My name is Philip and since 1985 I have held a UK Government license for experimental Radio Communications, having qualified by passing City & Guilds technical/theory examinations and a 12 WPM Morse Code transmitting and receiving test. I hold the Advanced Full license Amateur Radio call sign: G0ISW spoken phonetically as 'Golf Zero India Sierra Whisky' and shown below in Morse Code.
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If you cannot see the full index shown on the left edge of your screen, please go to my main page at
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Operator: Philip QTH: Penrith/The Lake District/Cumbria/IO84OQ EchoLink Node: 3116 at home or G0ISW/M using iPhone Worldwide! |
I
live in Penrith, Cumbria next to the beautiful 'Lake District National Park'
in NW
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G0ISW HF / VHF/ UHF Activity Present day |
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For the very latest G0ISW news please
visit my new Amateur Radio Weblog below
Since my final house move in 2009, with external antenna restrictions, I am no longer seriously active on VHF DX. My days of chasing DX via Meteor Scatter are sadly over, although I still experiment receiving VHF signals with a much inferior antenna system indoors. Having retired from the MoD in 2011 and now working on a part-time casual basis as an 'adviser', I'm able to spend much more time on the radio, family commitments permitting. Most of my Amateur Radio operation takes place from home on usually the 5 MHz band where I am often to be found using data modes such as Olivia 16/500 on 5.368 MHz and PSK31 on 5.363 MHz. I also use other HF bands with PSK31 or JT65 and operate on 50 MHz chasing Sporadic Es in the Summer months. My NVIS antenna for 5 MHz use is a full size 1.6-30 MHz British army tactical dipole @ 2m AGL, used in conjunction with my Kenwood TS-2000 transceiver. I continue to operate often on either HF / 50 MHz / 144 MHz / 432 MHz from my 4x4 vehicle as G0ISW/M using a Yaesu ATAS-120A antenna for HF/50 MHz and a separate large Comet 50/144/432 MHz colinear.
I also monitor my local 2 metre repeater GB3EV on 145.700 MHz FM. Coverage map shown below
I also operate from home with AX-25 Packet digipeating across Europe on 145.825 MHz FM through Low Earth orbiting satellites or the International Space Station (ISS) Since December 2012 I also operate QRP HF / 50 MHz SSB voice from home and pedestrian mobile using an Elecraft KX-3 Transceiver
Since September 2012 I no longer use the RSGB QSL bureau to send cards and so can only exchange new QSL via the services of online eQSL.cc
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G0ISW HF / VHF/ UHF Radio shack 2009-Present day |
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G0ISW HF / VHF/ UHF Radio shack 2005-2009 (Interactive photo use your cursor to identify equipment IE only)
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G0ISW HF / VHF / UHF Antennas 2005-2009 (Interactive photo, use your cursor to identify equipment IE only) |
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As a visitor to this website please, please Sign my Guest Book, as I spend a considerable amount of time maintaining this site. I really appreciate your positive comments, suggestions etc. Your Guest Book entries greatly help to maintain my enthusiasm for continuing this task after 12 years!
I've had to create a new Guest Book due to the old Lycos/Tripod service closing down on 01.04.2012. |
G0ISW Station history and background
During the late 1960's as a young boy I was fascinated and influenced by watching the television series 'The Man from UNCLE' and seeing them use their pen radio communicators, calling "Open 'Channel D' Emergency Relay".
I decided that I wanted to have a cool way of communicating using radio like them.
My favourite film, made in 1968, is "Where Eagles Dare", about an Allied Special Forces/SOE WW2 mission, which contained even more radios and famous spoken lines like "Broadsword calling Danny Boy" that increased my interest further. Little did I realise then, how much this film would ultimately influence my choice of interests and hobbies over the next 40 years!
The screenshots above from the film 'Where Eagles Dare' are copyright of MGM and are displayed with gratitude to the
film fan website of which I am a registered member.
Eventually I followed a path using radio through school and work to obtaining my Amateur Radio Full licence as shown below:
| Year | Callsign | |
| 1976 | Army Combined Cadet Force (CCF) - Signals Section | - |
| 1979 | MoD | - |
| 1983 | Joined RSGB as a Short Wave Listener | BRS85124 |
| 1985 | Passed Radio Amateurs Examination and issued with then 'VHF only' licence | G1MOG |
| 1987 | Issued with 'Full' HF licence | G0ISW |
I was first licensed as a Radio Amateur in 1985, with the call sign G1MOG and my first ever QSO was with Chris G4CLB using my brand new Yaesu FT-2700R transceiver on 433.200 MHz FM.
When travelling back to my original home town in the Lake District I was inspired to get on HF by the slow morse transmissions of Bill Delamere G3PER (SK) from Heysham, who I would hear on the M6 motorway as I neared Cumbria, or on the return journey stuck in traffic jams near Lancaster! My other slow morse tutor was Winston G4PEF. I've never particularly enjoyed using morse code, but these two gentlemen brushed of the rust and got me back up to speed.
I joined the Hillingdon Amateur Radio Club (HARC), which used to meet at Hillingdon Golf clubhouse in West London. In 1987 I didn't tell anyone else from the club that I planned to sit the 12 WPM Morse Code examination and turned up at the test centre at Watford one evening, only to find two other club members there who also hadn't told anyone else either! One was Bob and the other Jack Davies G0ISY (SK 2009).
The highlight of the evening was when we prepared to listen to the examiner sending Morse Code for us to receive and we all plugged our headphones into his homemade splitter box for us then to accidentally pickup up perfectly 'Capital Radio' on 95.8 MHz FM simultaneously with the his sent Morse! Somehow Jack and I managed to pass the test despite the QRM!
I was delighted to receive in time for Christmas 1987 my full HF licence callsign of G0ISW
In the summer of 1988 I took an ex military Racal Syncal 30 (TRA931) (liberated from the Falkland Islands in 1982!) HF manpack transceiver 1.8-30 MHz to the HARC clubhouse and we worked stations in the USA on 14 MHz USB with 20 W and a 2.4M long whip aerial, whilst sat outside in the sunshine.
In October 2006 I reactivated my old G1MOG callsign, which I held from 1985-1987 when it was a VHF only callsign. It was then a full license callsign and could be used on any Amateur Band. In 2012 I was advised at license revalidation time that I can only hold one callsign again, so I have reluctantly surrendered the G1MOG license. and only use G0ISW.
I hope that one of my children might eventually take up this callsign; in England it is an old tradition and belief by some that if a black cat crosses your path, it will bring you Good Luck......Below is a picture of my original QSL card and a more recent one.
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Summary of Locator squares worked by band (DXCC in brackets) |
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50 MHz: 262 (59) |
70 MHz: 7 (5) |
144 MHz: 108 (32) |
432 MHz: 22 (10) |
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G0ISW/M Mobile Station - Renault Megane Dynamique (2005-2011) |
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BANDS USED |
TRANSCEIVER/ANTENNAS/ACCESSORIES/COMMENTS |
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HF (7-28Mhz) 2m (144MHz) 70cm (432MHz) |
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I have previously installed a Yaesu FT-857D in a Renault Megane Dynamique 1.9 DCI diesel car and found the radio to be a great little transceiver, full of features including illuminated buttons for night time driving. The radio's memories are used mainly by me for storing 144 & 432 MHz FM repeaters and their CTCSS tones and scan very rapidly when searching for activity. For driver safety and operator convenience I have fitted a Watson hands free microphone and PTT attached to the gear change lever. This works very well, but I had to additionally fit a ferrite ring on the microphone lead to suppress alternator whine pickup, which wasn't apparent when using the supplied hand microphone. |
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The front panel of the Yaesu FT-857D is mounted remotely from the main transceiver bolted onto the front of a Waters & Stanton QS-200 metal removable air vent handheld radio mount, which had two small holes drilled into it. This position is perfect to see the display and to reach the controls from the steering wheel. I have set the Yaesu FT-857D to display a different LCD colour for each operating band. |
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For HF and 50MHz I have installed a Yaesu ATAS-120A Active Tuning Antenna System screwdriver aerial, which allows simple and quick band changes from 7 - 50 MHz whilst on the move. This Yaesu ATAS-120A is installed at the rear offside of my car, just above the bumper. Extremely difficult to see is my separate micro miniature magnetic mount 2m/70cm aerial at the rear of the car on the roof. |
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You may just see in this photograph a small red dot sticker, near the top of the Yaesu ATAS-120A aerial. This visible red dot is there so that from my rear view mirror when driving I can see if the aerial has begun to unscrew from the SO-239 connector and stop the car before it can drop off completely! The Yaesu ATAS-120A is shown tuned to the correct height for the 14 MHz (20m) band. Having a separate 2m/70cm aerial allows me to change from HF to 2m/70cm repeaters instantly, without having to wait for the Yaesu ATAS-120A to tune. I tend to work 2m/70cm repeaters until I am in an area of no coverage and then change to HF. |
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I really struggled to install any radio or aerial on my Renault Megane car. The car roof is almost entirely made from glass, having twin sunroofs, and a large HF triple magmount wouldn't stay on the little remaining metalwork above the rear window. The gap at the top of the rear window and the car boot isn't wide enough to permit an aerial mount to be installed there either. There are no gutters as well. Trying to get a 12 Volt power lead from the car battery through the engine bulkhead was the most difficult problem. |
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Close-up view of my Yaesu ATAS-120A mounted at the rear of my car. The stainless steel 'L' shaped mount was made for me by my friend Les, a friendly local metal worker, at SmallFab here in Penrith, Cumbria and is attached upside down to the car at the gap between the boot opening and the rear bumper.
