Reception reports for the Arctic VY0ERC 28 MHz beacon - March 2024

VY0ERC is an amateur radio station located at a weather station on Ellesmere Island at 80 degrees north in the Canadian Arctic. They operate a WSPR beacon on several HF band including one on 10m on 26.1246 MHz.

I noticed that this was one of the unusual stations that I had heard on the WSPR mode on 28 MHz recently so I checked to see what stations reported hearing this Arctic beacon on 10m over the last 5-weeks. The results are shown above.

Some observations...

1) Over the 5-week period, just 101 stations reported hearing VY0ERC on 28 MHz. In the same time period, I heard 1224 stations here on the south coast of Ireland. G0PKT near London runs a similar power (0.2w) but was reported by 1224 stations.

2) The closest reporting station to VY0ERC was TF3HZ in Iceland at 2583kms. My location is 4134kms. The best DX was EA8BFK in the Canary Islands at 6545kms.

3) From what I could tell, VY0ERC was reported somewhere on nearly every day during the 5-week period. 

4) These are my decodes of VY0ERC and I would have been listening nearly every day for the 5-weeks on 10m.

  local   y-m-d txCall txGrid rxCall rxGrid MHz W SNR drift kms
2024-03-11 15:38 VY0ERC ER60tb EI7GL IO51tu 28.126173 0.2 -18 0 4134 
2024-03-11 15:18 VY0ERC ER60tb EI7GL IO51tu 28.126109 0.2 -13 -1 4134 
2024-03-11 14:58 VY0ERC ER60tb EI7GL IO51tu 28.126160 0.2 -17 -1 4134 
2024-03-11 14:38 VY0ERC ER60tb EI7GL IO51tu 28.126168 0.2 -24 0 4134 
2024-03-11 13:58 VY0ERC ER60tb EI7GL IO51tu 28.126088 0.2 -18 0 4134 

All of my decodes were on the 11th of March and were between 13:58 and 15:38 UTC. The signal strength ranged from -13dB to -24dB so it was really buried in the noise.

In conclusion... I included this report of VY0ERC because it's a good example of how different propagation is just 10 degrees from the North Pole. While we're all enjoying worldwide propagation on 28 MHz at more southerly latitudes, it's a very different story in the Arctic region.

The two primary reasons for the lack of signals are a) the maximum usable frequency (MUF) drops are you head towards the polar regions and b) VY0ERC is in the auroral zone and this can severely distort digital signals like FT8 & WSPR.

The lack of signals coming from VY0ERC might also suggest that some of those long distance paths we see on 10m going over the polar regions are in fact not direct at all and might be skewed further south?

Opening from Hawaii to Europe on 28 MHz - March 2024

Over the last few weeks, I have been listening on the WSPR frequency of 28.1246 MHz and feeding the decoded WSPR signals to the WSPRnet website. As we're near the peak of the sunspot cycle, I was  hearing stations all over the world on the 10m band. I know when I see east-west paths open to the west coast of the USA and to Japan then conditions must be good.

One unusual signal though was the club station KH6EJ in Hawaii. The power output is just 0.2 watts into a MFJ 1982-LP antenna and it transmits on 80m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m & 10m. The 28MHz transmissions are at 18, 38 & 58 minutes past the hour. 

The received signals were in the range of -23dB to -29dB which means they were buried in the noise. These are the four decodes...

 local   y-m-d txCall txGrid rxCall rxGrid MHz W SNR drift km
2024-03-20 18:58 KH6EJ BK29 EI7GL IO51tu 28.126175 0.2 -23 0 11449
2024-03-20 18:38 KH6EJ BK29 EI7GL IO51tu 28.12617     0.2 -29 -1 11449
2024-03-14 18:38 KH6EJ BK29 EI7GL IO51tu 28.12614         0.2 -25 0 11449
2024-03-11 18:58 KH6EJ BK29 EI7GL IO51tu 28.126062 0.2 -23 0 11449

Why is it unusual?

1) I was the only station in Europe to decode the KH6EJ 10m WSPR signal over a 4-week period. Obviously my location in the north-west of Europe helps but I'm only using a simple vertical half-wave antenna for receive. Why didn't other stations in Europe decode the signal?

2) The short time window. I got just four decodes over the space of three days and they are all in the 18:38 to 18:58 UTC time window. This is close to the sunset times for my location.

