EI7GL....A diary of amateur radio activity: slow morse

Showing posts with label slow morse. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - M0GBZ & G0FTD in England - 3rd June

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 3rd of June, I added M0GBZ and G0FTD to the tally during a short skip Sporadic-E opening at about 16:00 UTC.

The map below shows the location of the stations shown in the screen grab above.

TF3HZ in Iceland is a relatively easy catch at 1576kms and I got a screengrab of his signal back in January. The stations near London in the east of England are about 560 to 650kms from my location and require the skip distance for the Sporadic-E opening to be shorter than usual.

Getting good screen captures for both M0GBZ and G0FTD is quite difficult for me. It's not really the distance as it's June and there are plenty of short skip openings on 28 MHz. The problem is that the signals from G0PKT and G0MBA are so much stronger.

This is my usual screen grab during a short skip opening...

My sound card in the PC seems to get overloaded by the signals from G0MBA and G0PKT and I get a screen of false signals. If I adjust the audio levels to a low enough level to get rid of these false signals, M0GBZ and G0FTD disappear.

What happened on the 3rd of June is that there was a very small footprint for the Sporadic-E signal.

The footprint of a Sporadic-E opening tends to be in the shape of an oval and as suggested by the image above, the footprint favoured both M0GBZ and G0FTD with G0MBA and G0PKT being at the edge of the footprint.

This meant I could get good QRSS signals from both M0GBZ and G0FTD while the signals from the G0MBA - G0PKT duo were weaker and not overloading my sound card.

What's really interesting about this is the relatively short distances between these stations. G0FTD is at the south side of the Thames Estuary while the G0MBA - G0PKT duo are at the north side, a distance of about 50 kms.

From my location on the south coast of Ireland which is about 650kms to the west, I could see how the small Sporadic-E footprint allowed me to hear stronger from one side of the Thames Estuary compared to the other side.

This is a nice example of just how small and localised Sporadic-E openings can be. You can hear big signals from a particular station and someone a short distance away hears little or nothing.

This gets even more pronounced for higher frequencies like 50 MHz, 70 MHz or even 144 MHz.

QRSS... It also shows how QRSS (slow morse code) signals allow you to 'see' the propagation moving. With modes like WSPR or FT8, you either get a decode or you don't.

With QRSS, you can see the propagation moving in real time. Several times during short skip openings, I have seen QRSS signals disappear in the space of a minute as the Sporadic-E footprint moves.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 23-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
22) 3rd Jun 2024: M0GBZ
23) 3rd Jun 2024: G0FTD

Thursday, May 30, 2024

Successful test of sending QRSS signals on 28 MHz...

Introduction... QRSS is a beacon mode where callsigns are sent at very slow speeds in morse code and it's a useful mode for investigating radio propagation. The signal can usually be found on the main HF bands just below the WSPR signals.

For example, the 10m WSPR frequency is 28.1246 MHz USB and the WSPR signals are in the audio range of 1400 to 1600 Hz. Using the same dial frequency, the QRSS signals are about 400 Hz lower in frequency around 1100 Hz.

This has the advantage of using programmes like WSJT-X to decode the WSPR signals while at the same time, you can see the QRSS signals with programmes like SpectrumLab which displays the audio spectrum.

Some people operate 'grabbers' which take screen grabs of the QRSS band from their receiver and these are them put up on a website. They usually update every 10 minutes.

28 MHz tests... At about 12:00 UTC on the 29th of May 2024, I noticed that there was a Sporadic-E opening between Sweden and Ireland. The image above shows how my callsign was successfully received by the SA6BSS grabber in Sweden at a distance of about 1554kms.

How to send QRSS signals... If you are already using FT8 with programmes like WSJT-X then you are all set up for sending QRSS signals. For my tests, I was just using my HF radio and a PC.

The first thing I did was to go to the PA2OHH website and using the SPACE, DOT & DASH tabs, I generated my callsign in morse code. The audio can be adjusted from 1500 to 1900 Hz. The QRSS mode can be adjusted for length as well as whether it is on/off or uses Frequency Shift Keying (FSK).

After pressing 'Start QRSS', it's just a case of waiting for the sequence to start which happens at 10-minute intervals past the hour e.g. 12:00, 12:10, 12:20 and so on. In my case, it was really as simple as holding the microphone next to the PC speaker and pressing the PTT once the QRSS sequence started.

In terms of frequencies, I used the default 1600 Hz option. I tuned the radio down about 300 Hz from the WSPR frequency to about 28.1243 MHz USB. This made sure that my transmit signal was below the WSPR band and above the other QRSS signals.