The 'L' shaped mount is bolted to the metal bodywork, inside the boot behind where you can see the number plate, and has sufficient grounding to allow the Yaesu ATAS-120A to tune without problem. There is no noticeable vibration on the mount when driving and it is robust enough not to bend or flex. It is about 1/8" or 4mm in thickness. Also shown but not easily seen just above the mount are the Yaesu ATAS-120 locking pins found either side of the motor, at the base of the aerial, covered in a layer of black electrical tape. This prevents them falling out through vibration and then mechanical damage to the circuit board occurring. This happened to me with a previous Yaesu ATAS-100 aerial and is a simple preventative measure. |
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G0ISW/M Mobile Station - Jeep Wrangler Ultimate (Since 2011) |
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BANDS USED |
TRANSCEIVER/ANTENNAS/ACCESSORIES/COMMENTS |
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HF (7-28Mhz) 2m (144MHz) 70cm (432MHz) |
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I have in June 2011 now installed my Yaesu FT-857D in a UK 2010 model Jeep Wrangler Ultimate (JK) 4 door, 2.8L diesel automatic car. Very similar to the Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited model. I have remotely mounted the radio control head onto the top of the dash, using a Waters & Stanton QS-200 metal removable air vent handheld radio mount, pushed into the vertical air vents next to the windscreen and have bent the metal plate also into the vertical position. I have bolted through the metal plate onto the remote head bracket. I also sawed off the end of the QS-200 metal plate, which was above the remote radio control head. Using this removable vent mount I can quickly remove the control head from view for brief periods, whilst removing the entire radio from the vehicle when parked for long periods. This position is perfect to see the display and to reach the controls from the steering wheel. I have set the Yaesu FT-857D to display a different LCD colour for each operating band. |
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For driver safety and operator convenience I have again fitted a Watson hands free microphone to the sun visor and PTT attached to the automatic gear change lever. I have since moved the PTT higher up the selector lever than shown, as it was too low when shifting down into fixed Gears 2 or 1. Having the PTT on the gear change lever is easy to operate and having hands free operation is much safer to drive than using a fist microphone. In the picture you can also see the 12 Volt power lead I use to supply power to my Yaesu FT-857D. Luckily this output is direct from the battery and is entirely separate to the standard cigar socket and is rated at 13 Amps maximum. Using my Yaesu FT-857D at my usual less than 50 W output power, means I am drawing around 10 Amps maximum current and this socket is always powered on, even with the ignition off. I would not be able to use this socket for any power level greater than 50 W. |
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For HF and 50MHz I have installed my Yaesu ATAS-120A Active Tuning Antenna System screwdriver aerial, which allows simple and quick band changes from 7 - 50 MHz whilst on the move. This Yaesu ATAS-120A is installed at the rear of my car, and is attached to the rear spare tyre holder using purpose made brackets which simply bolt onto the car using the existing bolts. In this picture, viewed from inside the rear Jeep Wrangler door, you can see the Yaesu ATAS-120A antenna on the left and a Watson W-770HB 144/432 MHz (1/2 wave (2m) 2x5/8 wave 70cm) colinear on the right (N.B. Silver coloured antenna shown in photo has been replaced by a Black Watson W-770HB). The coaxial cables come down to the bottom of the door and into the inside fixed using cable ties. The door rubber seal is sufficiently large to allow this cable entry without nipping and entering from below ensures no rain drips along the cable inside the vehicle. |
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In this close-up photo of the Yaesu ATAS-120A you can see two large white dot stickers, near the base of the aerial. The lowest visible white dot is there so that from my rear view mirror, when driving, I can see if the aerial has begun to unscrew from the SO-239 connector and stop the car before it can drop off completely! Just in case. The Yaesu ATAS-120A is shown tuned to the correct height for the 50 MHz (6m) band and the highest white dot is there so that as the antenna tunes for HF bands and gets physically longer I can see the gap between the two dots increasing and know it is working. This is a hangover from my days operating a Yaesu ATAS-100 where sometimes the antenna wouldn't move! Having a separate 2m/70cm aerial allows me to change from HF to 2m/70cm repeaters instantly, without having to wait for the Yaesu ATAS-120A to tune. I tend to work 2m/70cm repeaters until I am in an area of no coverage and then change to HF. |
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The rear hardtop of the Jeep Wrangler Ultimate (JK) is fibreglass and removable, as is the entire roof. All of the Yaesu ATAS-120A whip is above the roof level even when set at its shortest 50 MHz operation length. The separate 144/432 MHz colinear, whilst partially lower than the top roof line, still manages to perform well because it is almost entirely higher than the bulk of the vehicle metal bodywork. I have no ignition or other electrical noise from the Jeep Wrangler Ultimate with the exception of the 10 MHz (30m) band. This does not cause me any trouble as I only operate voice from the vehicle on the other bands. On the Jeep forums I have seen lots of historical US comment about electrical ignition noise, but maybe my UK model with its diesel engine is less of a problem, I don't know, or maybe newer petrol engines are cured. |
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Close-up view of my Yaesu ATAS-120A mounted at the rear of my car. The steel 'L' shaped mounts were made again for me by my friend Les, a friendly local metal worker, at SmallFab here in Penrith, Cumbria and are attached behind the rear spare wheel carrier, using the existing bolts.