3) The northerly path. The auroral zone in the Arctic can and does distort signals. If the signals are on  SSB or CW then they can sound a bit rough but for digital signals like WSPR or FT8, it can often mean that the signals are not decoded at all. 

In conclusion... I've worked Hawaii on 28 MHz a long time ago but if I was looking for it now as a new country on 10m then I'd be checking the band at sunset in March.

Mystery opening on 28 MHz in the middle of the night - 21st Mar 2024

Robbie, EI2IP reports that there was an unusual opening on the 28 MHz band on the 21st of March 2024. At the moment, the 28 MHz band closes here in Ireland at about 21:00 UTC which is about two hours after sunset. 

Robbie reports working FM4LV in Martinique in the Caribbean on the 28 MHz (10m) band at around 00:49 UTC on the 21st of March which is about six hours after sunset. This is very unusual and raises the question what was the propagation mode?

The general expectation is that all F2 layer propagation should have disappeared six hours after sunset.

FM4LV was on FT8 and there were loads of stations to the west of him reporting his signal. None of these are of interest as they're just the usual F2. These are the stations to the east that heard FM4LV after 00:00 UTC...

Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
EA7DZ 10m FT8 6100 km 00:55:14 (Spain)
CN/TANGER 10m FT8 5938 km 00:50:00 (Morocco)
EI2IP 10m FT8 6217 km 00:49:11 (Ireland)
EA8RH 10m FT8 4791 km 00:39:42 (Canary Islands)
EA8AXB 10m FT8 4920 km 00:23:14
EB7FBJ 10m FT8 6091 km 00:15:11

The paths to the far south of Spain, Morocco & the Canary Islands are well to the south and are much more likely to have propagation at 28 MHz, even well after dark. The question is how was there a path to EI2IP in Ireland at 52 deg north?

That brings us to the good old dependable Sporadic-E.

Q. How did the F2 layer propagation reach that far north? Answer - An extra hop provided by Sporadic-E.

Q. How is any unusual path possible? Answer - Sporadic-E.

Q. "The propagation chapter in my ARRL handbook doesn't explain how I made a contact?" Answer - Sporadic-E.

Q. Why did my coffee go cold? Answer - Sporadic-E.

OK, I lied about the last one but the point being is that we seem to perhaps use Sporadic-E as an explanation a bit too often. In this case, the opening was at about 1am in the morning in March, not a time noted for Sporadic-E as the Sporadic-E season doesn't start properly until mid-April and it's usually during the daylight hours.

The map above shows the parts of the earth in sunlight and shadow around the time of the opening.

For EI2IP, it's in the middle of the night and six hours after sunset. For FM4PV, it was about two and a half hours after sunset.

When I took a screen grab of this image, I couldn't help notice that the moon was almost directly above Martinique which got me thinking. If the moon is visible to both stations then signals must be reflected off the surface of the moon even at 28 MHz?

In this case, I think the combined antenna gain was probably too low for moon bounce and the answer is probably that the signals came off a layer in the ionosphere. As for the exact propagation mechanism?

When I looked at an online propagation map, it suggested that the path was impossible at that time of day so it's a bit of a mystery.

EI7GL Amateur Radio Newsletter #0002 - 22nd March 2024

The second edition of my new newsletter is now up on Substack.

 EI7GL Amateur Radio Newsletter #0002 - 22nd March 2024

Summary: -
Intro
HF Beacon & Propagation News - Region 2, 160m, 80m, 40m, Solar eclipse, Solar Flux, 10m
40 MHz & Low Band VHF News : 40 MHz reports, Luxembourg
50 MHz News: 50 MHz reports, GB3MBA, ZB2GI, Pirate
Upcoming 50 MHz expeditions... a long list!
70 MHz News: 4m activity, 4m nets
144 MHz & Above: Expeditions & Microwave beacons
In conclusion

Link HERE

Long slow goodbye of BBC Radio 4 on Long Wave...

The Long Wave Band covers frequencies from 144 kHz to 281 kHz and was once a popular band in Europe for broadcasting. Over the last decade or so, these transmitters have been switched off leaving listeners to find an alternative service on the FM band, DAB or online.

One of the big signals on the band is BBC4 Radio 4 from Droitwich in the east of England on 198 kHz. In May of 2023, it was announced that the BBC would stop scheduling separate content for Radio 4 on long wave and this is expected to happen at the end of March 2024.