If we look at my signal above in more detail, the bright part at the start was when the audio from the PC speaker was too loud and I had to turn it down. The rest of the QRSS audio resulted in an output power of about 5-10 watts from my radio.

There is also a very obvious upward drift in the signal! My callsign was sent over the space of just over 5-minutes and in that time, my signal drifted upwards by about 10 Hz.

My HF radio is quite old and for modes like CW or SSB, 10 Hz is really nothing. If you were to listen to CW or SSB signals from my HF rig then you'd hear nothing wrong. It's just that with QRSS, tiny changes like 10Hz become very obvious.

Nearly all QRSS signals on the bands are from dedicated transmit modules which are GPS stabilised. You can see these is the top image as nice straight signals. In my case, there is probably some crystal oscillator in the transmit chain in my HF radio that is being turned on and is drifting slowly as it warms up.

Aurora... Back on the 10th of May 2024, I tried this QRSS test as well during the big aurora.

Using the same grabber in Sweden, the signals from the SE of England are there and are of course distorted by the aurora. I'm almost certain the signal above is me and it even has that little telltale upward drift.

In hindsight, I probably should have used on/off keying rather than frequency shift keying and the signal would have been a lot more obvious. It's still pretty cool to see your own signal coming back from the auroral region.

In conclusion... What I have outlined above is basically just putting the microphone from your radio up to the speaker of a PC and checking a website to see if your signal was heard, it's really that simple. It would be nice to see others giving it a try.

Links... Here are some useful sources...

1) https://groups.io/g/qrssknights - This email group is the place to go for all things QRSS related.

2) https://www.qsl.net/pa2ohh/21htmlqrss01.htm - PA2OHH website for generating QRSS signals.

3) https://www.qsl.net/sa6bss/ - SA6BSS grabber in Sweden.

4) https://www.qsl.net/pa2ohh/grabber.htm - PA2OHH grabber in the SE of Spain.

5) https://qsl.net/g4iog/ - G4IOG grabber in SE England

6) https://www.qsl.net/g0ftd/grabber.htm - G0FTD operates a grabber from various online receivers.

7) https://qsl.net/wa5djj/ - WA5DJJ operates several grabbers from New Mexico in the United States.

8) https://swharden.com/qrss/plus/ - AJ4VD has links to a lot of grabbers

Thursday, May 16, 2024

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.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - VK4BAP in Australia 28th Feb

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 28th of February, I noticed VK4BAP Queensland, Australia.

For my first attempt above, I managed to get a positive ID on the signal. However, a very strong OH station from Finland just above using WSPR was playing havoc with my audio levels. I tried to adjust the volume as best as I could and managed some sort of screen grab.

Finland is just one F2 layer hop from my location on the south coast of Ireland and signals are usually very strong. The QRSS signal from Australia by contrast is just about visible in the noise.

It's a bit like waiting on the bank of a river and waiting for a fish to bite. I'd start to get a reasonable QRSS signal from VK4BAP only for the OH station to then clobber it! :o)

Eventually, the timing got to a stage so that the VK station started just after the OH station had finished transmitting and I managed to get a reasonable if somewhat weak screengrab.

My target at the end of the day is to get a full screengrab of a signal which can be positively identified regardless of how weak it is.

The distance was about 16,070 kms and the propagation mode was via multiple F2 layer hops. There may have been some chordal hop in there as well. The time for the reception reports was about 09:00 UTC.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 16-callsigns & 9 DXCC.

1) 08 Jan 2024: VE1VDM - DXCC #1
2) 10 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

Addendum: Brian, VK4BAP reports that this was his first day ever transmitting QRSS. He was using 1 watt to a Moxon beam pointing to Europe.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - NM5ER 27th Feb

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 27th of February, I managed to get a good capture of NM5ER in New Mexico.

The QRSS signal of NM5ER can be seen above at the top of the screen and this was the best one of several that I saw today. It really was a marginal signal and it didn't take much fading for me to lose large parts of the signal.

By contrast, the other signals listed about were a lot more consistent.

The distance was about 7800kms and I suspect the propagation mode was either two long or three shorter F2 layer hops.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 15-callsigns & 8 DXCC.

Addendum: Evans NM5ER confirms that his location is Las Cruces in New Mexico (DM62qq). He is running about 1.75 watts into a MFJ-1982LP End Fed Half-Wave Wire antenna tuned to 28 MHz.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - PY3FF 21st Feb

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 21st of February, I managed to get a good capture of PY3FF in Brazil, South America.

The QRSS signal from PY3FF can be seen at the top of the screen grab above. Rafael reports running 700 milliwatts into a dipole from his location in the south of Brazil.

