Openings on 28 MHz... 1st to 3rd April 2019

After a quiet two days on 10 metres, it finally opened to Africa on the 3rd of April.

Monday 1st April 2019... A very small Sporadic-E opening.

EA1ALE 10m FT8 992 km 15:18:45
EA7BZO 10m FT8 1682 km 14:13:45
S52EN 10m FT8 1803 km 11:37:00
G0OYQ 10m FT8 579 km 10:22:46

Tues 2nd April 2019... One of the 'dismal' days with just G0OYQ on the east coast of England heard. Probably meteor scatter.

Commercial Mobile Antenna for 40-43 MHz

The spectrum from 40 to 47 MHz is used by commercial and state agencies in North America which means that there is a certain amount of equipment available for the band.

Pasternack Enterprises is one such provider of equipment and they sell a mobile antenna which covers 40 to 47 MHz.

It would seem that this is a full size quarter wave antenna and at 40 MHz would be just under 2 metres in length!

The antenna costs in the region of $60 with the associated mount costing about $50.

They also have distributors in the UK and Europe.

Links...
1) Pasternack Mobile Antenna
2) Associated base

QRSS signals heard on 80 metres - 1st Apr 2019

I follow a number of blogs and sometimes I read something which sparks my interest. One such item was the recent post by G6NHU about QRSS... a mode where morse is sent at very slow speeds and the signals are seen on a computer screen rather than being listened to.

I spent some time on this mode before but it was back in 2011. I had assumed that with the introduction of newer digital modes like WSPR and FT8, QRSS had probably died out. I seem to remember listening to a podcast some time back which said as much.

After reading G6NHU's post, I was suprised to find that there is still plenty of QRSS activity and there is also a very active QRSS community on Groups dot io.

G6NHU has a detailed list of QRSS frequencies and they seem to be strategically positioned just below the WSPR frequency on some bands.

The net result of this is that it's possible to use the WSJT-X programme to listen to WSPR signals on say 80m and also look at the QRSS signals on the waterfall display at the same time.

Examples of QRSS signals heard on 80m - 1st Apr 2019

This is the waterfall on the WSJT-X programme rotated 90 degrees. The dashes and dots in morse for G0FTD can be seen.

Some are a bit more elaborate with full call signs shown... see OK1FCX below.

Some have gone a bit further and their signals show up as complex images like fish!

... or maybe it's a dolphin? :o)

And another fish but this one looks a bit like a shark...

Also TF3HZ as shown below. Sometimes it's a case of taking a few screenshots and then trying to put the pieces together.

Some Links...
http://www.g6nhu.co.uk/frequencies.html
https://groups.io/g/qrssknights
https://qsl.net/g0ftd/other/74%20-%20Knights%20QRSS%20Winter%20Compendium%202018.pdf

Openings on 28 MHz - Mon 25th to Sun 31st March 2019

The week of the 24th to 31st of March 2019 was pretty quiet for the most part on 28 MHz although it did open to South America on the 29th and 31st. The Solar Flux was down around 70 which is pretty much the lowest it can be at the the bottom of the sunspot cycle.

This is a breakdown of the week...

Mon 25th March ... A quiet day on 10 metres with just two stations heard on FT8.
DJ8QX 10m FT8 1058 km 13:53:55
PC4N 10m FT8 897 km 10:38:02

Tues 26th March ... Another quiet day with just three stations heard.

094000   6 -0.9 1153 ~  CQ G0OYQ IO93
124215   0 -0.0 1159 ~  CQ PD4KK JO21
124215  -5  0.1 1400 ~  CQ DO8WA JO30

SIRIO Quarter Wave Ground Plane Antenna for 40 MHz

While it is pretty easy to build an antenna for 40 MHz, the difficulties of mechanical strength and waterproofing are always a problem. Some may considering buying a commercial antenna and this is an example of one from SIRIO.

The SIRIO GPA is a basic quarter wave ground plane antenna and there are several models available to cover various frequency ranges.

GPA 27-45: 27 … 45 MHz Tunable
GPA 40-70: 40 … 70 MHz Tunable
GPA 66-108: 66 … 108 MHz Tunable
GPA 108-136: 108 … 136 MHz Tunable
GPA 135-175: 135 … 175 MHz Tunable
GPA 170-230: 170 … 230 MHz Tunable

As there are no loading coils, it's just a case of adjusting the length of the vertical radiating element and each of the three ground plane radials.