There is a group lobbying for the continuation of the BBC Radio 4 long wave service and they have a website here... https://keeplongwave.co.uk/. As of mid-March 2024, they had a petition from 3000 people over a period of 8-months.

In September of 2024, the BBC News website had an article about the decline of the long wave band... https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66644709

In that article, a BBC spokeswoman told BBC News that ..."Long wave is coming to the end of its life as a technology," and that "Radio 4 long wave is currently set to continue broadcasting beyond March 2024."

Receivers... One of the key problems with listening to Long Wave transmissions now is the declining number of radios available.

Curry's is a large electrical retailer in the UK and would be an obvious source if say a member of the public was going to buy a radio. Out of the 67 or so radios that they currently have on offer, just one (Roberts Play) has the Long Wave option for listening. As fewer people listen to Long Wave then there is no reason for manufacturers to include it in their newer models which in turn means a declining audience. 

Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS)... One of the primary reasons for continuing BBC Radio 4 transmissions at present (March 2024) is that the signal is used for timing on electrical meters in many domestic households.

This technology was rolled out back in the 1980's & 1990's and allowed simple basic meters to determine what the time was so that customers could make use of cheaper night-rate electricity.

The inside of one of these control boxes shows a ferrite rod antenna for receiving the 198 kHz signal on the Long Wave band.

At present, these old meters are being replaced with modern Smart Meters.

Date of Radio 4 Switch Off???... The Citizen Advice service in the UK offers the following... "You might have been told by your electricity supplier you need to have your radio teleswitch (RTS) or dynamically teleswitched (DTS) electricity meter replaced. This is because the radio frequency it uses to switch between peak and off-peak rates is being switched off.

The radio frequency is expected to be switched off in summer 2025. Ofgem, the energy regulator, currently expects all RTS and DTS meters to be replaced by March 2025."

Octopus Energy is a UK electricity supplier and offer the following more specific information... " The current planned end date for the transmission is the 30th June 2025."

Assuming the current programme of meter replacement stays on schedule then it looks as if the last BBC Long Wave transmission will be at the end of June 2025.

Video... Lewis, M3HHY has a very good video about the Droitwich long wave transmitter site.

Video: TinyGS, the Open Source Global Satellite Network with Jeffrey Roe EI7IRB

If you were to ask a member of the public about the subject of 'radio', they'll probably answer that it was some old technology that existed in the past and is now nearly dead. The reality is that it's hiding in plain sight. 

Think WiFi, Bluetooth, mobile phones, Satellite TV, Starlink, parking sensors, etc, we're surrounded by 'radio' technology. It's just that 'radio' has evolved and is increasingly in a digital format.

More and more devices now have microprocessors embedded and they are communicating with other devices using the concept of the 'internet of things'. One of the systems for doing this is LoRa (Long Range Low Power).

This concept has been developed so that radio signals from experimental satellites in low earth orbit can be received by hobbyists all around the world and then the data is fed back by the internet to the control station. One of the frequencies used for this is at 433 MHz in the radio amateur 70cms band.

TinyGS is one such network and is described as follows... "TinyGS is an open network of Ground Stations distributed around the world to receive and operate LoRa satellites, weather probes and other flying objects, using cheap and versatile modules."

Jeffrey, EI7IRB recently gave a presentation titled "TinyGS, the Open Source Global Satellite Network" to the Mid-Ulster Amateur Radio Club and they now have it up on their YouTube channel.

The video starts at about 7 mins, you can skip back to the start of you want to watch the introduction.

Lightning Scatter contact on 1296 MHz in Australia - 13th Feb 2024

Lightning scatter is one of those exotic propagation modes that sometimes get a mention in books and articles but there seems to be very few examples. I think most people would expect this mode to be perhaps seen in the VHF part of the spectrum so it was a surprise to read that VK7MO and VK3MAP in Australia claimed to have made an lightning scatter contact on 1296 MHz!

They report that on the 13th of February 2024, there was a severe lightning storm between them and they attempted to make contact on 1296 MHz using the MSK144 mode. 

They write... "The distance between us is 505 km and we ran 33 & 36 element single yagis with power levels of 120 and 50 watts. We were surprised that at this distance it was also possible to receive MSK144 decodes on aircraft scatter. However, we found it was possible, by replaying the files and examining the MSK144, Fast Graph window, to clearly identify the difference between both types of propagation. While at the time we completed three QSOs on 1296 MHz using MSK144, examination of the files shows that only one QSO was completely on lightning scatter and the other two were partly on aircraft scatter. Still, we can report the completion of a QSO using lightning scatter on 1296 MHz."