The 'L' shaped mounts are bolted to the metal bodywork, and have sufficient grounding to allow the Yaesu ATAS-120A to tune without problem. The rear door opens with the antennas attached. |
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G0ISW/M (Bicycle) Mobile Station |
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BANDS USED |
TRANSCEIVER/ANTENNAS/ACCESSORIES/COMMENTS |
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2m (144MHz) 70cm (432MHz)
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I enjoy mountain biking in the Lake District and have installed a hands free Amateur Radio communications system onto my 1994 model American made Trek 930 mountain bike as shown in this photo. Using a combination of either simplex, repeaters or EchoLink I can cycle along and talk, around the local area or around the World. The metal rear pannier mount provides a substantial ground to attach a 5/8 wave 2m & 2 x 5/8 wave 70cm aerial with plenty of gain. |
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You can see my Kenwood TH-F7E 2m/70cm handheld attached using a bike handlebar belt clip mount and on the right a PTT/VOX unit originally designed for a Kenwood PMR446 radio. I can either use the PTT pressed by my thumb whilst gripping the handlebars or use the VOX function built into this radio or the PTT unit. When wet weather is anticipated I cover the Kenwood TH-F7E with a clear plastic bag and rubber band, which is a simple and practical solution to keeping water out. |
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Attached to the exterior of my cycling helmet is a Kenwood headset comprised of an on the ear earpiece and boom microphone. This was originally designed for a Kenwood PMR446 radio, but was found to be totally compatible and a lot cheaper than the identical amateur radio model. It is attached to the helmet using tie grips placed through the air vent holes. The headset attaches to the Kenwood PTT/VOX unit with a 1m cable terminated with a 3.5mm plug fitting. |
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G0ISW/M (Pedestrian) Mobile Station |
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BANDS USED |
TRANSCEIVER |
ANTENNAS/ACCESSORIES/COMMENTS |
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2m (144MHz) 70cm (432MHz) |
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My Kenwood TH-F7E is a very versatile radio, ideal for use on my local 2m repeater GB3EV on 145.700 MHz and the lithium-ion battery lasts all day. I sold my first one and had to buy a second one as I missed it so much! |
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G0ISW/P Portable (Holiday) Station - usually EA6/G0ISW |
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HF (7-28MHz) 6m (50MHz) 2m (144MHz) 70cm (432MHz) |
A very versatile radio, used by me extensively on holiday and easily able to work most of Europe on 5w SSB voice from the beach! During previous solar maximum years I have worked the USA and South America on 14 MHz just with the Miracle Whip, indoors! I upgraded the battery pack by replacing it with Ni-MH 2.3 Ah cells and making the 'green wire' modification so that I can recharge them in situ. I intend in 2011 to try to work APRS via the ISS and PCSAT (NO-44) satellites using my FT-817 with UISS software and a RigExpert Tiny interface from my usual holiday destination of Peurto Pollenca, Majorca in JM19NV locator square. |
Miracle Whip 1.5m long HF - VHF - UHF aerial
Yaesu MH-48 DTMF microphone (for EchoLink)
Racal Military 655 End fed 1.8-30MHz Sloping wire
What a battle I have had trying to interface my Yaesu FT-817 with MixW software and my RigExpert Tiny interface. Having looked everywhere on the internet to try to obtain the correct CAT and soundcard settings I have finally managed to get the Yaesu FT-817 to transmit PSK-31, but still haven't managed to get the MixW software to show the frequency on the laptop display.
My MixW settings for the Yaesu FT-817 with RigExpert Tiny interface are as follow:
Sound Device Settings Device: Computer Soundcard Input: Line (RigExpert Virtual Sound) Output: Speakers (Realtek High Definition) TRCVR CAT/PTT CAT: Yaesu Model: FT-817 PTT via CAT command: Ticked AFSK in place of FSK: Ticked DIG (Yaesu) is: USB Default digi mode: DIG Serial Port Port: COM5 (This will vary depending upon your own computer) Baud rate: 38400 Data bits: 8 Parity: None Stop bits: 1 RTS: PTT DTR: CW Yaesu FT-817 settings CAT rate: 38400 Mode: DIG |
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G0ISW SSB / AM Station equipment |
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You may be wondering why I am using all of the Behringer audio equipment? The answer is that I like to experiment with my transmitted audio and had during the late 1990's listened with fascination to broadcast quality voices of the 'eSSB audio net' on 14.178 MHz from the USA. For a full description of eSSB please refer to the website of John NU9N where all about 'eSSB' is explained. I restrict my transmitted audio to a maximum of 3 kHz, usually 2.7 kHz, but I do like to experiment also off-air with the Behringer DEQ2496 to see the full range of sound that it and the Behringer B-1 studio microphone are capable of. I was inspired by listening for hours to the wonderful voice and humour of the late Bill Salerno W2ONV transmitting from 'Studio B', using 'educated aluminum' as he used to refer to his antennas! Click here to hear an example of Bill's fantastic audio.
I worked Bill W2ONV once on air myself, when I was in my car in the Republic of Ireland, as EI/G0ISW/M on the eSSB audio net frequency 14.178 MHz, he played back my transmitted audio across the Atlantic for me to hear. For further audio examples from radio amateurs around the World using various TX audio bandwidths, please visit John NU9N's website MP3 page here.
The future Technology always moves on and I like experimenting with the latest digital modes. I have already linked my analogue Kenwood TS-2000 transceiver to my laptop PC computer, for use on the digital modes such as WSJT, WSPR, MixW, PSK31, SSTV, etc. The next logical step for me is a Software Defined Radio (SDR). I have been looking at all the SDR options and for my needs I selected to have a FlexRadio Systems Flex-3000 SDR HF-50MHz transceiver. Being only the size of a large laptop PC, I can easily take the Flex3K on my travels and utilise its fantastic features.
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I have had my Kenwood TS-2000 transceiver for over 11 years now and for the past year or more I have been troubled with a regular, but intermittent, main display fault where the screen showing frequency and other information suddenly goes blank and all the front panel controls become locked. Often the only temporary cure has been to switch off the separate power supply and then switch it back on.
Despite my Kenwood TS-2000 radio being sent to an authorised service dealer they have been unable to identify or repeat the problem. Finally I have found by chance an alternative solution and purchased the Kenwood RC-2000 mobile controller remote head. Using this has allowed me to see my display to tune again!
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Since 1995 when I moved to a more urban location, I voluntarily restricted my base station transceiver output power, from my license permitted 400 watts, to a maximum of only 50 watts on all bands! This helps to prevent any potential TVI/EMC problems and has still allowed me to work most of Europe on VHF and the World on HF.
This power reduction saves energy too, as
400 watts equates to
roughly a single bar electric fire and
50 watts equates to a
typical halogen GU-10 spotlight bulb. On VHF
Meteorscatter
on both
50 MHz and
144 MHz I have often
sent comparable signals to fellow European stations, with
their their much more impressive antenna arrays and higher power, whereas I
have mostly used a small
Create
Log Periodic 5130-1N
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50 Watts Light bulb |
My Kenwood TS-2000 Transceiver limited to 50 Watts |
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Please note that since March 2009, my days of being able to easily chase HF/VHF DX (after 23 years) came to a temporary end following another house move.
I now live in a conservation area, where outdoor aerials are not permitted (if obvious) and the loft has already been converted, both of which make it very difficult for me to install antennas and operate effectively.
I have therefore dismantled and given away, to local radio amateurs, all of my previously used large HF directional antennas, taken down my mast and rotator. I am now mostly active near home either walking or in my car on 144/432 MHz FM using my local repeaters GB3EV (145.700 MHz) and GB3CA (433.325 MHz).
However, I have recently in August 2010 uncovered a closed section of loft space.
I have removed a disused water header tank, which has given me just enough
room to potentially install indoors my
favourite
VHF/UHF
Create
Log Periodic 5130-1N
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* Frequency
50-1300MHz * Elements 25 * Power 500W PEP * VSWR <2.0:1 * Forward gain
10-12dBi * Front-to-back ratio 15dB * Connector N-type * Wind survival
40m/sec * Boom length 3m * Mast size 38-50mm * Weight 5kg |
This was the default direction my aerials have always faced before, and my best contacts made, so it should allow me to be on the air again on 50/144/432 MHz SSB and back again using my favourite Meteor Scatter software WSJT, after installation of a 10 metre length of SSB-Ecoflex 10 low loss coaxial cable (Attenuation only 0.49dB at 144MHz) to be completed when I get the time and inclination to do this.
Between my Kenwood TS-2000 transceiver and the Create Log Periodic 5130-1N antenna, I am using a Comet CFX-514N triplexer, which matches perfectly the radio's 50/144/432 MHz outputs and has an insertion loss of less than 0.2 dB at 144 MHz.
I intend in 2010/2011 to experiment with the Low Earth Orbiting satellites on 145 MHz uplink and 435 MHz FM downlinks using a portable Arrow II antenna. Click on the images below for some YouTube video clips demonstrating this antenna. K7AGE, in particular, seems to have a wealth of experience and videos on this subject.
From May 2011 I am going to try again to work the AX25 Packet satellites such as NO-44 PCSAT and the International Space Station on 145.825 MHz FM using my Kenwood TS-2000 with UISS, AGWPE and Orbitron software.
I am also occasionally active on EchoLink from home, node number 3116, and now using my Apple iPhone 3GS I am able to use EchoLink from anywhere in the World, where I can get a 3G mobile phone signal or via Wi-Fi.
