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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.

Judy and I made a quick Father’s Day bicycle excursion to Old Hill Village. It was a glorious day. Blue sky, windy, as clear as a day could be. I worked Italy, Slovak Rep., W1AW/0 in MN, Scotland, and Belarus… all on 17 meters.

We parked on the south end and rode our bikes north through the woods. A thrush sang a remarkable song as we passed a beautiful cove on the river. We stopped in a field about a mile in, and I tossed a wire into an old butternut tree. It’s a place I’ve stopped many times before.

I set up the KX3 at 5W to a 33 foot wire over the branch. I heard Fabio IZ8JFL in Italy right away. We exchanged quick 599s and I tuned around.

I sat in the grass right at the edge of the old road. There was enough wind to keep the mosquitoes away!

Here’s my log:

15 Jun-14 1940 18.080 IZ8JFL CW 599 599 Italy
15 Jun-14 1950 18.068 OM5XX CW 579 599 Slovak Rep
15 Jun-14 1953 14.030 W1AW/0 CW 599 599 MN
15 Jun-14 1956 18.080 GA3WUX CW 569 599 Glasgow
15 Jun-14 2003 18.086 EW1HI CW 599 599 Belarus

The view from my operating position was great. I gazed across a field on this side of the river toward Knox Mountain in Sanbornton where I often operate.

We stayed about a half an hour soaking in the sunshine and then headed home. Judy made a strawberry shortcake for Father’s Day!

In the last few minutes I have moved back to 10m WSPR from 6m. On 6m I was still getting GDX spots but no Es. On 10m there is still Es about and already I have been spotted by SA6BSS (1059km) and am spotting LB9YE (1533km), decent DX across Europe.

I have reset the clock on internet time and will leave 10m running through the night. We’ll see how early the first 10m Es and F2 start appearing, as long as the PC does not crash!

Sunspot count was 159 today (pretty good) with 20-30MHz propagation “normal”. Let us hope tomorrow will be similar and we get some F2 propagation on 10m.