The path length was around 10,000kms and it's likely it was three F2 layer hops. The G0MBA/G0PKT duo also shown in the screen grab are from the east coast of England and are about 700kms from my location. I believe that I am getting those signals via F2 layer backscatter.

The VOACAP propagation map below shows that the path from my location to the south of Brazil is reasonably good.

It is however one of my worst directions as I have a hill that is 3-degrees above the horizon. On 28 MHz, the signals must have been above that angle.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 13-callsigns & 8 DXCC.

Saturday, February 17, 2024

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - IK2JET & N8NJ 16th Feb

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 16th of February, I managed to get screen captures of IK2JET in the north of Italy and N8NJ in Ohio in the US.

1) IK2JET... At 16:17 UTC, I managed to get a successful screen capture of the QRSS signal from Alberto, IK2JET.

As can be seen from the image above, the signal wasn't too strong but it was a positive ID all the same and a new DXCC for 2024.

You can note how the QRSS signal has a slight 'fuzz' to it and is slightly distorted. It's similar to the backscatter signals from G0PKT & G0MBA which are going across the centre of the screen.

2) N8NJ... At 16:24 UTC, I got another screen capture and this time, I got a nice QRSS signal from Larry, N8NJ in Ohio.

The signal from N8NJ can be seen above at the top of the screen and it looks cleaner with less 'fuzz' than some of the other signals.

These are the WSPR decodes that I got from N8NJ during that hour and it suggests that the QRSS signal might have been in the region of -10dB.

local y-m-d txCall txGrid rxCall rxGrid MHz W SNR drift kms
2024-02-16 17:00 N8NJ EN81go EI7GL IO51tu 28.126084 1 -13 0 5574
2024-02-16 16:50 N8NJ EN81go EI7GL IO51tu 28.126082 1 -5 0 5574
2024-02-16 16:40 N8NJ EN81go EI7GL IO51tu 28.126084 1 -13 0 5574
2024-02-16 16:30 N8NJ EN81go EI7GL IO51tu 28.126083 1 -10 0 5574
2024-02-16 16:20 N8NJ EN81go EI7GL IO51tu 28.126084 1 -10 1 5574
2024-02-16 16:10 N8NJ EN81go EI7GL IO51tu 28.126084 1 -7 0 5574
2024-02-16 16:00 N8NJ EN81go EI7GL IO51tu 28.126084 1 -12 0 5574

Propagation Modes???.... What were the propagation modes responsible for these signals? I generated this propagation map below with VOACAP and the stations are marked in black.

N8NJ at 5570kms seems to be about right for two F2 layer hops and that one is easily explained.

The signal from IK2JET at 1550kms is more difficult. If it was a few more hundred kms away, I'd be more certain of one F2 hop but it seems a bit close.

It could be Sporadic-E but we're in the middle of February and not the Summer Sp-E season. I did note plenty of other of WSPR signals on the day from the white skip zone around my location.

The signal as noted had some 'fuzz' to it which is unlike a nice clean one hop signal and that might suggest a back scatter or multi-path quality about it.

Sometimes, you just look at the evidence and it's hard to come to any firm conclusion.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 12-callsigns & 7 DXCC.

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - VA3RYV 6th Feb

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 6th of February, I managed to get a good capture of VA3RYV in Ontario, Canada.

The QRSS signal of VA3RYV can be seen in the image above. It starts with a 'Slow Hell' image of the VA3RYV callsign followed by the signal in morse code. The whole sequence lasted about 6-minutes.

Wes, VA3RYV was using 100-milliwatts output power into a have-wave dipole about 15m above ground level. The path length was around 5,255kms and it's likely it was two F2 layer hops.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 10-callsigns & 6 DXCC.

10) 6th Feb 2024: VA3RYV

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Winter 2021 release of the QRSS Compendium 4th Edition

Every year, the Knights QRSS Group release their annual compendium. You can view the Winter 2021 (4th edition) HERE

The Knights QRSS Group promotes the use of very slow mode code beacons to carry out propagation experiments on the HF bands. Often signals that are 15 to 20 dB below the noise can be seen on a computer screen as opposed to being heard by ear.

While newer digital modes can now be used for detecting very weak signals, they don't really show propagation effects. Either the digital signal was decoded or it wasn't. QRSS signals like the one shown below shows propagation over a 15-minute period.

In that image, you can see how signals fade with the Sporadic-E footprint moving and the polarisation changing. It also shows up slight doppler effects.

You can find out more about QRSS signals by visiting the QRSS Knights Groups.io page... https://groups.io/g/qrssknights/topics

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