ZETAGI power amps for 43 MHz

ZETAGI is a brand usually associated with CB radio products for 27 MHz although it seems that they also make RF power amplifiers for Italian CB band at 43 MHz.

The B149 and B129 models are shown below. Note that the Irish regulations for 30 to 49 MHz stipulate a maximum power output of 50 watts PEP.

ZETAGI B149

This is designed for 42-44 MHz and runs off 12v DC. It's likely that it will work down to 40 MHz as well although the power may be slightly reduced.

Note the AM / SSB switch on the right is missing and is just a blank plate. It would seem as if this unit is very similar to the B150 27 MHz model and uses pretty much the same hardware for the B149 43 MHz model.

The B149 amplifier is intended for increasing the output power of 43 MHz FM transceivers so there is no need for a TX/RX delay to stop the relay clattering on SSB. As such, it is not suitable for SSB and is more suited for just FM and CW.

ZETAGI B129

The Problem of Two WSPR Frequencies on 80m

Considering that there is pretty much no chance of any 28 MHz propagation at night, I decided to set the radio on the 80m WSPR frequency for the last two nights.

On the evening of Tuesday 26th March 2019, I set the radio to 3.59260 MHz which is the frequency that I had written down in my own notes and the one I had used in the past. It seemed to work fine and I heard plenty of stations that evening and the following morning on 80m.

On the evening of Wednesday the 27th of March, I went to tune the radio to 80m again but this time, I noticed that the frequency on the WSJT-X programme was different, it was 3.56860 MHz.

I used the new frequency and this is what I heard overnight on 80m on the night of the 27th - 28th of March 2019...

Signals heard on 80m WSPR - night of 27th to 28th March 2019

Closer view of European stations

So it would seem that there are two WSPR frequencies on 80m and both are in use.

After doing a bit of research, it looks as if there was some issue with stations in Japan being able to use the old frequency of 3.59260 MHz. As a result, it was decided to change to a new frequency of 3.56860 MHz.

The problem is that not everyone has changed and the net result for the moment is that WSPR users on 80m are split over two frequencies which is a bit of a mess.

I would guess that over time, the new frequency of 3.56860 MHz will gradually replace the old one but it might take a while.

Addendum :
Which is most used? ...Old or New Frequency?

As an experiment, I listened to the two WSPR frequencies on Wednesday the 27th of March from 20:00 to 22:UTC to see which one had the most activity.

This was well after sunset and to get a fairer idea of activity, I listened to the new frequency for 30 minutes at 20:00 and 21:00. I listened to the old frequency for about 30 mins from 20:30 and 21:30.

The result was that I heard 113 WSPR transmissions on the new frequency and 99 on the old one. I'm sure if I listened again on another evening then I may get a sightly different result. That works out at 53% to 47%.

It's probably fair to say that the WSPR activity on 80m is pretty much split pretty evenly between the old and new frequencies at the moment.

Rev 4 of DRM Handbook now available...

Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) has long been touted as the digital replacement for AM radio on the medium and short wave bands. Despite years of trials, it has yet to make a real breakthrough.

Revision 4 of the latest DRM Handbook is now available as a PDF document HERE

New DMR repeater now operational in the South-East of Ireland

A new MMDVM digital repeater is now on test from Mt. Leinster in Co. Carlow.

Considering that the summit of Mt Leinster is 794 metres above sea level, it has a considerable coverage and will allow a lot more people to experiment with digital modes especially DMR.

From the Southern Ireland Repeater Network...
A new MMDVM digital repeater is now on test from Mt. Leinster in Co. Carlow.
Callsign is EI7MLD,
Frequency 430.300 MHz, Shift +9MHz (DVU-R24),
DMR colour code 1.
Output power is 30 watts into a CATC440 antenna.
It is currently running DMR, Fusion, DStar and Analog modes.
(To use analog set TX and RX tone to 103.5Hz)

Website.. http://sirnrepeaters.blogspot.com/

CATC440 antenna...

Sporadic-E opening on 28 MHz - Sun 24th March 2019

It looks as if there was a good Sporadic-E opening on 28 MHz on Sunday the 24th of March although I was missing for all of it! At least that's one good thing with FT8, you can still upload reception reports when you're not even there.

Looking at the number of spots, it would seem as if it was a good opening. I would also suspect that the fact it was a Sunday and people were off helped boost the numbers as well.

