XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated, uk.radio.amateur, free.uk.amateur-radio

Roger G3XBM's (Mainly) Amateur Radio Blog

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Earth-mode VLF

Posted: 27 Jun 2021 10:43 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/06/earth-mode-vlf.html


Earth-mode is a form of VLF communication that is open to all. With 5W I managed to cover 6km, although far further should be possible even with the same gear. I have updated my webpage to include a link to my earth-mode
blog showing my experiments some years ago.
My understanding is this does not require a UK licence, but check with
OFCOM as I cannot give legal advice.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vlf/vlf-earth-mode .

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Lightning threat?

Posted: 27 Jun 2021 10:10 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/06/lightning-threat.html


Later, we have the threat of thunderstorms. At the moment there are storms
on the near continent, but not here. If they get close I shall go QRT.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/other-amateur-radio/lightning-maps . UPDATE 1710z: Still nothing here. At the moment the storms are not
expected until 0100z tomorrow.

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6m super-DX

Posted: 27 Jun 2021 03:14 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/06/6m-super-dx.html


About now each year, we hear of DX openings between Europe and Japan on 6m
VHF. I believe there have already been 6m openings from Western Europe to Australia. One has always to watch for pirates who are actually much
closer! I very much hope these QSOs are confirmed as genuine.
The regular 6m Japanese openings (and to the Far East more generally) seem
to be linked to mesospheric noctilucent clouds that form about now. I am
sure this is E-layer, but not Es. I also wonder about some of the very long transatlantic 6m openings. Some may be multi-hop Es, but I suspect many are not. E layer - yes. Es - no.
They do not call 6m "the magic band" for nothing. Well equipped stations
can work some amazing DX. Even very modest stations can have plenty of fun
with QRP and simple antennas.
This why a future 8m allocation could be so informative to radio science: midway between 6m and 10m could be so interesting. We could all learn so
much.
I am convinced there is a great deal for us to find out about E layer propagation and this is one area in which radio amateurs can really
contribute to radio science.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/super-dx .

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10m FT8 RX

Posted: 27 Jun 2021 10:23 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/06/10m-ft8-rx_27.html


At just before 0830z, I turned on my 10m FT8 RX setup with the tiny indoor
loop antenna. No spots yet at 0833z.
UPDATE 0922z: 4 spots on RX so far.
UPDATE 1624z: 13 stations so far spotted on 10m FT8 RX with the tiny 50cm diameter loop antenna this morning. Disappointing so far. At the moment,
the Es here today is the worst this season. I shall stay on until late this evening "just in case". With the loop, I am probably not seeing some of the stations others are able to copy.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated, uk.radio.amateur, free.uk.amateur-radio

Roger G3XBM's (Mainly) Amateur Radio Blog

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Earth-mode VLF

Posted: 20 Oct 2021 04:10 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/10/earth-mode-vlf.html


In days past, I managed a fair bit of success with VLF earth-mode. This is
a form of VLF communication that many can enjoy. Gear can be simple and low power.

See https://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/vlf-using-earth-mode/g3xbm-earth-mode-blog .
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-ytg1yoyiezffsfSqdL2kWZW_Fx3sbru/view?usp=sharing .

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10GHz (3cm)

Posted: 20 Oct 2021 02:02 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/10/10ghz-3cm.html


Microwaves have largely passed me by. Apart from making a Gunn oscillator
in the 1970s (I think) in some waveguide and testing it over about 10m indoors, I have done nothing at 10GHz. I did borrow a 1296MHz RX converter
and did some tests many years ago.

Some take microwaves very seriously and regularly achieve some remarkable distances, often by rain scatter. Others play at 10GHz with WBFM.
See
https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/homebrew/10ghz .

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10m FT8 RX (Wednesday)

Posted: 20 Oct 2021 02:54 PM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/10/10m-ft8-rx-wednesday_20.html


As there is no sign at all of thunderstorms anywhere for hundreds of miles,
I think I shall turn on my 10m FT8 RX later. According to the thunder map
all storms are very distant indeed.
See https://www.lightningmaps.org.
UPDATE 0847z: The storms appear to have come this way, but tracked north
and missed us, so I have turned my system on at 0840z. So far, 5 stations spotted.
UPDATE 1000z: 6 Europeans spotted with the furthermost OE4KSF (1285km).
Most of these Europeans I think are E layer rather than F2 backscatter. If
it was backscatter I would expect to see some further afield stations such
as Israel, European Russia and Ukraine via F2. I am seeing none of these. Perhaps a brief patch of E layer ionisation forms allowing a very brief
opening and then disappears?
UPDATE 1118z: 34 stations spotted today so far. Furthermost is 5T5PA
(3791km).
UPDATE 1504z: Because of the thunder I went temporarily QRT, but am on
again now. 197 stations spotted so far today.
UPDATE 1725z: 242 stations spotted today. It looks as if the F2
propagation on 10m is now ending as it is getting dark.
UPDATE 2152z: QRT. In the end 243 stations spotted, but I missed some late
ones as I had to go out.

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481THz line of sight

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 10:50 PM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/10/481thz-line-of-sight.html



For the uninitiated, 481THz is red light.

My main interest in lightbeam communication was over the horizon beaconing (NLOS), but I did have one speech QSO line-of-sight over about 11km. As mentioned before, all my optical gear was homemade in the back of the
garage. Most of the test gear was also homemade. In fact, optical gear is easier than microwaves and there are plenty of sources of ideas on the internet. My own page may trigger some ideas. The circuit above was used in
the speech QSO.
See
https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/optical-nanowaves/line-of-sight .




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Sunspots - Wednesday October 20th 2021

Posted: 20 Oct 2021 03:04 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/10/sunspots-wednesday-october-20th-2021.html


Solar flux is 76 and the SSN 11. A=14 and K=1.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)