[600MRG] It's a start but improvements coming

[Brian Pease]

Yes indeed, band conditions are way down from the sunspot minimum where 
I would be routinely heard by dozens of Europeans many winter nights. 
Now that we are near the sunspot peak, I assume that this will reduce 
interest for the next few years.


On 11/23/2024 12:27 PM, Paul N1BUG FN55mf wrote:
> Hey folks,
>
> Some of you may have noticed I monitored WSPR and FST4W on 630m night
> before last. The SNR reports from my station might seem a little
> discouraging, but they will improve. Two factors contributed:
>
> 1. The receiver needs a preamp and is deaf by some unknown number of dB.
>  there is NO increase in noise with the antenna vs. nothing or a 50 ohm
> termination. That is not good! I am building a preamp for it.
>
> 2. The big K9AY loop was pointed northeast. That is some unknown but
> non-trivial number of dB gone for those to my west and southwest. I will
> soon be building hardware to make the antenna switchable so I can
> properly listen to the south and west. This is what those toroids I
> asked about will be used for.
>
> Things will get better. I am just starting to rebuild using different
> receiving hardware from my past activities. Having learned some hard
> lessons last time, I am taking a different and more modular approach to
> building this time around.
>
> One disheartening thing for me, having not been around the band in three
> and a half years, is that activity seems way down from what it was then.
> Am I wrong? Maybe I'm just not hearing what is out there. I don't know
> to what extent solar activity has affected the band. It certainly takes
> a big bite out of 160m but that may be a very different thing.
>
> Similarly, my recent 2200m reports have beem less than optimum, at least
> for stations to my west and south. I do have a preamp there (internally
> bandpass filtered so it won't work on 630m) but the loop was northeast.
> I am CERTAIN activity on that band is way down.
>
> 73,
> Paul N1BUG FN55mf
>
>
>
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