I noticed on the blog of Geoff G0LUJ that he heard ZP4KFX in Paraguay as well today on 28 MHz. Looking at the PSK Reporter website, I noticed that John GM4JWA in the north of Scotland also heard ZP4KFX as well as five stations in Brazil. What's interesting here is that GM4WJA seems to have been the only one hearing those Brazilian stations.

It hard to be certain but it's likely that there was Sporadic-E for the first hop from Scotland down to an area around the Azores and then on via F2 from there to South America. Those further south weren't hearing the Brazilian stations as they were in the Sporadic-E skip zone.

The list of stations heard here on FT8 on 28 MHz is shown below. The opening seems to have been roughly between 10:30 and 13:00 UTC.

Signals heard on 28 MHz - Mon 18th to Sat 23rd March 2019

All in all, it was a pretty quiet week on 28 MHz with just European signals heard. Still no sign of the 5V7EI expedition getting this far north on 10 metres.

Monday 18th March 2019..... Two signals heard! I'd guess it's because of a lack of propagation and stations actually using the band.

Solar noise detected on 28 MHz?? - Wed 20th March 2019

Wednesday the 20th of March 2019 seemed like just another pretty quiet day on 28 MHz with just a handful of FT8 signals heard on the band. This morning however while I had the radio on in the background monitoring the FT8 frequency of 28.074 MHz, I noticed a sudden increase in the background noise level. It wasn't huge but it was enough that I made of note of the time....11:20am (11:20 UTC).

Later I checked the SolarHam website and sure enough, there seems to be a spike around that time as can be seen on the chart above.

Transverters for 40 MHz

One of the obvious problems with the new 8-metre (40 MHz) band is the lack of equipment. Some amateur radio transceivers could be modified but there is a risk doing this as the output filters in the PA stages might be way off.

Transverters-Store is a company in Ukraine and they make a number of transverters that allow a 28 MHz radio to covers various bands from 40 MHz to 432 MHz.

The 40 MHz version converts 40-42 MHz down to 28 to 30 MHz. The PCB is shown below.

Technical specifications
RF range  -  40 ... 42 MHz
IF range  -  28 ... 30 MHz
IF input power  -  1 ... 50 mW (0.05 W max.) or 0 ... 17 dBm
Output power  -  10 ... 15 W
Noise figure  -  typ. 1.0 dB
Supply voltage  -  +13.8 V DC (+12 ... 14 V DC)
Current consumption  -  typ. 2 A (TX)

Notice : IRTS 80m Evening Counties Contest - Tues 19th March 2019

From the IRTS News...
Evening Counties Contest
The IRTS 80 metres Evening Counties Contest takes place at 20:00 on Tuesday 19th March 2019. 

It is a one-hour contest, with SSB-Only and mixed-mode SSB/CW sections, double points for CW QSOs in the mixed-mode section. There is also an SWL section. 

See www.irts.ie/contests for permitted frequencies and other rules; note that the power limit for this contest is 100 watts PEP. 

For EI and GI stations, multipliers are the Irish counties plus overseas DXCC entities worked, while for overseas stations multipliers are the EI and GI counties.

Opening to Africa on 28 MHz - Sun 17th March 2019

There couldn't have been a greater contrast in conditions over the last two days on 28 MHz. Saturday the 16th was practically dead while there was a nice opening on Sunday the 17th.

Saturday 16th March 2019... Just one signal heard all day on FT8 on 28 MHz. I scanned around a few times as well...nothing.
124900 -11 -0.1 1942 ~  CQ DJ5JD JO33

Sunday 17th March 2019... Nice Sporadic-E opening to Europe and it probably allowed some signals from Africa to reach this far north.

Note that this map is off the PSK Reporter website. It seems as if it only shows stations that I heard calling CQ where as I actually heard more while they were making contacts. I have shown these as Pink dots above.

This is a breakdown of the stations I heard on FT8 on 28 MHz...

OZ7IGY 40 MHz beacon off air for foreseeable future

On the 1st of January 2019, it was announced that the OZ7IGY beacon on 40.071 MHz was off air while it was awaiting a renewal of its licence.

On the 15th of March 2019, it was announced that the beacon was going to remain off for the foreseeable future.

From the OZ7IGY website.....
"40 MHz operation suspended – 2019-03-15. The operation has been suspended due to operating and licensing costs. The future of the beacon is unknown at least for the time being....OZ2M."