I am active from home on most HF bands (3.5-28 MHz) with a small Sandpiper MV6+3 HF vertical, used primarily for PSK31 data communications. My results have been mildly disappointing so far, due to the low angle of radiation not being ideal for European and inter-G working, which at this point in the Solar cycle is where most stations I should be able to work are located.
This isn't the fault of the Sandpiper MV6+3 antenna, which I like, as I would have similar results with any omni directional vertical at this time and I have been spoiled previously by having a rotatable HF beam with considerable gain at the last house, so no comparison would be fair.
I have from 1st September 2010, installed a modern British Army 1.6-30MHz Racal Military tactical adjustable wire dipole (Type 4011-900), at only about 2.5m above ground level, on top of the garden fence, wall and in the trees. It is green coloured, made from very flexible copper braid, Kevlar strengthened and best of all is covert and cannot be seen by neighbours in this conservation area.
I have modified it slightly as I didn't have the matching Racal 'Centre Junction Assembly'(4011-103-01) and have used instead an old amateur radio magnetic balun, terminated with an SO-239 connector, and fed with 25 metres of 50 ohm RG-58 coaxial cable.
Initial testing has shown the Racal Military tactical adjustable wire dipole to tune easily for a 1:1 SWR on all amateur bands between 3.5-28MHz, using my Kenwood TS-2000 internal ATU. Using WSPR software very impressive results have been made, with just 5 Watts low power, all over Europe and the Southern UK. This is due to the high angles of radiation for this dipole compared to low angles for the vertical.
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VHF/UHF Tropo, Aurora & Sporadic-E |
Between 1988-2008 I specialised in VHF/UHF long distance (DX) communications on 50 MHz and 144 MHz with Tropo, Aurora and Sporadic Es being my favourite propagation modes, but having so many mountains surrounding my QTH made it difficult for VHF/UHF radio communications.
Shown below is a 3D aerial image of my home location (QTH) at Penrith, Cumbria, England (Locator IO84oq), indicated by the white arrow, at 140 metres above sea level, with higher ground surrounding all sides. Despite the terrain I have been able to work stations thousands of km away and have regularly been mentioned in both 'RadCom' and 'Practical Wireless' magazines for my achievements in this field.
The map below was created using Geog UK software by G4JNT.
Click here for aerial photo of Penrith with ordnance survey interactive overlay
The topographic map below of my QTH (Centre white dot at 140m asl) was created using the fantastic Mobile Radio software by VE2DBE and downloading from the Internet the latest Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data.
The elevation contours are at 100m intervals and show the high ground rising over 100m, immediately to the North-East of my QTH at a distance of less than 2km away, obstructing line of sight signals between 30-90 degrees.
At 20km distance to the East (Coloured RED) is very high ground formed by Cross Fell (893m / 2930ft), Little Dun Fell (842m) and Great Dunn Fell (848m /2782ft), all obstructing my line of sight signals between 70-90 degrees.
Below is a diagram which shows the antenna elevations required for my aerials to pass obstructions caused by hills around me. You can see that the best direction for me is 130 degrees and the worst is between 20-80 degrees.
When I lived in Ruislip in West London, before 1990, I was able to make extensive use of Tropo Ducting to work stations on the Continent of Europe, indeed I could use 10W on 432 MHz USB to work the stations of HB9MIN/P and HB9AMH/P in JN37 square in Switzerland, using an ex Military flat phased array of 16 dipoles, designed to work at military frequencies around 850 MHz. I was also able to work Scandinavia on 144 MHz. However since moving to the mountainous area of Penrith, Cumbria in IO84 square all my attempts at working via Tropo Ducting have been defeated by having higher mountains blocking the path/duct as I live near the valley floor.
To monitor the build-up of extensive and prolonged high air pressure needed to establish a Tropo Ducting path, in the late 1980's I had a chart recording brass and wood Barograph made for me by Ron Lucking of Hampton Court, a retired watch maker whom was also a Radio Amateur. I still use this fine Barograph today and also have the latest in weather technology in the form of a wireless Ventus W928 Meteotime weather station. I have discovered that I can use the Ventus W928 weather station with Weather-Display software if the WD software is set to be used with an Irox weather station, as the Ventus W928 is not listed as being supported.
I consider my current Amateur Station to be average in
capabilities, but I have still managed to work on VHF very long distances to
For more local 144MHz FM simplex contacts the following two maps show the likely signal strength and coverage, when I am using my Yaesu FT-8800 25W transceiver and an Omni directional colinear aerial from home. This clearly shows I am very well located for working SOTA or WOTA stations on the Lake District hills. Both maps created using the fantastic Mobile Radio software by VE2DBE
Station A
Station B
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Radio Meteor Scatter detection |
For many years I used to monitor Band 1 VHF TV stations analogue carriers on 48.250 MHz CW (locator IN70 1582 km) to test my MS receiving capabilities, with a 250 KW transmitter in Spain, IN70 locator square, being particularly useful before it closed down and was replaced with UHF TV transmitters in 2010.
In 2011 there remained a few Band 1 TV transmitters in Europe that could be used to monitor Meteor Scatter activity. The TV station in Prague, JN79 locator square, on a carrier frequency of 49.740 MHz CW (locator JN79 1341 km) being very useful.
All analogue TV stations in the Czech Republic will close down on 30th June 2012. Portugal too will cease on 26th April 2012. For a list of analogue TV closures by Country please follow this link for Digital Television Transitions
It appears that time is rapidly running out for Band 1 TV video carriers audible via Meteor Scatter reflections here in Northern England and few options remain. The ideal distance for such transmitters is not less than 300 km and not further than 1500 km away from the receiving station, although a maximum working distance can extend as far as 2,300 km but with much weaker reflected signal strengths.
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Radio Meteor Scatter detection sources for Northern England |
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| Carrier Frequency CW (MHz) | Power | Location | Distance from IO84 | Remarks | Results |
| 32.550 | 12 kW | JP89 Norway | 1842 km | SkiYMET, Andenes Meteor Radar, Institute Atmospheric Physics, over ideal 1500 km distance & good power. At solar maximum frequencies between 30-35 MHz can be negatively impacted for MS working. N.B. Operating in pulsed mode, not CW carrier (Thanks Toralf DJ8MS for info)
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Tested May 2012, nil heard |
| 32.550 | 12 kW | JO64 Germany | 1017 km | Juliusruh Meteor Radar, Institute Atmospheric Physics, good distance & power. At solar maximum frequencies between 30-35 MHz can be negatively impacted for MS working. N.B. Operating in pulsed mode, not CW carrier (Thanks Toralf DJ8MS for info) . |
Tested May 2012, nil heard |
| 36.200 | 12 kW? | JO61 Germany | 1110 km | Collm Meteor Radar, near Leipzig, good distance & power. N.B. Operating in pulsed mode, not CW carrier (Thanks Toralf DJ8MS for info) . |
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| 39.025-39.175 | 100 W | UK Locations unknown | ? km | UK Meteor Burst Communications (MBC) 7 x 25 kHz channels. Full locations unknown, one company operates master station at Newbury, Berkshire. May be Mobile Meteor Burst Stations (MMBS) and only transmit once per hour. See reference document. European harmonised Meteor burst frequency allocation is 39-39.2 MHz.