After their tests, they came to the following conclusions...

• We are confident that we achieved 50 lightning scatter decodes and one QSO at 1296 MHz.
• We used 15 second periods and auto sequencing to respond quickly enough.
• If aircraft are present, it will be difficult to confirm that a QSO is completely via lightning scatter until files are subsequently decoded.
• The durations of lightning pings between 0.1 and 0.3 seconds are ideally suited to MSK144.
• We are somewhat surprised that no corresponding pings were detected on 2 metres but conclude that 1296 MHz is a better band. Even if lightning pings can be detected on 2 metres it will be difficult to discern them from meteor pings.
• We think 1296 MHz is probably the optimum band for lightning scatter. 
• Stations in the tropics should have a much better chance of seeing such events.

Commentary: Aircraft scatter is a very common mode of propagation and its effects are often seen on signals in the VHF, UHF & Microwave bands.

At 10kms above the ground, an aircraft has a visible horizon of about 400kms (800km circle).

Looking at an airplane pilots forum, cloud to cloud lightning is most common at about 3kms above the ground. This means the visible horizon from that height is about 200kms (400km circle).

Doing a quick check, it seems that the lightning would need to be at least 4.5kms above the ground for it to be visible to both stations for a 500km path.

It would be interesting to see if others could replicate these results? Some locations in the Mediterranean or the SE of the United States are possible locations during the summer months?

I'd expect it won't be easy to stations to pick out any possible lightning scatter signals from the many aircraft scatter reflections and tropo-scatter signals present.

If you would like to read the article from VK7MO and VK3MAP, then click on this LINK

Addendum: In this video, VK7MO talks about the contact and some of the background information.

In the video, VK7MO makes the valid point that at lower frequencies like 144 MHz, the RF noise from the lightning discharge may actually interfere with the actual MSK144 signal that is being propagated. 

Follow up video...

Low band VHF tests by Tony Mann in Western Australia - 2023

 In a previous post, I looked at the Low Interference Potential Devices (LIPD) Class Licence in Australia and how it allowed individuals to transmit with very low power in parts of the low-band VHF spectrum.

Tony Mann is a radio experimenter in Perth, Western Australia and has over the last 12-months been operating four beacons in the low-VHF bands with each one running 100 milliwatts.

The frequencies were 30.8761 MHz , 36.6073 MHz, 39.1467 MHz and 40.6864 MHz.

In 2023, several stations heard the beacons and there are shown on the map above.

Short wave listener Hugh Cocks (HC02) is in the south of Portugal. Phil, EI9KP is located in the west of Ireland. Paul, G7PUV is located in the SE of England. All three are in the region of 15,000 kms.

Otto, VK4OTZ in Queensland, Australia is about 3,700kms to the east which is pretty much ideal for one F2 layer hop.

Tony informs me that he initially made a single frequency “beacon” on 36.860 MHz for the southern hemisphere F2 season in March-May 2023. It was simple crystal oscillator modulated by a PIN diode.

By July 2023, he had a second beacon on 30.876 MHz which was still heard in Sydney via F2 up until September 2023. By that time, Hugh Cocks in Portugal was interested in trying, so he ran 30 MHz after late Sept 2023, quickly added 36 MHz, then 39 MHz by 10 Oct and finally by 29 Oct had a 4th, 40 MHz beacon running.  

The 36.860 MHz frequency was changed to 36.607 to avoid DX radar interference in Europe. The 40 MHz beacon was never received as by mid-Nov 2023 conditions had deteriorated. 

Tony's antenna is shown below...

Tony uses two vertical dipoles: On the left is a single dipole for 30.9 MHz and on the right is a folded dipole for 36-41 MHz (which works adequately on 30.9 MHz).

The beacon signal is alternately switched on for 0.5 seconds, then off for 1.5 seconds. The cycle repeats every two seconds. There is a  0.5 second gap where no power is going out.

The screen grab above from Hugh, HC02 in Portugal shows what the 39.1467 MHz signal looked like on the 11th of March 2024.

Videos... This clip from Paul, G7PUV shows reception of the 30.876 MHz signal...  

The video clip below shows reception of the 36.860 MHz signal by VK4ATZ...

