May 2024, I noticed that I was hearing the KJ7VBX-11 pico-balloon early in the morning just as it had woken up with the sun shining on it's solar panels. I was able to hear it pretty much all day from 07:40 UTC until 18:20 UTC.

During this time, it travelled from a spot off the west coast of Ireland, over the northern counties of Donegal, Derry and Antrim in Ireland, over the south-west of Scotland and then over Cumbria in England before falling silent for the night.

On the 9th of May, it woke up over the English Channel and then headed over the Netherlands.

The balloon is at an altitude of about 13,500 metres or 44,000 feet. The WSPR transmitter is supposed to be 20-milliwatts. As far as I know, it was launched on the 2nd of May 2024 but there seems to be very little information about it.

Format... Early on the morning of the 8th, I was the only person reporting it and it was the only signal I was hearing so I was able to do some tests without any confusion from other signals.

The WSPR transmitter on the balloon seems to have two formats. The first one is shown above. The transmitter turns on as a plain carrier for 30-seconds and then sends one WSPR transmission. I presume this carrier is to warm up the transmitter which is at or below 0 deg C and the 30 second carrier stops any drifting of the following WSPR signal.

The second format is shown below...

This time, there is a second WSPR transmission after the first one.

This is a sample of the decodes that I got in the space of about an hour...

0640 6 -1.6 28.126061 -2 KJ7VBX IO33 13 361
0642 6 -1.6 28.126060 0 0O2MCY GC73 53 13482
0650 7 -1.6 28.126060 0 KJ7VBX IO33 13 361
0700 8 -1.7 28.126060 0 KJ7VBX IO33 13 361
0702 8 -1.7 28.126061 0 0S2ZAQ FR20 10 3937
0710 9 -1.6 28.126060 0 KJ7VBX IO33 13 361
0712 8 -1.6 28.126061 0 0U2MNO GJ72 10 6437
0720 9 -1.7 28.126060 0 KJ7VBX IO33 13 361
0722 9 -1.7 28.126059 0 0X2LYI II99 60 5842
0740 7 -0.3 28.126057 0 KJ7VBX IO43 13 255
0750 9 -0.4 28.126057 0 KJ7VBX IO44 13 343
0752 9 -0.4 28.126057 0 012OMZ JP66 43 2019

The short format results in just a KJ7VBX decode.

The longer format results in an additional decode which are shown above in red.

At first sight, they look wrong. The callsign, locator and power levels seem to be nonsense. However note that the callsign field starts with a zero. This is a special data WSPR signal and contains the information about the location, altitude, temperature and battery voltage. It's just the WSJT-X receive software shows it in a format that doesn't seem to make any sense.

In conclusion... The balloon is currently heading over Europe so it's going to be line of sight to a lot of stations. Just listen on WSPR on 28 MHz and see if you can hear it.

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Press Release: ‍Jarvis Island N5J DXpedition - August 5, 2024 to August 17, 2024

There is a major expedition planned to Jarvis Island in the middle of the Pacific in early August 2024 and their planned operations include some 50 MHz activity.

Press release

***

Dear Fellow DXers,

In March the Dateline DX Association was pleased to announce that it has received permission from the USFWS for a DXpedition to Jarvis Island National Wildlife Reserve this August. Jarvis is ranked nr. 18 on Clublog's global most wanted list. It is number 9 in Europe. In some EU countries Jarvis is ranked as high as second most wanted on phone and digial. Jarvis is ranked higher than Bouvet (16) in Europe. It is 450 miles from Palmyra Atoll and 1500 miles from Hawaii.

On the 8th of May 2024, I noticed a distorted QRSS signal on the 28 MHz band. The signal was from FR1GZ on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, a distance of about 10,200 kms from my location.

The image above shows the distorted signal with the carrier spread out over about 6 Hz. Underneath it, I have an image captured a few weeks ago which shows what the normal signal should look like it via F2 layer propagation.

I usually hear Reunion Island on 10m in the morning or afternoon. It was unusual to hear it at 17:50 UTC in the evening time. Evening TEP signals usually peak around 8pm local time. If it was about 18:00 UTC my time and you move further east and add 2-3 hours then the time over some place like Ethiopia is about right.

Considering the timing of the signal and the distortion, I suspect I was hearing the FR1GZ signal via TEP - Trans-Equatorial Propagation.

Normally, evening TEP signals at say 144 MHz cross the Geomagnetic Equator at right angles. However as you go lower in frequency, the requirement for a right angle lessens. By the time we get to 28 MHz, the angles can be close to 45 degrees as shown above.