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| 46.400 | 170 kW | UK Locations unknown | ? km | UK Meteor Burst Communications (MBC) . |
Tested September 2012, nil heard |
| 46.500 | 8-160 kW | IO72XK Wales | 263 km | NERC MST Weather Radar Facility. Below recommended minimum 300km distance. Pulsed signal not CW apparently. . |
Tested May & September 2012, nil heard |
| 46.950 | ? kW | UK Locations unknown | ? km | UK Meteor Burst Communications (MBC) . |
Tested September 2012, two extremely weak pings and missed Fireball over UK on 21.09.2012 completely! |
| 46.975 | ? kW | UK Locations unknown | ? km | UK Meteor Burst Communications (MBC) . |
Tested September 2012, nil heard |
| 49.739.49 | 40 kW | KN29 Ukraine | 1970 km | TV Carrier Lviv R1, until 2015, over ideal 1500 km distance
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Tested March 2012, nil heard |
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Closed down June 2012 |
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Not workable too far away | |||
| 49.749.98 | ? kW | K033 Belarus | 1934 km | TV Carrier Minsk, Belarus R1, over ideal 1500 km distance
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Signal on this frequency heard via Es on 30.04.2012. Testing in September 2012 has found some Meteor pings. |
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49.750
(49.74920 USB) |
? kW | KP50 Russia | 2090 km | TV Carrier St.Petersburg, Russia R1, over ideal 1500 km distance
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Testing in September 2012 has found some Meteor pings. |
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Closed down early in November 2011. Thanks Martin G4FUI for the update | |||
| 49.970 (49.96917 USB) |
150 W | JO20 Belgium | 702 km | BRAMS Meteor Beacon, Balise Dourbes, Belgium dedicated MS beacon, but low power, very good distance
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Very few weak pings detected so far |
| 49.990 (49.98918 USB) |
50 W | JO10 Belgium | 607 km | VVS OT1KZG Meteor Beacon, Ypres, Belgium dedicated MS beacon, but low power, very good distance
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Some frequent weak pings detected. Stronger and more frequent than Balise Dourbes |
| 53.500 | 12 kW | JO64 Germany | 1017 km | Juliusruh Meteor Radar, Institute Atmospheric Physics, good distance & power. N.B. Operating in pulsed mode, not CW carrier (Thanks Toralf DJ8MS for info)
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Tested May 2012, nil heard |
| 53.500
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4.5-90 kW | JO54 Germany | 889 km | OSWIN VHF Radar, good distance and power varies. N.B. Has not been operating in Meteor Scatter mode since 2009 (Thanks Toralf DJ8MS for info) |
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Not workable too far away |
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1.8-36 kW | JP88 Norway | 1842 km | ALWIN VHF Wind Radar, good distance and power varies. Pulsed signal, not continuous carrier wave. Can sometimes be used to measure Meteor activity when the site operator wishes, but not main priority. |
Tested May 2012, nil heard |
| 55.250.071 | 90 kW | HP85 Iceland | 1628 km | RUV TV Carrier E3 Stykkisholmur until 2013, over ideal 1500 km distance, excellent power, not known if 24H or closes down at midnight.
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Closed down 4th May 2012 | |||
| 59.256.5 | 7 kW | KN18 Ukraine | 1897 km | TV Carrier Uzghorrod until 2015, over ideal 1500 km distance, power less than most TV stations
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Closed down |
| 62.251.325 | 300 kW | HP83 Iceland | 1051 km | RUV TV Carrier E4 Skalafell until 2013, good distance, excellent power, but may close down at midnight until 0800.
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Kenwood TS-2000 cannot tune |
| 143.050 | <767 kW | JN27SI France | (1000 km)
1250 km |
GRAVES Military Space Radar system, believed excellent power, fairly good distance, but high frequency with far fewer reflections detectable compared to 50 MHz. Note distance is not to transmitter site itself but to area of Southern France 250 km further South where Ionosphere is illuminated by the Radar at 100 km altitude and reflections detected. However, in theory this is detection via Backscatter and ideally Forward scatter is much preferred for MS work.
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Possible few weak reflections detected
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N.B. If monitoring any of the above CW carrier frequencies using SpectrumLab or similar software, you will most likely need to be in USB mode and therefore around 800 Hz lower in displayed frequency than quoted i.e. 55.250.0 MHz CW carrier = 55.249.2 MHz in USB on your radio display, then look for the signal at around the 800-1000 Hz point on the software screen.
GRAVES an alternative high power transmitter exists, but is much more difficult to use, shown below.
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GRAVES French Military Space Radar System |
143.050 MHz CW - This is the carrier frequency of the French GRAVES space surveillance radar system and will provide pings from both meteors as well as satellites! Maidenhead Locator Square JN27SI near the City of Dijon and the border with Switzerland. (Red dot on map indicates transmitter location on former airfield)
There are 4 Phased Array antennas on 143.050 MHz CW situated on a disused Airfield. The four transmitted beam lobes are designed to overlap and cover a 180 degree arc of Sky, at an elevation of 25 degrees, in a Southerly direction towards the Mediterranean Sea.
GRAVES Space Radar beam geometry
Preliminary experimental results using only an indoor 144MHz 1/2 wave colinear on 143.050 MHz CW have produced what I think may be Meteor Scatter reflections or the ping could could be from a satellite! In the screen grab below there is a distinct vertical ping shown in a bright yellow colour just before 0625 UTC on 24th March 2012.
I am also experimenting in 2012 to see if some of the dedicated Institute for Atmospheric Physics (IAP) high power VHF transmitters for Meteor Scatter detection are audible here in the North of the UK. There are stations located in Andenes, Norway on 32.550 MHz running 12 kW and another station in Juliusruh in Northern Germany on 32.550 and 53.5 MHz at 12kW.
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Radio Astronomy |
Here below are my first attempts at automatically uploading my latest captured Radio detected Meteor Scatter images. Inspiration entirely drawn from Andy G7IZU and his excellent web guide on how to do this. I am using DL4YHF SpectrumLab software to capture the images and AutoFTP Pro to send them to this website automatically every 10 minutes whilst the system is active. Technically I suppose this is Radio Astronomy. If there are no meteors then this image will be mostly blank.
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G0ISW Live 2D Meteor Spectrogram |
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Meteor Pings captured in the above image (if detected) should also show up on the live Plotter image below, where they exceed -50 dB signal level as high green coloured peaks and should correspond with the 3D image below that.
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G0ISW Live Meteor Plotter image |
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Example Meteor Plotter image |
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And if there is something 'special' to see then, in theory, an Alert image should be shown below! This is still very much in test mode and is currently set to activate if a Meteor ping is stronger than -50dB..
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G0ISW Meteor captured 'Alert' >-50dB 2D Spectrogram |
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My hourly data is recorded, for the numbers of meteors detected, and sent automatically to the Radio Meteor Observatory's Online (RMOB) website. The chart below displays this data with artificial colours Red for the highest number of counts and blue for the lowest number. In general terms the early mornings should display the highest numbers of random meteors, the exception being a meteor shower peak which can occur at other times of day.
Observations of many Radio Meteor Spectrograms by myself, and others, suggest that the captured Spectrogram images appear to fall into one of 15 categories, which are described and explained below. For consistency, all example captured images are at the highest FFT resolution my system will allow and are edited into a cropped size of 156 x 156 pixels (unless that will not allow the full trail to be seen).