This is significant as it was actually the only beacon in the world that was operational on the 40 MHz band.

With the Sporadic-E season only weeks away and the increasing interest in the band, it would have been great to have something on the band for propagation tests.

Signals heard on 28 MHz - 11th to 15th March 2019

Not exactly an exciting few days but a good reminder that just listening to FT8 signals doesn't show what is really happening on the band.

Mon 11th March... Listened most of the day to the FT8 frequency of 28.074 MHz and heard nothing!

Tues 12th March..... At least there were a few signals on Tuesday.
110830 -11 -0.4  943 ~  CQ G0OYQ IO93
113730 -12 -0.1 1001 ~  CQ ON8DM JO10
145730 -21 -0.6 1820 ~  CQ G4HZW IO83

Wed 13th March... Pretty similar to yesterday with the usual suspects being heard.
124615 -10 -0.0  583 ~  DJ8QX PD1DL RR73
125930 -16 -0.1  582 ~  CQ PD1DL JO22
132200 -17 -0.2 1143 ~  CQ DJ8QX JO31

Thurs 14th March... Just the two regulars on the band.
105630  -3 -0.3  955 ~  CQ G0OYQ IO93
133430 -16 -0.4  875 ~  CQ DJ8QX JO31

Fri 15th March... This was probably the most interesting of the five days. Most days, I just leave the radio on the FT8 frequency and decode any signals heard. The one obvious problem with this is that I have noticed that there is an obvious lack of stations using the band and whenever I hear someone, it tends to be the same person.

FT8 decodes on the 15th...
151315  -7 -0.6 1687 ~  CQ DL2RH JO32
153730   7 -0.4 1318 ~  CQ DJ8QX JO31
171645  13 -0.2 1136 ~  CQ EB1HRW IN71
184715  -1  0.0 1283 ~  CQ EA1GAR IN52

For a change today, I decided to have a listen around the band. Looking at the DX cluster, DX Maps and the PSK reporter websites, it looked as if nothing was happening on the band.

Example of Italian CB signals heard at 43 MHz...

The video clip above shows an example of a signal heard on the south-east coast of England of  a 43.3 MHz signal from Italy.

The CB band at 43 MHz in Italy is more of a 'working band' as opposed to the hobbyist nature of the band at say 27 MHz.

There is a short discussion about Italian 43 MHz radio on this forum.

It would also seem that the band is used is used to relay church services in Italy to elderly members of the public at home. Video of 43.575 MHz signal below. In Ireland, this is usually done on the 27 MHz CB band although some churches have been known to use 88-108 MHz!

Club Log stats show the rise of FT8 mode in 2018

A huge number of radio amateurs upload their logs to the Club Log site every year. In 2018, a total of 41.3 million QSOs were uploaded (2017 = 36.8 million, 2016 = 36.8 million, 2015 = 39.8 million).

With so many contacts being uploaded, it's a good place to show recent trends.

The chart for 2018 shown above shows the popularity of each respective mode during normal operating times outside of contests. (Note that the data from the major contests is excluded so as to not distort the data).

A few things jump out from the chart...

1) The sheer popularity of the FT8 digital mode.

2) The decline in phone / SSB contacts.

3) Morse / CW seems to have declined as well but fares better than SSB.

4) The decline in all other modes like PSK31, RTTY, etc.

A lot of people complain about FT8 and its 'impersonal nature' but the stats show what people are interested in using.

Full info up on G7VJR's blog.

Italian 43 MHz CB's for sale...

One of the obvious problems with the new 8 metre band at 40 MHz is the lack of equipment. I recently came across an Italian website selling 43 MHz radios. As outlined in a previous post, there is a CB band in Italy on 43 MHz.

The HardSoft Products website is selling the following at present...

1) INTEK - SY-5430M - MOBILE 43 MHz
...a) The Italian version has 24 channels with a 4 watt output. It covers 43.3 MHz to 43.5875 MHz. The cost is €185.

...b) The Export version has 224 channels with a 20 watt output. It covers 42.3 MHz to 45.0875 MHz. The cost is €210.

2) LAFAYETTE - MOBILE UTILITY 43 MHz 24 CHANNELS
This has 24 channels with a 4 watt output. It covers 43.3 MHz to 43.5875 MHz. The cost is €145.

Please note that these were the prices and models as of mid-March 2019. I don't know anything about the website so I can't say if it's ok or not.

Photo of the Lafayette below...