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Radio without the low-band receive loop in the Maunder minimum...

The low-band receive  loop antenna is flatted due to storm and tree felling work around.
Radio life without this extra receiving antenna is a lot less interesting.  No more receiving of the 600m USA WSPR stations.
And on top-band  it is missed much.
It is only a light 10m  Alu+fiber pole but in the high wind i can not erect it by myself.
I  got used to the receive loop a simple switch to select N-E or N-W  the f/b is 10dB or more according to the WSPR snr figures,  another very useful aspect of WSPR  to  measure your antenna f/b    Working VP8ORK on 40m was easier using the loop in SW direction.  Strange but VP8ORK was a better copy on the loop then on the trap dipole for 7MHz.
On the TX vertical I could not get a clear reception of T88ZM on 160  only at max QSB it was a good Q5 but fast QSB  makes TX timing troublesome  You don't know if you are doubling with him.
Heard  CE1/K7CA 160m  very good on the vertical  but ....  he just can not receive well. Many where calling only a few came trough.  Went QRT  saying too much QRN  so  CE remains a new DXCC at Top-band  heard him often but a very high ERP is needed to make it in the log...

VP8ORK was strong enough on 80m to get him relative easy yesterday night.  Made some recordings , forgot to record my own confirm report...  But i can not find a way to post audio files in this Blog. Have to use a web server location to link it..
Forgot the routine to use my Webpage.. huh  do I still have one..  Pictures and video is easy with Picasa and youtube  but a simple MP3 have to find out.

Now yesterday afternoon  10 15 80   my WSPR day-mode
suddenly hi-SWR on 15  the multi-band trap dipole of the VS-2440  4ele beam had its yearly illness.   ( i use only the dipole of this beam)
Only 28MHz is working meaning the cable and the first 28MHz trap is good. It worked fine after the last revision where i fixed the corroded contact at the top-load rods that resulted in too high tuning of 21MHz.
All was working perfect. I was never home while VP8ORK was spotted into EU on 15/10..  But the WSPR result where real good.
Even just before something broke i had this result.

2011-02-05 17:48 CX2ABP 21.096128 -26 0 GF15wc 10 PA0O JO33hg 11512 33
2011-02-05 14:34 PA0O 21.096074 -11 0 JO33hg 5 W5DNT EM01wo 8131 301

Now it is waiting for a break in the weather to fix this.
Next weekend everything must work in the PACC-contest.
Typical that the antenna breaks down just before the contest starts and with a weather forecast of only wind and rain.. 
According to Murphy a device knows when to break down  so today the last chance to work VP8ORK on 20 15 on 10  not for me.
This year i don't have to be in Egypt like last February that i had to miss the PACC.    Sometime i wished a was born in Spain or Greece  where you don't have to work for taxes until you are almost 70.. And better propagation too..

The Black Sea International Club Contest  151Q on 160/80   called by some W's  and VE ! using  K3 straight the lack of the loop receiving was obvious. Some W/ VE  have excellent receiving  to EU. 

Long time no see a decode from down under at top-band

2011-02-05 20:50 PA0O 1.838066 -20 0 JO33hg 5 VK6ZT OF78sq 13966 96
2011-02-05 20:00 PA0O 1.838067 -22 0 JO33hg 5 VK6ZT OF78sq 13966 96
2011-02-06 02:18 N9XG 1.838074 -23 0 EN60vl 5 PA0O JO33hg 6688 44
2011-02-06 04:12 N9XG 1.838074 -26 0 EN60vl 5 PA0O JO33hg 6688 44
2011-02-06 02:02 N9XG 1.838074 -19 -1 EN60vl 5 PA0O JO33hg 6688 44
2011-02-06 06:52 PA0O 1.838065 -20 0 JO33hg 5 K1HTV FM18ap 6338 292
2011-02-06 05:56 PA0O 1.838065 -22 0 JO33hg 5 K1HTV FM18ap 6338 292
2011-02-06 06:00 K1JT 1.838160 -26 0 FN20qi 5 PA0O JO33hg 6001 47
2011-02-06 06:52 PA0O 1.838068 -25 0 JO33hg 5 W5VU FN22wb 5841 293
2011-02-06 05:56 PA0O 1.838067 -25 0 JO33hg 5 W5VU FN22wb 5841 293
2011-02-06 05:44 PA0O 1.838068 -24 0 JO33hg 5 W5VU FN22wb 5841 293 d
2011-02-06 03:56 PA0O 1.838067 -23 0 JO33hg 5 W5VU FN22wb 5841 293
2011-02-06 05:56 PA0O 1.838066 -24 0 JO33hg 5 K1NJ FN42ij 5642 291
2011-02-06 05:44 PA0O 1.838066 -21 0 JO33hg 5 K1NJ FN42ij 5642 291

 Another interesting effect of WSPR is the detection of AURORA
The presence of AURORAL reflections can be detected easy and  sensitive. Signal traces spread out as the Doppler effect is modulating the frequency.  This effect was even present on PE4BAS a local 80m  signal. few posts back for the screendump.
The frequency of WSPR signals are displayed and reported at Hz resolution level.


Comments

PE4BAS, Bas said…
Hallo Jaap, het was op 80m dat WSPR signaal...maar dat terzijde. Voor MP3 in je blog gebruik ik DivShare. Een voorbeeld van hoe ik dat in mijn blog heb staan vind je in deze posting. Ik heb dit afgekeken van Mike VE3WDM. 73, Bas

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