Back on the air at last

Some six months after my loading box caught fire and damaged my house and conservatory, the insurers have finished most of the repairs. I have re-erected the mast at the house end and reinstalled my inverted-L Marconi, so am back on the air again.

The main difference is that the inverted-L is now fed at the far end of the garden, rather than at the house end. This has the advantage that the vertical section and most of the antenna is further from the interference generators (plasma TVs, switch-mode PSUs, low energy lghts etc) in the houses next door to mine. It has two disadvantages: firstly it has to be fed by coax and ATU adjustments need a trip up the garden; secondly the vertical section is much closer to a tree which will absorb some of the signal (though that effect will be much less in the winter).

My new ATU hut. Far left is the antenna wire. Inside the hut is (left to right) the loading coil wound on a pedal bin; the grey metal box is an ex-Decca station variometer; above it is a Russian WW2 antenna current meter; on the right is the toroidal transformer, with a spare coil/variometer at the back. On the far right you can see the plastic pipe through which the coax cable is run (I have not finished filling in the trench). 

March 136kHz Activity

Sat/Sun 30/31 March: Received Opera32 beacons from:
SV8CS between 1907 and 0323UTC at a distance of 2260km and
UA4WPF at 0106UTC, 3420km.

Wed/Thu 27/28 March: Received an Opera32 beacon from:
SV8CS at 2141UTC, 2260km.

Wed/Thu 20/21 March: Received Opera32 beacons from:
RN3AGC at 2113, 2151 and 2230UTC, 2483km and
UA4WPF at 235, 3420km.

Tue/Wed 19/20 March: Received Opera32 beacons from:
PA0OCD, DF2JP, G8HUH and RN3AGC (2104UTC, 2483km).

Mon/Tue 18/19 March: Received Opera32 beacons from:
RN3AGC at 2116 and 2157UTC, 2483km and
UA4WPF at 2242 and 0108, 3420km.

Sun/Mon 17/18 March: Received an Opera32 beacon from:
SV8CS between 2016 and 0500UTC, 2260km.

Sat/Sun 16/17 March: Received Opera32 beacons from:
SV8CS between 2049 and 0345UTC, 2260km and
RN3AGC at 0030UTC, 2483km.

Thu/Fri 14/15 March: Received an Opera32 beacon from:
SV8CS between 1823 and 0309UTC, 2260km.

Wed/Thu 13/14 March: Received Opera32 beacons from:
SV8CS at 2136UTC, 2260km and
RN3AGC at 2227 and 2304UTC, 2483km

Sun/Mon 10/11 March: Received QRSS60 overnight from WD2XGJ, WD2XES and VO1NA.

Sat 09 March: Received WSPR15 from DK7FC.

Thu/Fri 7/8 March: Received Opera32 beacons from:
RN3AGC and RN7T

Wed/Thu 6/7 March: Received Opera32 beacons from:
SV8CS and UA4WPF.

Tue/Wed 5/6 March:  Received Opera32 beacons from:
SV8CS and UA4WPF.

Sat/Sun 2/3 March: Received Opera32 beacons from:
SV8CS and RN3AGC.

Fri/Sat 1/2 March: Received Opera32 beacons from:
SV8CS and RN3AGC.

Thu/Fri 28 February - 1 March: Received Opera32 beacons from:
SV8CS (0135-0454UTC) and UA4WPF (0018UTC).

Many 2000+km paths on 136kHz

During the night of Thu/Fri 21-22 February LF conditions were good throughout the northern hemisphere. The following refers to the reception of Opera32 beacons on the 136kHz band.

DX stations received by me:
UA4WPF (3420km) between 2106 and 0341UTC
RN3AGC (2483km) at 2142
UW8SM (1782km) between 2316 and 0451UTC
SV8CS (2260km) between 0146 and 0506UTC

Paths recorded over 2000m (best DX in brackets): 

UA4WPF was received by G3XDV, UA0SNV-1, UA0AET-1, DL-SWL/RX2, YO/4X4RF, PA3FNY, GW0EZY and G0TKN (3574km).

DF2JP was received by TF3HZ (2194km).

RN3AGC was received by G3XDV (2483km) and PA3FNY.

RA3TTS was received by UA0AET-1 (2850km)

WD2XNS was received by VE4XC (2058km)

SV8CS was received by G3XDV, GW0EZY (2488km), RX3DHR and PA3FNY.

VE7BDQ was received by KL1X (2147km)

UW8SM was received by GW0EZY (2009km)

US to UK Again on 136kHz Op32

Conditions on the 136kHz band have been very good for the past few days, culminating in some transatlantic DX. My Opera32 receiving produced the following overnight results.

Wed/Thu 20-21 February: RN3AGC between 1714 and 2303UTC peaking -30dB signal/noise; UW8SM 1749 to 0400UTC peak -32dB; UA4WPF 1919 to 2218UTC peak -35dB; RA3YO at 2000UTC -40dB, SV8CS 2154 to 0433UTC -32dB and WD2XNS at 0307UTC, -33dB and 0340UTC -36dB. This latter was at a distance of 5414km which is an Opera32 mode record for me.

Tue/Wed 19-20 February: UA4WPF (3420km) between 2009 and 0206UTC, RN3AGC, RN3AUS and SV8CS.

Mon/Tue 18-19 February: SV8CS between 1813 and 0412UTC, RN3AGC 2034 to 2239UTC and UA4WPF 2121 to 0103UTC.

Mid-Feb 136kHz Receiving

After another short break in activity caused by family illness, I am able to monitor 136kHz again.

Sun/Mon 17-18 February: Decoded Opera32 beacons overnight from UA4WPF (3422km), RN3AGC and a new station SV8CS (2261km) who was received at 2244, 0024, 0204, 0344 and 0523UTC, peaking -33dB S/N.

Sat/Sun 16-17 February: Decoded Opera32 beacons overnight from UA4WPF (7 decodes between 1933 and 0204UTC) peaking -35dB S/N and RN3AGC at 2119UTC.

Fri/Sat 15-16 February: Decoded Opera32 beacons overnight from RN3AGC and RN3AUS.