I suspect that it wasn't 100% TEP either. There was likely some Sporadic-E over Europe for the TEP signal to complete the journey from the Mediterranean area to my location on the south coast of Ireland.

For me, there are two takeaway messages from this...

1) I think the whole TEP zone has a huge impact on signals on 28 MHz and the lower HF bands. TEP is main contributor to propagation on the HF bands and people don't realise it is TEP.

2) The TEP distortion can result in digital signals not being decoded. I think many people fall into the trap of thinking if there are no FT8 signals being decoded then the band in that direction must be closed. It could well be that distorted CW or SSB signals will get through.

That's the beauty of QRSS signals. You can actually 'see' the signal and it gives more clues as to what is happening to the signals on the band.

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Radio quiet site in Scotland required for 50 MHz meteor scatter reception

The GB3MBA beacon near Mansfield in England operates on 50.408 MHz and was set up to investigate reflections from meteor trails.

As the map shows above, the project team has already has a number of dedicated receivers set up to monitor the 6m band for any meteor reflections from the beacon. They are however looking to for a quiet radio site in Scotland for a receiver there.

Brian, G4NNS writes... "What is needed is a reasonably radio quiet site with no nearby 6 m transmissions, with power, (10 W or less) and an internet connection. The data stream is about the same as an audio stream so not excessive. Ideally the site would be a minimum of 200km North of the beacon which is located near Mansfield 53.10N, 1.22W.

An astronomy society with a dark sky observing site would be ideal. We would need someone local who is radio "savvy" to check the site and help with installation. A locally sourced mast of 3 or 4m would be handy but we can supply all other materials. We are trying to achieve a range of different reflection geometries for each meteor event. When we can make observations from a sufficient number of different directions it may be possible, by using Doppler measurements, to calculate the trajectory and hence radiant of the meteor."

More information about the beacon can be found here... https://ukmeteorbeacon.org

Sunday, May 5, 2024

EI7GL Amateur Radio Newsletter #0005 - 4th May 2024

The latest edition of the newsletter is now up on Substack.

EI7GL Amateur Radio Newsletter #0005 - 4th May 2024

Summary: -

Intro, TEP & Sp-E
HF Beacon & Propagation News - 28 MHz
40 MHz & Low Band VHF News : 40 MHz reports
50 MHz News: 50 MHz reports, Upcoming 50 MHz expeditions... a long list!
70 MHz News: 4m activity, new 4m beacon, 4m beacons, 4m nets
88-108 MHz: Sp-E openings
144 MHz & Above: TEP, 145 Alive, Antarctica
EI7GL blog posts for the last two weeks

Link HERE

Friday, May 3, 2024

Notice: Upcoming HAARP ionospheric tests from Alaska - 8th to 10th May 2024

High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is based in Alaska and it's a high-power, high frequency (HF) transmitter for studying the ionosphere. The principal instrument is a phased array of 180 HF crossed-dipole antennas capable of radiating 3.6 megawatts into the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. Transmit frequencies are selectable in the range of 2.7 to 10 MHz.

The research team have announced that they will be carrying out tests from the 8th to the 10th of May 2024.

The press release is shown below and I've added a map to show location and distance.

Date: May 2, 2024

To: Amateur Radio & Radio Astronomy Communities

From: HAARP Program Office

Subject: Notice of Transmission

The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) will be conducting a research campaign May 8-10 UTC, with operating times specified in the table below. Operating frequencies will vary, but all HAARP transmissions will be between 2.8 MHz and 10 MHz. Actual transmit days and times are highly variable based on real-time ionospheric and/or geomagnetic conditions. All information is subject to change.

This campaign is being conducted in support of research proposals from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and is studying mechanisms for the detection of orbiting space debris. Space debris poses a major risk to all space operations, including manned spacecraft and communications satellites. The experiments being performed at HAARP will help identify ways to improve collision detection on satellites.

For more information on space debris, see the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office’s FAQ at https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/faq/. For more information on research at HAARP, see the online HAARP FAQ at https://haarp.gi.alaska.edu/faq.