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Categorisation of Radio Meteor Doppler Spectrograms
"Spectrum is Green" |
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Small Dots
May be caused by a very small micro meteor, which probably did not penetrate very far into the atmosphere. The ionisation trail was very short duration (milliseconds). This is the most common trace seen here. May be 'under dense' and not too bright in false colour, or 'over dense' and bright in false colour. Frequency: Very common, in excess of 100+ seen in two weeks. Several per hour. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics:
Dot-like trace, no sign of Doppler shift, no persistent trail. |
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Horizontal
Trail
Probably a slightly larger meteor able to produce sufficient ionisation for its trail to persist for a few seconds or up to several minutes Frequency: Common, around 20+ seen in two weeks, a few per day. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics: Horizontal line trace for a few seconds or up to several minutes, little or no sign of Doppler shift. |
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Tadpole Bright head with tail. Probably due to a medium sized meteor, exhibiting a 'Meteor Head Echo' caused by a ball of plasma surrounding the meteor and leaving behind an ionised trail lasting a few seconds. Frequency: Fairly common, I have seen 10+ in two weeks. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics:
Single bright head with short horizontal line trace. No sign of Doppler shift. |
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Vertical trail Probably a rapidly decelerating meteor (the vertical pattern indicates significant Doppler shift), but it did not explode immediately. The object penetrated some way into the atmosphere before it was completely vaporised. No horizontal spread means that again the plasma trail lasted only a brief moment. Frequency: Rare, only 2 seen in two weeks. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics:
Single vertical line trace, significant signs of Doppler shift. No evidence of a persistent trail. |
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'L'-shaped
Brighter at the bottom and lasting several seconds. Probably a penetrating meteor which then exploded, the vertical part of the trace is the deceleration, the horizontal part the plasma fireball after it exploded and resulting in the extended trace. Frequency: Rare, only 4 seen in two weeks. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics:
A combination of vertical trace (beginning) followed by a single persistent horizontal trail. |
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'C' shaped Curved line lasting several seconds. A meteor of sufficient size to leave an ionised trail at more than one level of the atmosphere before vaporisation. Frequency: Fairly common, 7 seen in two weeks. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics:
'C'-shaped trace, signs of Doppler shift and two trails. |
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'E' shaped Looks like a curved letter 'E' where each horizontal plasma trail represents differing layers of high altitude winds. Similar to the previous example but more deeply penetrating. Frequency: I have seen 5 of these in two weeks, always the letter E and not more! |
Distinguishing
Characteristics:
A continuous 'E'-shaped curve |
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Complex - Curved Long complex curves. Similar to the previous examples but even more deeply penetrating into the atmosphere. Frequency: Fairly rare, I have seen 8 of these in two weeks. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics:
A continuous series of curves, greater than a single 'E'. |
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Complex -
Curved & Linear trails Lasting several seconds or longer. A mixture of curved and line shapes (this example looks like a Bow and Arrow). Possibly a large meteor which progressively vaporises, the distinct plasma layers may be due to differing winds in the atmosphere. Frequency: Fairly Rare, only 4 seen in two weeks. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics:
Complex multi-layered trace exhibiting both curved and line traces. |
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Complex -
Linear trails Lasting several seconds. Multiple separate horizontal line traces of similar length. Possibly a large meteor which progressively vaporises, the distinct plasma layers may be due to differing winds in the atmosphere. Frequency: Fairly Rare, only 5 seen in two weeks. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics:
Complex multi-layered trace exhibiting several line traces of similar length. |
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Fireball Lasting many seconds or minutes. Huge flaming type image of presumably significant very large sized meteor. Frequency: Rare, 4 seen in two weeks. (I did visually see one c.1980 it was the most amazing space sight I have ever seen, brought my car and the one in front to a halt as we drivers watched the vivid green and purple flames from a huge Meteor for what seemed like a minute. Reported seen by others in local newspaper too, but reported different colours to my own observation) |
Distinguishing
Characteristics:
A visually stunning Spectrogram image! |
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Aircraft Not Meteors at all, but reflected traces images caught from Aircraft passing between the transmitter site and Receiver site. Many minutes duration. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics:
Aircraft traces always start at a higher frequency, with significant Doppler shift moving to a lower frequency over time. Often look like a mirrored letter 'S' (Direction of trace Top left to Bottom right) the middle of the S being on the Transmitter frequency axis. |
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Diagonal
straight trail Not believed to be a meteor, but some form of unknown anomaly. Frequency: Rare, only 4 seen in two weeks.
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Distinguishing
Characteristics:
Single diagonal straight line trace starting at highest frequency and over time moving to lower frequency very steeply, exhibiting Doppler shift. Not like an aircraft 'S' shape Doppler trail. |
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Radio
noise anomaly Not Meteors at all, but Radio noise anomalies. Many minutes duration. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics: Radio noise anomalies often start at a low frequency and rise over time (Doppler shifted signals in comparison always start high and move lower) Can be horizontal straight lines too. Often caused by lighting, computers, television, thermostats etc. |
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Sporadic Es Not Meteors at all, but another form of Summer time radio propagation. Many minutes or hours duration. |
Distinguishing
Characteristics: Constant horizontal signal trace at high signal strength levels. In the Northern Hemisphere occurs mostly from late April until the end of August. Particularly strong in June. |
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Meteor Spectrogram Gallery 55.250 MHz March - May 2012 |
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Many thanks to ChrisH and his website for providing me with the inspiration to record and similarly categorise my Meteor Doppler Spectrograms and suggest their possible interpretation. I would welcome any help from other Radio Astronomers, with knowledge about how these shapes are formed, as I can find very little on the Internet to refer to, particularly pictures, and my descriptions may not be accurate. |
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Surprisingly few aircraft traces seen when I listened on 55.250 MHz to the now closed down Portugal TV carrier.
Currently using 49.74920 MHz USB as my primary Meteor Spectrogram reception frequency, however results are poorer than before when I could use the 55.250 MHz signal from the TV transmitter in Portugal, due to lower ERP and greater distance away.
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Meteor Spectrogram Gallery 49.750 MHz Since September 2012 |
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I have only been experimenting with Radio Astronomy using SpectrumLab software since around 29th March 2012, all the example Doppler Spectrogram images above have been acquired by me since then, using my primary frequency of 55.250 MHz CW and simple aerials, no beams. The FFT settings for SpectrumLab have been experimented with to try to obtain the highest resolution imagery I can get. I try to leave my system on to automatically capture the images, which I review for content later.
My settings shown as screen captures:
The most difficult task has been setting up the 'Conditional Actions' script for SpectrumLab to identify Meteor pings correctly and record the numbers, grab images every 10 minutes, record 'Special' events, measure background noise and signal levels, etc.
I owe a debt of gratitude to the British Columbia Meteor Network who provided on their website a script that worked for my setup with minimal alteration required and other direct assistance.
This is still a work in progress to perfect, but my current settings are shown below, for a single receiver, so that they may help others with this daunting task.
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G0ISW 'Conditional Actions' script for SpectrumLab |
| ; Exported "Conditional
Actions" for Spectrum Lab if( initialising ) then F=1:G=1:A=0:B=0:C=0:D=0:E=0:L=0:K=0:t1=0:t2=0:Z=0 if( G=1 ) then A=noise(300,1000):B=peak_a(880,920):q2=str("YYYYMMDDhh",now):L=str("hh",now):h1=str("mmss",now) if( B>(A+15) ) then C=C+1:D=D+1:timer0.restart(5) if( B>-50 ) then timer9.restart(90) if( C>Z ) then Z=C if( timer0.expired(1) ) then C=0:E=E+1:sp.print(E) if( timer9.expired(1) ) then capture("F:/local disk/Spectrum/MS/alert.jpg",100):capture("F:/Local Disk/Spectrum/Alerts/"+str("YYYYMMDDhhmm",now)+"_50dB.jpg") if( val(h1,"####")=5955 ) then t2=t2+1 if( t2=1 ) then fopen4("F:/Local disk/Spectrum/RMOB/RMOB-"+str("YYYYMM",now)+".dat",a):fp4(q2,",",L,",",E):fclose4:sp.print("Last hour=",E):C=0:E=0:Z=0:D=0 if( val(h1,"####")=0000 ) then t2=0 |
In the script above some of the numbers require explanation, as they may differ for your station. In line 2 after 'noise' are shown '300,1000' these refer to listening to the noise level between 300-1000 Hz and that noise level measured in dB will become value 'A'. The numbers could just as easily have been 0,2700 for a typical SSB signal width of 0-2700Hz or anything in between. 'D' is duration and 'E' the count of pings.
Also on line 2 after 'peak_a' is shown '880,920' this is asking the software to measure the peak signal between 880-920 Hz in dB which will become value 'B'. These numbers were chosen by me because when I tune to 55.249.2 MHz USB to monitor in SSB the actual TV carrier on 55.250 MHz CW the signal falls on my SpectrumLab display at 900 Hz exactly centre of the frequency range 880-920 Hz I chose. I only want to measure the signal strength of the detected TV carrier, heard via Meteor Scatter, so limited this range deliberately to avoid picking up anything else.
In line 3 if the measured meteor sound level B, is noise level A 15dB then that is a 'ping' for counting purposes. This '15' dB level above the measured background noise level was initially set at 20 dB, but I found some weaker signals were not counted; when set at 10 dB too much noise from night-time lighting was being counted, so for my setup 15 dB works. Also shown is the timer) duration set at 5 seconds so that ionization trails which ma have short breaks after the meteor are not counted as new meteors.
In Line 4 if the meteor ping (B) signal level is greater than -50dB then timer9 starts and 90 seconds later a screenshot is taken for an 'alert' image. I set 90 seconds to let the SpectrumLab screen scroll away from the edge so as to hopefully capture a better picture.