Current Status - March 2024: Tony is currently carrying out propagation tests as we're close to the equinox.

Tony writes... "I am ready to resume the 07-11 UTC tests for Europe in March 2024 and I anticipate adding 00-04 UTC for the autumn F2 season in Australia."

It would be interesting to see more reports of people hearing Tony Mann's beacons. Perth to North America? Perth to South America?

If you hear anything then you can leave a comment here.

Commercial 144 MHz Cavity Filter - PE1RKI

I was recently looking at the website of Bert Modderman, PE1RKI in the Netherlands and I noticed that he is selling cavity filters for the 144 MHz band.

A cavity filter is essentially a hollow tube with tuning rods inside and can usually handle much higher powers than say a lot of the smaller band pass filters on the market which use inductors and capacitors.

The specs for this filter are that it has a 0.2dB insertion loss and it can handle up to 1-kilowatt of RF. It comes supplied with N-type connectors.

I have edited the diagram of the frequency response for the filter to make it clearer.

Signals on the marine band around 156 MHz are down about 18dB. Signals in the VHF air band (~120-130 MHz) are down about 10 - 12 dB.

If we were to extrapolate the shape of the graph down to say FM broadcast band on 88 to 108 MHz then the signals are probably down about 15 - 20 dB.

PE1RKI also makes a version for the 432 MHz band.

More information about the filters can be found HERE

Disclaimer: Just to be clear, this isn't an advertisement. I wasn't paid for this post or I wasn't sent the product for review. I just think this is something VHF operators will be interested in.

PE1RKI also sells a number of amplifiers, filters and antennas for the microwave bands. We all know you can buy lots of gear from websites the likes of Ali Express and eBay but a lot of it is rubbish. It's worth considering supporting small manufacturers and shops in Europe.

20,000km opening on 50 MHz from Chatham Island to Europe - 9th Mar 2024

As we approach the equinox, there are some really good openings on the 50 MHz (6m) band. On the 9th of March 2024, there was a path open from Chatham Island in the Pacific to southern Europe.

The paths from the PSK Reporter website are shown above and note the ones in Europe. The PSK Reporter website shows the shortest path but it's likely that the signals from ZL7DX on Chatham Island to Italy and Malta were in fact long path and over 20,000kms.

I have listed the European stations that heard ZL7DX below and I've adjusted the distances.

 Txmtr Rcvr Band Mode Distance Time (UTC)
9H1TX (Malta) ZL7DX 6m FT8 21286 km 18:04:43
IW5DHN (Italy) ZL7DX 6m FT8 20559 km 20:28:14
F5BZB (France) ZL7DX 6m FT8 19896 km 20:29:14
F4GGJ ZL7DX 6m FT8 19893 km 20:25:43
F4ARU ZL7DX 6m FT8 19814 km 20:20:44
F1HFW ZL7DX 6m FT8 19768 km 20:08:45
EA5Y (Spain) ZL7DX 6m FT8 19294 km 19:56:44
EA1IOK ZL7DX 6m FT8 19111 km 20:03:14
EA1FK ZL7DX 6m FT8 19015 km 20:04:14
EA1NL ZL7DX 6m FT8 19014 km 20:08:14
EA1YV ZL7DX 6m FT8 18998 km 20:10:14
CT1EEB (Portugal) ZL7DX 6m FT8 18959 km 20:51:44
CT2FEY ZL7DX 6m FT8 18948 km 20:04:44
CT1APE ZL7DX 6m FT8 18853 km 20:37:43
CT2GLO ZL7DX 6m FT8 18834 km 20:39:43
CT4NH ZL7DX 6m FT8 18806 km 21:01:44
CT1IUA ZL7DX 6m FT8 18781 km 20:47:44

Link: Examples of other long distance 6m paths can be seen on my 50 MHz page.

Soviet era spy radio dug up in Germany

First a note... this story is from March 2020! However, I only came across it today and I think some might find it of interest.

Extract from the Deutsche Welle website... "Apparently the Soviet Union spied during the Cold War from the Hambach opencast mine near Cologne. During their excavations, the archaeologists from the Rhineland Regional Association not only found fossilized remains of a manatee that lived more than 20 million years ago, or spearheads from the Bronze Age, but also: a Soviet radio from the Cold War.

