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During the afternoon G4FFC (45km) and M0BOB (74km) were both copied on 10m WSPR. These are both outside local range and I would class these as GDX (just). Both show some Doppler so may be helped by aircraft reflection.

On F2 FR1GZ (9724km, Reunion Is) was being copied until 1512z, so good F2 propagation. I wonder if we’ll see South Americans later?

Es disappeared (here) at 1404z but may return this teatime.

UPDATE 1740z:  EB3EPR (1248km) spotted me at 1736z and 1746z so Es is back (it is teatime!).

FR1GZ (9734km, on Reunion Is, south Indian Ocean) is still coming through here on 10m WSPR at -27dB S/N at 1444z  and again at 1504z at -25dB S/N.  F2 propagation N-S is still there when HF conditions are good.

Sunspot count today is “only” 80 – a year from now this will sound amazingly high – although 20-30MHz conditions are forecast to be “good”.

F2 on 6m is very rare except at high sunspot peaks and in latitudes nearer the equator. TEP involving F2 over the equator is more common, but it requires stations to be in the right places to work.  On 6m the paths from CN8 to FR1 were open by TEP this spring. Also 4X to FR1  and VK to JA.

On 10m TEP should be more frequent. Sometimes F2 links with Es further from the equator, allowing TEP to be extended to stations in higher latitudes.

I still think something is just not quite right with my setup.  If you remember from a few posts back I installed a 66′ ladder fed dipole in the attic.  I thought this would increase my reception ability, but now I am not to sure.

Maybe I am just spoiled by the low noise floor when operating portable in the park, but across multiple weekends and multiple evenings I am beginning to think I just don’t hear as well with the attic antenna.

Sure the noise floor is higher, about S5 – which can be helped with the NR and the ATT, but I just don’t hear signals like I think I should.

For example, typical weeknight on 40 meter CW about 11:00 pm local time.  I hear maybe 2 or 3 QSO’s.  During the weekend days, I have scanned 30 meters thru 10 meters – CW and SSB portions of the band, and hear nothing – may one or two QSO’s but that is it.

I read about others working DX and plenty of local stations with an attic mounted dipole.

I have worked people on PSK31 on 20 meters in the evenings – even some DX to South America – but overall the signals in general seem very weak.

It just seems like it is more than the higher noise floor that is impacting my operating.

The thing that has me most confused is that when I don’t hear anyone, and then decided to call CQ, I almost always make a contact.

I have not gotten on during a contest, even a QRP sprint, which might be a better way to gauge what I am hearing – I suppose I need to do this.

Am I just expecting more activity than there actually is?

Living in Florida we all talk about being prepared, we have special nets for hurricanes, we have gear that is ready for the storms. There is only so much you could be ready for, but we do our best. Florida Ham take the responsibility serious and it’s great to see it recognized by the local news:

http://nicktoday.com/radio-operators-vital-emergency-response/

LB9YE on www;qrz.com

For about an hour my WSPR software was not working on 10m. It happened sometime between 1130z and 1230z. All is now fixed: the internet clock was resync’ed and the WSPR software closed and restarted.  I have no idea what I missed in that hour.   Pretty sure this is a Windows 8.1 issue as it never happened with the old XP PC before it died. It is not a big deal – one has just to keep an eye on things, which one should always be doing. Biggest issue is if this happens overnight. It has not yet.

UPDATE 1254z:  On 10m  LB9YE (1533km) is still being spotted (many times), as he was before the software crashed. Now also SI9AM (1503km at 1252z) – looks like a good Es opening to Scandinavia. LB9YE seems to be a very consistent signal today and last evening on 10m.\

UPDATE 1340z:  SI9AM still being spotted. 10m open to Scandinavia still.

G4DAY (142km) was again spotted at 1104z. It seems this sort of range is possible on 10m GDX. Doppler was a very large (4Hz) suggesting aircraft reflection or even back scatter?

G4DAY is using 10W and that may help. He was -24dB S/N with me, suggesting my signal (2W) would be buried in the noise at his end. WSPR usually decodes down to about -30dB S/N.

On 10m G4DAY (142km) was copied twice in the early morning and again at 0940z.

Es has been plentiful this morning.   Looking at the WSPR screen earlier there was lots of MS about with several traces of intermittent (non decoding) signals on 10m WSPR, presumably UK or EU signals reflecting off meteor trails. Es so far includes DL6UG, DL6NL, EB3EPR, EA5CYA,  LB9YE and HB9JOI.

Also spotted FR1GZ (9724km) by F2 propagation at 1038z, 1122z and again at 1128z.

10m is a far more productive band than 6m. Interestingly, G4DAY (10W) was being spotted by Es several times in the night suggesting Es propagation was there but not good enough to allow my 2W to be decoded. For some Es and GDX it seems 10W helps.