Over the last few days, the conditions on the 28 MHz (10m) band have really improved as we approach the equinox.
The map above shows the stations that I heard using the WSPR beacon mode on 28.1246 MHz on the 19th of September 2025. The key takeaway is the east-west path across the North Atlantic and especially to the west coast of North America. This requires a more northerly path and is a sure sign of good conditions.
It's worth noting that the number of people using WSPR is relatively small. If had used FT8 instead, the number of stations would be much higher.
Saturday the 20th of September showed a similar pattern. Note the long path all the way south to the DP0GVN, the German research station in Antarctica. The power output for DP0GVN is listed as 5-watts and I got 39 decodes over three days.
For Sunday the 21st of September, there was a small change. In addition to DP0GVN in the Antarctica again, I got once decode from the 0.2-watt signal from JW1WSP on Svalbard in the Arctic.
As well as the opening to the western side of North America, there was one decode from JF3HPN in Japan running 1-watt. Again, if this was on FT8 then the number of stations would likely be much greater.
If we look at the overall number of spots for the three days combined, there are some patterns...
For North America, most of the stations are in the region of 5000-6000kms. These are most likely double hop F2 signals and are 2500-3000km hops multiplied by two.
In Europe, there is a distinct lack of stations heard in the area I've marked with a brown line. To the east of this line, the signals are via one hop F2 layer propagation and in the region of 2400 to 3000kms.
To the west of the line, you can see all the stations that I heard via Sporadic-E propagation and most are in the region of 500-1500kms. Even in September, there are Sporadic-E openings that can support propagation on the 28 MHz (10m) band.
The 'skip zone' in Europe for the three days was the 1500km to 2400km gap... too close for F2 layer propagation and too far for Sporadic-E.
In conclusion... The chart above shows the progression of the current sunspot cycle. The Winter of 2025/2026 should be really good again on 28 MHz but you can see how things are going to change over the next few years.
As time progresses, conditions on the higher HF bands like 28 MHz will decline faster than on the lower bands like 14, 18 & 21 MHz.
Make the most of the current conditions before you start the long wait for the next sunspot cycle.
2 comments:
What is WSPR anyway?
It's all true what you write and I've always loved reading your blog. Please consider this.
In the past days, I worked most of these prefixes shown on 28 MHz SSB. Plus A4, V5, KP4, ZS, UA9 etc. Worked, not one-way WSPR which is not a valid qso. Human mode, I didn't let my computer do the duty with signals I wouldn't even notice. Yes, SSB, energy wasting 2.7 kHz bandwidth. 100 W into a vertical at 10 m agl.
The bands are in perfect shape, so it's the time to switch on the transceiver and actually work (!) distant stations. Everybody can do it even with a small station like mine. Choose any mode and give it a go.
Many thanks for all the stories! Enjoy your radio.
Pom, DG7AC
Hi Pom
It's worth remembering that people have different interests. A lot of people just like to see where their signal is reaching and they have no interest in whether it is a valid QSO or not.
A lot of people get tired of rubber stamp QSO's and like to experiment instead. Others like to chase DX and just want to get the contact and have no interest in a QSL. Others want the DX and the QSL.
Some like SSB, others CW and others digital modes. One hobby with a lot of different interests.
John, EI7GL
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