CQ Worldwide DX Contest. starts tonight
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Thanks Bill!
For more information on this weekend's contest, which is the CQ "WPX" (worked all prefixes) contest, go to?. They also have a page. This contest has been going on since 1973! I've found that there are a couple of really useful tools for gauging real-time propagation; and . I also occasionally use the (RBN), primarily for CW spots.? PSKReporter allows you to view close to real-time (sometimes less than real-time, depending on their system load) received signals from all over the world. It's primarily useful for digital modes like FT8 but it's also got CW and SSB, although I haven't used it for SSB much. What I like to do is put out some FT8 CQs on the band I'm thinking about working and let it run for about 15 minutes, usually picking up some QSOs along the way. Then I check the PSKReporter map to see where my signal was received, which then tells me exactly where my signal is propagating--and where it is not. Then I'll switch over to SSB or CW, etc from there. You can limit the map to only signals transmitted from your callsign.? DXHeat is also really useful, as it allows hams to enter spots on all modes/bands and then it generates a heat map of where the most QSOs are happening. You can specify mode, band, to/from countries, etc. I've found that it's a great way to get a quick indication of current propagation levels. Here's an example of the current propagation, via the PSKReporter site. The graph shows all activity across all modes and all bands over the past 15 minutes. The bubbles show the received SNR, along with the age since the spot (generally in minutes). The bubble color indicates the band. Here are the settings I used to generate this map: I hope this helps and good luck to everyone this weekend! 73, Mark -- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@... Check out my ham radio blog: |
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Contest/prop update: conditions are great; I spent about an hour on the air and got 14 contacts, from as far away as Brazil and Cape Verde (off the coast of Western Africa) and Morocco. 10 meters is the best for DX, at least for now. If you haven't jumped on, give it a try. It's a lot of fun and very addicting!
-- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@... Check out my ham radio blog: |
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Another CQ WPX contest update. Conditions last night were great; I ended the night at 0130 with 52 QSOs on literally every band (10, 15, 20, 40, 80, and even 160!), and a lot of DX: Morocco, Brazil, Curacao, Bonaire, Cape Verde (off the western coast of Africa), Columbia, Mexico, Belize, and even a 59 from Japan! It was a ton of fun. I even got my technician buddy who lives in Melbourne FL to try it out, and this morning he had a contest QSO with Slovenia on 10 meters. He's really excited to upgrade his ticket now that he's had a taste of what he can do on HF.?
If you have given the contest a try, it's not too late--it runs today until 1800 MDT. -- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@... Check out my ham radio blog: |
Mark Ehr | K0EHR