XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated, uk.radio.amateur, free.uk.amateur-radio
Roger G3XBM's (Mainly) Amateur Radio Blog
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WSPR Snake
Posted: 06 Sep 2021 12:36 PM PDT
http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/09/wspr-snake.html
Jay, W5OLF has produced a new version of his WSPR beacon (see photo). It is simpler than his earlier version, the WSPR-AXE-CW.
He writes: "I have finished my WSPR-Snake stand-alone transmitter. The
snake name is because it is programmed in the ‘Python’ language and, as with the WSPR-AXE-CW, the repeated random 2min intervals on the spectral display to me look like the trail of a snake. Differences between it and your‘s are that it only puts out 375mW (on 10M) but runs off of USB 5V sources. One can plug it into the common wall cell phone charger or into
the cell phone recharge batteries they sell. It uses the Adafruit Trinket
micro board which has a 3.3V regulator on it for the VCO. Like yours you
turn the PA off when not actively checking propagation and you can even put
in a switch to turn the VCO off (reducing standby current to 10mA). That
allows transport (say backpacking) without loosing the precise time you set back at the shack. Speaking of the precise clock, this version uses the
clock circuit for both WSPR symbol timing (exactly) as well as 2min
interval timing; expected drift when set - and the crystal aged - is about 0.5sec per month. Otherwise, I use the same single 2N7000 for the final in
a class-E, high efficiency, design. "
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10m FT8 QRP (Monday)
Posted: 06 Sep 2021 01:22 PM PDT
http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/09/10m-ft8-qrp-monday.html
Before breakfast, I was briefly on 10m FT8 TX with 2.5W, but was spotted by nobody. It is now 0722z and I am RX only. Unsurprisingly, no spots yet!
UPDATE 0750z: Just 2 Gs spotted so far in the Birmingham area at 160km. UPDATE 1300z: Just before lunch I had a very brief period on TX with 2.5W.
No QSOs resulted, but I was spotted by G0FWX (160km). On 10m FT8 RX 28 stations have been spotted with the furthermost ZS6NJ (9115km).
UPDATE 1916z: 34 stations spotted on RX today. A brief TX period (2.5W) resulted in 3 Es spots of me from Southern Europe, but no QSOs.
UPDATE 2023z: 43 stations spotted today with the furthermost PY2VCS
(9593km).
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Sunspots - Monday September 6th 2021
Posted: 06 Sep 2021 12:17 PM PDT
http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2021/09/sunspots-monday-september-6th-2021.html
Solar flux is 94 and the SSN 66. A=6 and K=1.
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