In lines 7 & 9 'F:/Local disk/Spectrum/...../' is most likely to be different for you as this is the computer path here for my external HDD and you should replace the path to reflect your own computer files, possibly something like C:/Spectrum/......
Now my equipment for detecting Radio Astronomy Meteor Scatter reflections is undergoing a review as at 2nd April 2012. Initially in March 2012 I used my Kenwood TS-2000 transceiver with a Sandpiper MV3+6 Vertical antenna, however the Meteor Scatter reflections at 100 km altitude are most likely to be at high angles of elevation back to Earth, so I switched to my horizontal Racal Military tactical dipole aerial to assess if this improved the signal strengths.
Also my Kenwood TS-2000 is limited to a maximum frequency of 60 MHz and with Band 1 TV closing down in Europe totally in the very near future I will need to explore what Band 2 VHF FM radio stations in the frequency range starting from 87.5 MHz can offer. I also have interest in frequencies between 60-87 MHz and want to leave my Meteor Scatter receiving system running 24H. I need my Kenwood TS-2000 for other amateur radio activity.
I've tried using my SDR FlexRadio 3000 but it doesn't appear sensitive enough on 55.250 MHz compared to my Kenwood TS-2000, results so far haven't been encouraging.
I have decided to experiment using a FUNcube Dongle Pro, which in theory can be used from 51.5 MHz - 1700 MHz (Rated from 64 MHz - 1700 MHz) all mode including SSB to turn my laptop PC into a dedicated radio receiver. I will use with SDR-Radio.com software for frequency control and SpectrumLab to analyse Meteor Scatter results. This will also permit me to experiment with the GRAVES Space Radar on 143.050 MHz too.
First impression of the FUNcube Dongler Pro was that it requires both extensive Radio and computer knowledge to setup properly. Took a little while to find the information online how to update the latest firmware (required for all features and software compatibility) and set it up for proper use. Tried SDR-Radio.com software as my preferred front end, as it is so very comprehensive, however I ran into a common problem of listening to a local Band II FM Broadcast Radio station on 92.5 MHz FM and the audio being very distorted.
Several hours later, by trial and error, I have tried the alternative HDSDR software front end and have little to no audio distortion when using 96000 Hz in and 96000 Hz out audio settings via the soundcard. Will try again with SDR-Radio.com software on frequencies other than Broadcast FM which shouldn't cause overloading or exceed the audio bandwidth specification of the dongle.
I have in the Summer of 2012 abandoned using the FunCube Dongle and returned to my traditional analogue radio the Kenwood TS-2000.
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Amateur Radio Meteor Scatter |
My favourite VHF propagation mode for Amateur Radio use is without doubt Meteor Scatter. From my IO84 Maidenhead locator square on 50 MHz and 144 MHz via Meteor Scatter, I used the fantastic WSJT software and the high speed FSK441 digital data mode. The maximum practical range for Meteor Scatter QSOs is considered to be around 2300km, with my best distance being 1796km to Estonia.
I have severe obstructions to my signals when beaming between 20-80 degrees due to nearby mountains. Despite this almost impossible direction for working anything at VHF/UHF I have managed to work stations via Meteor Scatter as far afield as Estonia on 144MHz! To get over both hills my horizontal radiation lobe pattern needs to be at least 23 degrees above the horizontal.
Interestingly experiments in 2007 with SM7CMV on 50MHz where my radio signals were heard by him via Meteor Scatter many times, but I couldn't hear his signals despite my station being much weaker in comparison, has resulted in me suggesting that perhaps Knife Edge Diffraction followed by Meteor Scatter allowed this apparent one-way flow? I know Knife Edge Diffraction occurs in that direction as I can work G stations in IO94 square despite a clear mountain obstruction of the Pennines.
Shown below is a still image of my FSK441 QSO (using WSJT software) with ES6RQ on 21.12.2003 on 144.360 MHz a distance of 1796km (1116 miles) and my best DX via Meteor Scatter so far. The burst captured below shows the signal I received from my friend 'Ants' in Estonia.
I was only using 50 watts with my then Yaesu FT-847 transceiver and a 9 element Tonna Yagi at 150m asl to reply and you can see my Meteor Scatter signal report received in Estonia of 27.
The date and time shown on the captured screen above are not correct, as after the event I reran the recorded audio data so that I could grab this image to present on this page.
Below is a map of Stations I have worked on 144MHz Meteor Scatter. The maximum practical range for Meteor Scatter QSOs is considered to be around 2200 km, with my best distance so far being 1796 km.
I have managed to work stations via Meteor Scatter in Iceland, France, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Slovenia, Norway, England, Holland, Denmark & Spain.
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VHF/UHF Satellites & EME |
In early 2006 I became interested in working the International Space Station, Low Earth Orbiting Amateur Radio Satellites (using AX25 APRS Packet mode or voice) and trying Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) (using the JT65B digital mode).
This came about because band conditions were so poor on HF and realistically I have worked as much as I can via the normal VHF/UHF propagation modes. I am however finding it a very steep learning curve.
I now use Orbitron satellite tracking software to alert me in the shack, when the Satellites are coming into range. I use UISS software to CAT control my Kenwood TS-2000 radio and send the AX-25 packet messages.
I use AGW packet engine software to give me the ability to transmit and receive packet without a TNC using my RigExpert standard interface. The UISS software works in tandem with AGW and is a very useful tool for working the ISS or digipeating through it. Within a day of downloading the software (on Saturday 17th March 2006 at 1145UTC), and on my first attempt, I managed to have my 145.990 MHz FM packet signal digipeated by the ISS (RS0ISS-3) as it flew overhead at 345km altitude, this was achieved using my normal VHF horizontal beam and using 25 watts.
See the image below, showing my QTH and those of other successful Hams, displayed in real-time, as heard by the ISS. The ISS position is shown and where it will be in 5 minutes later (ISS-5).
In May 2011 I am only using an indoor 1/4 wave 144MHz magnetic mount aerial, little bigger than a handheld radio aerial, as I have no external antennas for 2 metres. I was pleasantly surprised today 23rd May 2011 to see that my 25W 145.825 MHz FM AX-25 packet radio messages had been received onboard the ISS and retransmitted (RS0ISS-4*) as shown below in the text box, with the accompanying map image of active stations.
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20110523075625 :
ON4HF-9]U0TQW4,RS0ISS-4*,qAR,MM1PTT:`{]Z {yv/]"6I}www.on4hf.be= |
Please do not attempt to connect to the old International Space Station Packet BBS system, callsign RS0ISS-11, as you will block the whole pass for all other European stations who can digipeat only if the BBS is not being used. The BBS was established many years ago before the advent of e-mail, the crew do not read it, and in order to obtain a QSL card from the ISS you only have to now digipeat through it using the callsign RS0ISS-4. The crew use e-mail, Facebook and Twitter, not the BBS.
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Summary of Locator squares worked via Satellites International Space Station, PCSAT (NO-44), ANDE-1 (DXCC in brackets) |
My best Satellite DX on 145.825 MHz FM Packet, via the Low Earth Orbiting satellites above, is SV3EXT in KM18UA locator square, a distance of 2720 km and is closely followed by UR3QLZ in locator square KN77MT, a distance of 2703 km and US5WDC in locator square KN29BJ, a distance of 1918 km. Indeed on 27th March 2012 I worked via the ISS on 145.825 MHz FM packet UR3QLZ, I was only using an indoor 1/2 wave 2m colinear and 25 watts, no beam aerial here any more.
Please note that since September 2007, the International Space Station uses a frequency of 145.825 MHz simplex for APRS Packet digipeating, using the callsign RS0ISS-4.
Historically, I realised that for consistent and reliable space communications I should have upgraded my antenna system, but I did not have the space for a high performance multiple stacked 4x4 array, so it would have to be based upon a much simpler system. I noticed on the GB4FUN amateur radio demonstration vehicle that they have full satellite capability.
Looking at the setup detail for their mobile system Setting up the satellite tracking software & satellite system I became familiar with the WIMO X-Quad antennas for 144 MHz and 432 MHz, which I had not heard of before.
