[Lowfer] MP 137.78 and 2200 & 630 m WSPR

[JD]

MP continued nice and solid into the evening, with minor fading on the 
QRSS30 trace about an hour before sunset and an hour after.  Nighttime 
conditions were several S-units noisier, but the signal was enough stronger 
to overcome that.

During the eclipse, I switched to looking for WSPR at 2200 m, with no 
results for either 2 or 15 mode.  Are folks using the "standard" dial 
frequency given in the WSPR-X software, or did they all sneak off somewhere 
and not send me the memo?

I eventually gave up and went to 630 m, where I soon discovered that WSPR-X 
in 2 minute mode doesn't like my CW filter shifted to center on 1500 Hz. 
Unlike WSPR 2.1, the X software's AGC apparently loses its mind without the 
wider band of noise...even though that much is _not_ required for optimal 
detection.  The narrow SSB filter was apparently OK, yielding XIQ and XJM 
reliably and showing hints of XXC on the waterfall, but I got still better 
results by switching to WSPR 2.1.  When I did that, XXC decoded reliably, 
and I also got hints of XRR, which was my best DX of the night at 1638 km. 
Only got one successful decode of XRR though, included below, which hints at 
the reason why. Must be using an Ultimate 3 or maybe an Arduino, given the 
power level and the drift.  That drift was visible on numerous WSPR 
waterfall segments and Argo captures during the evening, but only decoded 
once.

All evening, XIQ and XJM traded places being tronger, always within a couple 
of decibels of each other, generally right around 0 SNRr on the display. 
Both were more than strong enough for CW copy at S7 to S9 on the radio's 
meter.

(This morning's HiFER check shows NC right on top of USC, both audibly 
strong, and EH right on MP, both faint and intermittently visible.  First 
time I've seen MP on HF since July.  WV made a relatively rare appearance, 
too, in and out of audibility.)

Sample of WSPR below.

John

2015-09-28 03:56   WG2XIQ   0.475612   -3   0   EM12mp   5   KD4IDY   EM27kc 
523
2015-09-28 03:54   WG2XJM   0.475781   +2   0   EN91wr   10   KD4IDY 
EM27kc   1385
2015-09-28 03:54   WH2XXC   0.475655   -21   0   FM18qi   2   KD4IDY 
EM27kc   1630
2015-09-28 03:52   WH2XRR   0.475756   -27   -1   FM18re   0.2   KD4IDY 
EM27kc   1638