To find out more about the device, historians and the Bundeswehr's Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) were called in, says Erich Claßen: "We are certain at the moment that it is a device made in Russia." It could have been used by either an employee of the Soviet military intelligence service GRU or the East German NVA or Stasi. The box was buried 60 to 80 cm below the surface of the earth and therefore frost-proof. This corresponded to the instructions of the time.

The device was produced in 1987. It is impossible to say exactly when it was buried. “Probably not after 1990,” says Claßen. "There were instructions to bury such emergency radios in the forest, protected from frost, in order to be able to report quickly in an emergency, i.e. in the event of troop movements." The device's range of up to 1,200 kilometres made it possible to radio and inform the Warsaw Pact states without any problems."

The full article is in German and can be found HERE

New Amateur Radio Newsletter - 7th March 2024

7th March 2024: It's time to try something new! I have just started a new amateur radio newsletter with an emphasis on radio experiments and the VHF bands.

I covered a lot of the reasons for starting the newsletter in the first post but basically it is there to compliment what I already do on the blog here and it will allow me to share more information that would take too long to do properly here on the blog.

I'm basically going to cover the topics that I find of interest. 

The thing about the blog is that people have to remember to come here or see a link to visit. With a newsletter, I am sending information directly by email to subscribers.

How often? My initial plan is to send out a newsletter once every two weeks and see how it goes. I don't want subscribers to feel like they're getting spam with several emails a week. Just one mail every two weeks in fine.

You can read the first edition here... https://ei7gl.substack.com/p/ei7gl-amateur-radio-newsletter-0001

If you would like to be added to the email list then just subscribe... https://ei7gl.substack.com/

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - FR1GZ on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean - 5th March

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 5th of March, I got a screengrab of FR1GZ/B on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean.

Yvon, FR1GZ has been making adjustments to the speed and spacing over the last few days above the QRSS band and just below the WSPR segment. On the 5th, he moved his transmitter down about 280 Hz to where the other QRSS signals on 28.1246 MHz are.

The full sequence can be seen above from Yvon and he is sending his beacon callsign FR1GZ/B as well as his locator / grid square LG79RC. As you can see, Yvon is using ON/OFF keying as opposed to Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) for his transmitter.

The signal in more detail can be seen below...

I took this screengrab at about 11:15 UTC and conditions at the time were quite poor. At the moment, we're near the peak of the sunspot cycle and I usually decode my first WSPR spots on 28 MHz at about 06:30 UTC which is about 35 minutes before my sunrise.

On the 5th of March, I didn't get me first decode until 09:38 UTC which is about two and a half hours after sunrise. The recent solar flares and aurora seem to be having an impact on conditions for the last two days at least.

The 28 MHz from my location on the south coast of Ireland to Reunion Island is about 10,170kms. The propagation mode is multiple F2 layer hops and the signal from FR1GZ/B should be pretty consistent in Europe considering the roughly north-south path.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 18-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

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - WA1EDJ in the state of Georgia - 2nd March

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 2nd of March, I got a screengrab of WA1EDJ in the state of Georgia in the south-east of the United States.

The distance was in the region of 6170kms and was probably two F2 layer hops. 

Even though the south-eastern part of the USA is one of the easier paths for me, it took quite a while to get this screengrab. It was often be very weak or I'd miss parts in fading but I got a complete call eventually.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 17-callsigns & 9 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

Addendum: Bob, WA1EDJ reports using 100-milliwatts from a  QRPLabs Arduino shield transmitter into a Ringo Ranger antenna just 3-metres above ground level. 

Bob Heil, K9EID - Silent Key

It was sad to hear that Bob Heil, K9EID, is now a Silent Key. Bob passed away on February 28th, 2024 after a year-long battle with cancer. 

Bob was the founder of HEIL SOUND which is well known for audio equipment like microphones and headphones for the amateur radio community and music industry.

HEIL HAM RADIO released the following statement... "Our beloved founder, Dr. Bob Heil, K9EID, is now a Silent Key. Bob fought a valiant, year-long battle with cancer, and passed peacefully surrounded by his family. Bob’s lifelong passion for amateur radio was clear to everyone involved in the hobby. Everything Bob did for the betterment and growth of amateur radio - from his instructional handbooks and countless presentations to his support of the ARRL and youth programs - was based on the foundation and spirit of service. Bob was an Elmer to all of us. While Bob’s presence will dearly be missed, his impact on the hobby and everyone in it will forever be felt. On behalf of Bob to all ham radio operators worldwide, 73."