These aerials have a short boom length less than 1.5m and can be mounted on the front of the mast, which is particularly good for me as they would not catch on my HF beam mounted lower on my mast. The quoted gain for the 2m X-Quad is 10.5dBd and for the 70cm X-Quad is 12.8dBd, which compare very favourably with both a Tonna 9 element 144 MHz yagi at 13.1dBi and a Tonna 19 element 432 MHz yagi at 16.2dBi, but being only horizontally polarised, about 3m long and not able to be mounted on the front of the mast boom. Converting dBD to dBi suggests that the gain is almost the same.
Interestingly these antennas can be configured for horizontal, vertical, Left or Right hand circular polarisation (RHCP) the latter being the preferred setup for satellite use and also EME. Using a WIMO phasing harness for each antenna, further simplifies setup.
As of January 2010 I intend to use a modest portable Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) Satellite system based upon the Arrow II Satellite Antenna and my Kenwood TH-F7 5W 144/432 MHz handheld.
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There are very few radio amateurs here in Penrith, or the surrounding area. The local Amateur Radio club is the Eden Valley Amateur Radio Society (EVRS) which meets in Penrith, on the last Thursday of each month at 19:30 hrs local time, in the Royal British Legion club. Visitors are very welcome.
Amateur radio activity is mostly to be found on the local 2m repeater GB3EV on 145.700 MHz FM (CTCSS 77Hz)for fixed and mobile stations due to the sparsity of activity and the mountains which block simplex contacts between the valleys.
The most active radio amateurs you are likely to encounter on GB3EV are (in alphabetical callsign order)
G0ISW - Philip
M0JKQ - Chris
M5TNT - Simon
M5TXJ - Dave
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Amateur Radio awards 'collector information' for G0ISW |
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Worked All Britain (WAB) Award Square - NY53, Book # 7283, County - Cumbria |
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The European Phase Shift Keying Club Member # 1159, Area EN13 |
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Royal Signals Amateur Radio Society Member # 2384 |
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Feld Hell club Member # 535 |
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Islands on the Air Award EU-005 |
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CQ Magazine Worked All Zones Award Zone # 14 |
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International Space Station Fan Club Member # 3165 |
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G0ISW Amateur Radio Station 'Awards & certificates' |
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VHF |
RSGB Six Metres and Down - 144MHz
Standard Transmitting Award
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VHF |
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VHF |
RSGB 50MHz Countries award (10 Countries 2-way) |
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VHF |
RSGB 50MHz DX Certificate (25 Countries) |
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VHF |
WAB Winter Award 1986-1987 (250 stations - All 144MHz SSB) |
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VHF |
SOTA Chaser 500 points Award (All 144MHz FM) |
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VHF |
SOTA Chaser 1000 points Award (All 144MHz FM) |
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VHF |
ANDE Satellite Deorbit Award |
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HF |
European Phase Shift Keying Club EUSPA 100 Award (100 European Stations PSK Award) |
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HF |
European Phase Shift Keying Club EUSPA 200 Award (200 European Stations PSK Award) |
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HF |
European Phase Shift Keying Club PHPA 100 Award (100 prefixes World Wide using PSK modes) |
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HF |
European Phase Shift Keying Club PHPA 200 Award (200 prefixes World Wide using PSK modes) |
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HF |
European Phase Shift Keying Club MGSPA 100 Award (100 Maidenhead Grid Squares using PSK) |
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HF/VHF |
RSGB 75 years Award (Worked required number of stations in RSGB 75th Anniversary year) |
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HF/VHF |
eDX 25 Countries (Worked over 25 different Countries verified by eQSL.cc) |
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HF/VHF |
DXCC (100 Countries worked World Wide) |
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HF/VHF |
WAB Century Award (Worked 100 different WAB Book holders) |
In 2006 I finally achieved the SOTA Chaser ultimate award, the 'Shack Sloth', for collecting 1000 points entirely from the comfort of my shack on 144 MHz FM. This took me 4 years of continuous effort, working mobile/portable stations primarily on Lake District summits.
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Radios I have owned and operated over the years * denotes still in use |
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YAESU |
KENWOOD |
ICOM |
OTHER |
| FT-2700RH | TS-690SAT | IC-R70 | Racal Syncal 30 TRA931 |
If you already use your computer soundcard for data modes such as PSK31, then you can use WSPR (Distant Whispers) software by K1JT, with your existing hardware. The software transforms your station into an automated beacon and weak signal reception hub.
You will be amazed how far your low power signals can be heard and can see maps in real time. Great for antenna experimentation and comparison too. There is even a searchable WSPR spots database.
Below is an computer screen grab using WSPR software and taken from the WSPRnet pages showing my 5 Watts QRP signals on 10MHz on Friday 3rd September 2010. Comparing this with my HF vertical aerial I can see immediately better results for working the nearby Continent, which is what I would expect.
Using the WSPRnet website and its 'spot database query' research tool, I can enter search parameters for callsign, band, number of spots, and select the order they are displayed in such as timestamp, distance, SNR, km per Watt etc.
In the example below, dated from late 2010, I have selected 5 spots for my signals on the 10MHz band and placed them in longest distance order. I can see that my best distance so far is to W3HH at 6751km and I can also see that all 5 spots were using my Sandpiper MV6+3 HF vertical, as I only put up my Racal Military tactical adjustable wire dipole on 1st September 2010.
Spot DatabaseUsing spot archive (no automatic refresh). 5 spots:
Query time: 0.004 sec |
However, on 14MHz it is a different story, as I can see from the results shown below that my two best distances were both on dates after 1st September 2010, when I was using my Racal Military tactical adjustable wire dipole. Obviously you have to take into account the variations in propagation, but this software does allow you to compare antenna system performance if tests are carried close in time to each other.
In April 2011, I have returned to using my Sandpiper MV6+3 HF vertical as my primary aerial, as it will tune up on 50 MHz for the Sporadic-E season in April-July, whereas my dipole won't.
Below is a map showing my QRP 5W 10MHz WSPR signals reaching the USA using a Sandpiper MV6+3 HF vertical on the morning of 6th April 2011.
Below is a map showing my 5W 10MHz WSPR signals reaching VK1UN in Australia using my 2m tall Sandpiper MV6+3 HF vertical on 8th April 2011.
The Solar Flux for this day is shown as 112.
The WSPRnet database shows my 10.140195 MHz signal to VK1UN in Australia had a SNR of -28 dB and the distance was my best yet at 16947 km.
The WSPRnet database shows my best ever DX signals have all occurred so far on the 10MHz band and I can tell by the dates that all were achieved using my Sandpiper MV6+3 HF vertical, rather than my dipole. I would expect this due to the low angle of radiation from the vertical aerial which is better suited for long distance (DX) working.
Here below is my 10 MHz signal being received on 16th April 2011 by the man himself K1JT, Joe Taylor, the author of WSPR and WSJT software
On HF from home, my preferred mode of operation remains PSK31 data using MixW software.
In October 2011 I have started to look at other HF data modes and tried today JT65-HF on 28 MHz just to see what band conditions were like. Wow!
Shown below is a screenshot using PSK Reporter of stations heard by me on 28.076 MHz (10m), using JT65 HF mode, on Tuesday 18th October 2011.Amazing conditions considering we are only a little way out of sunspot minimum and already DX is visible on 4 Continents all at the same time.
Here below is the accompanying JT-65 HF software screen grab showing ZS1LS in South Africa, PU3WSF in Brazil and several US stations.
However in the Summer months I don't enjoy sitting in my shack and missing all the good sunny weather outside and have just discovered in May 2011 that it is possible to remotely control my Kenwood TS-2000 radio using an Apple iPad to touch control my computer.
The Apple iPad using an application called Air-Display allows me to have complete touch screen control of my station from the comfort of my garden, or anywhere else in my house using my own Wi-Fi network, I can remotely view and operate anything on my computer screen. Here is the link to the full article explaining how to do this. http://www.hamradioscience.com/?page_id=141/sdr-radio-general/using-the-ipad-to-control-your-rig/#p49 Below is a YouTube video showing the concept in action.
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Send formatted VHF DX Cluster spot |
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If you cannot see the full index shown on the left edge of your screen, please go to my main page at © Copyright G0ISW. Page last modified 9th April 2013. All Rights Reserved. |
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