Note that these experiments will operate at frequencies based on the f0F2 frequency from the Gakona ionograms. In general, transmissions will be very close to the f0F2 frequency. There are no specific data collection requests from funded investigators, but reception reports are appreciated and may be submitted to uaf-gi-haarp AT alaska DOT edu or to: HAARP, PO Box 271, Gakona, AK 99586

For updates on ionospheric conditions in Gakona, please consult ionograms from the HAARP

Diagnostic Suite: https://haarp.gi.alaska.edu/diagnostic-suite

Additional Resources for Reading Ionograms
Understanding HF Propagation and Reading Ionograms from Bootstrap Workbench:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTFKNCo3Cl8

Reading Your Ionogram-Keeping It Simple from John (VE6EY):
https://play.fallows.ca/wp/radio/shortwave-radio/reading-your-ionogram-keeping-it-simple/

The image above is an annotated ionogram from HAARP that describes features that may be of
interest. Note that f0F2 is calculated at the top left.

f0F2 is the critical frequency of the F2 layer of the Earth’s ionosphere. This is the frequency at
which radio signals stop refracting off the ionosphere and begin passing through to outer space.
For certain HAARP experiments that deal with interactions in the ionosphere, transmission
frequencies below f0F2 are desirable, while for other experiments (such as those involving high altitude satellites), staying above f0F2 is required.

Supplement to HAARP Notice of Transmission
General Information for HAARP Radio Enthusiasts:

Sales of the ICOM IC-7300 HF Transceiver pass the 100,000 mark

ICOM launched their IC-7300 transceiver covering the HF bands & 6m back in 2016 and it certainly caused a stir at the time. ICOM have announced that as of the 1st of May 2024, global sales have passed the 100,000 mark!

They also mention that more than half of the sales have been in the USA.

Press release... https://www.icomjapan.com/news/4088/

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

40 MHz reception report from Bill Smith, W1-7897 for April 2024

Thanks to short wave listener Bill Smith, W1-7897 for sending on his reception report for April 2024.

Bill who is located near Douglas in Massachusetts in the United States is using a Yaesu FT-847 as a receiver on the 40 MHz (8m) band with a 5-element beam for the 50 MHz band about 6m above ground level.

40 MHz reception report from Bill Smith, W1-7897 for April 2024:

5th April 2024: PJ4MM (FK52) logged between 16:59 and 17:04 UTC calling CQ with no answers on 40.680 MHz in FT8. Signal strength -18 dB.

7th April 2024: PJ4MM called CQ from 19:53 UTC to 20:10 UTC with no answer and, then, from 21:02 to 21:22 UTC again with no answer on 40.680 MHz FT8. Signal strength ranged from -13 dB to -20 dB. My beam was pointed toward Australia which probably affected the signal strength.

9th April 2024: PJ4MM (FK52) called CQ at 15:07 UTC, at 15:28 UTC, between 15:38 and 15:43, and between 17:20 - 18:33 with no answer. Signal Strength varied from -3 dB to -20 dB.

29th April 2024: PJ4MM (FK52) logged calling CQ from 22:21 to 23:01 UTC on 40.680 MHz FT8. No Answers. Signal Strength ranged from -20 dB to -7dB on my 5 ele 6M Beam pointed towards South Africa,

30th April 2024: PJ4MM (FK52) logged between 22:17 and 22:41 UTC calling CQ on 40.680 MHz FT8. Signal strength ranged from -1 to -21dB. No answers to his CQ Calls.

RX: FT-847. Bill Smith, SWL W1-7897 Douglas, MA (FN42DA).

Thanks for the report Bill!

Considering the distance of about 3300kms, the likely propagation mode was one F2 layer hop to the south.

For more information on the 40 MHz band, go to https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/p/40-mhz.html

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - IK1WVQ in NW Italy - 30th April

As part of a challenge for 2024, I've decided to see how many QRSS signals I could capture on the 28 MHz band during the year. On the 30th of April, I got a screengrab of the 'Flying M' from Mauro, IK1WVQ in the NW of Italy.

I received this signal during the afternoon on the QRSS frequency of 28.1246 MHz USB. This is the same as the WSPR frequency and the only difference is that the audio frequency of the QRSS signals is about 400-500 Hz lower than the WSPR ones.

The signal is a little unusual in that it uses steps to generate the letter 'M rather than the usual morse identification. I think that Mauro was using 1-watt into a dipole antenna.

The map above shows the path and the distance was about 1500kms. The signal was almost certainly via Sporadic-E and it's pretty much the ideal distance for that mode of propagation.

Now that the Sporadic-E season has started, I should be able to receive more signals in the 500-1500km distance from my location. These are normally too close for the F2 layer propagation that has been there since the start of the year.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 19-callsigns & 10 DXCC.

19) 30th Apr 2024: IK1WVQ

EI7GL....A diary of amateur radio activity

Pages