Dr. Bob Heil, K9EID (October 5, 1940 – February 28, 2024)

1) Wikipedia link

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

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

1st Feb 2024 - EI2IP (IO52QP) in Ireland called CQ from 14:25 UTC until 14:32 UTC on 40.680 MHz FT8. No answers received. Signal strength ranged from -6 to -15 dB.  

12th Feb 2024 - 40.680 MHz FT8: Band opened suddenly with LX5JX (JO30) in Luxembourg ending QSO with ZS6OB (KG44) in South Africa at 15:17 UTC. No prior signals from LX5JX. ZS6OB not heard here. LX5JX -18 dB. My antenna pointed towards southern Europe (9A/S5). LX5JX then called CQ for 2 minutes (-15 dB) and presumably left. 

EI2IP (IO52) appeared and worked VE2CYX (FN35) in Quebec, Canada at 1526 UTC . VE2CYX not heard here. EI2IP then called CQ until 15:39 UTC without an answer. Signal strength peaked at 1 dB with the nadir at -19 dB.

13th Feb 2024 - LX5JX (JO30) called CQ from 14:11 to 14:50 UTC with no answers. Signal strength ranged from -19 dB to -7 dB. 

15th Feb 2024 - LX5JX (JO30) called CQ from  16:11 to 16:13 UTC and worked VA2CYX (FN35) at 16:14 with signal strength -14dB. VA2CYX not heard here. Then, LX5JX called CQ from 16:16 to 16:31 UTC with no answer.  Signal strength ranged from -20 to -15 dB. 

17th Feb 2024 - LX5JX (JO30) noted calling CQ at 13:53 UTC in FT8 mode. No answer and no other CQs. Signal Strength -17 dB.

***

In summary... As can be seen from the map above, the path to the stations in Europe was about 5000-6000kms and was most likely two F2 layer hops. Bill's report shows that the maximum usable frequency (MUF) across the North Atlantic at the moment is reaching at least 40 MHz. 

VA2CYX in Quebec, Canada is about 500kms to the north and is too close for F2 layer propagation.

Thanks for the report Bill!

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

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.

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.

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

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.

2024 10m QRSS Challenge: - VE6NGK 26th 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 26th of February, I managed to get a good capture of VE6NGK in the city of Calgary in the province of Alberta, Canada.

As can be seen from the image above, there was quite a bit of frequency drift on the QRSS signal. In reality, the signal only drifted upwards about 5Hz over the space of about 8 minutes but in the world of QRSS, these small changes are easily visible.

About 20 minutes later, I got a second screen capture when the signal was stronger.

The distance from Calgary to my location on the south coast of Ireland is about 6620kms. The propagation mode was probably two F2 layer hops but what make this path more of a challenge is that it goes well to the north.

I also saw NM3ER in New Mexico but I was unable to get a good screen grab. Another day.

In summary... That brings the QRSS tally so far for 2024 up to 14-callsigns & 8 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

Addendum: Kam, VA6CA reports the following... "VE6NGK is my other call. I was running 5W at the time I believe. Was at 500mW at the beginning but not getting anywhere.

Below is the transmitting station.  It's a homebrew project using components from my junk box. The controller uses TTL logic chips. and the dual tone audio generator (the bottom board) uses two "tuning fork resonators" at frequencies 410 Hz. I physically trimmed one to get the audio tone frequency difference I need. The 410Hz was 4X up using PLL to get the output harmonics outside the FT817 SSB filter to minimize splattering."

Notice: Upcoming HAARP ionospheric tests from Alaska - 28th Feb to 3rd Mar 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 28th of February to the 3rd of March 2024.

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

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 February 28-March 3 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.

Some examples of experiments planned for this research campaign are the production of ELF and VLF emissions and studies on the effects of ionospheric plasma waves on orbiting satellites. These experiments will help lead to a greater understanding of the production and enhancement of ELF/VLF waves, as well as lay groundwork for future studies of satellite interactions with space plasma. For more information on ELF/VLF wave generation with HAARP, see the online HAARP FAQ at
https://haarp.gi.alaska.edu/faq.

Note that numerous experiments will operate at frequencies based on the f0F2 frequency from the
Gakona ionograms. Experiments that are dependent on f0F2 will typically operate 0.5-1 MHz below
f0F2 at the time of transmission. There are no specific data collection requests from funded
investigators, but reception reports are appreciated and may be submitted to uaf-gihaarp 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.