[NLRS] An idea for an NLRS beacon network

[Doug Reed]

Something else to consider for a beacon network would be PSK31 or WSPR
beacons on 6M and 2M, possibly higher bands too. Check out the WSPRnet
home page. WSPR beacons on 6M would be especially useful for automated
reporting of openings. And some people are talking about WSPR on 2M as well.
<http://wsprnet.org/drupal/>

As of the last 24 hours, there are only half a dozen WSPR beacon
transmitters in the US on 6M. As usual, there is nothing from
Minnesota-Iowa to Montana, Canada to Kansas..... On 2M there is
nothing outside California.

But PSKreporter shows lots of PSK31 stations (QSO's) near 50.062MHz.
Easily 20-30 in the US and hundreds in Europe. Creating a PSK31 beacon
down around 50.063MHz would facilitate automatic reporting. Anyone
could park your radio on 50.062 and let your digital modes software
report everything it hears to PSKreporter..... Do your bit to improve
propagation reporting!

It is interesting that other WSPR and Propnet networks are running up
around 50.290 in the Automatically Controlled Digital Station
sub-band. Personally, I like digital modes and automatic reporting,
but automatic reporting can be done with a CW beacon too. At least one
opinion in favor of "analog" beacons is here:
<http://www.rudius.net/oz2m/ngnb/>
For another point of view and project hardware ideas, check out
G4JNT's web page.
<http://www.g4jnt.com/beacons.htm>

I tend to prefer the idea of a beacon with a Class C final amp, mostly
because I can find old commercial equipment and re-purpose the FM amp
for the beacon. That tends to make CW and WSPR win out over PSK31.

For my money, the best low power HF TX-only beacon kit is the
WSPR/QRSS Ultimate 3 beacon kit by Hanssummers.com. For about $55 you
can get a 100mw beacon kit, including a GPS module, that will operate
on any HF band below 30MHz and self-calibrates the transmit frequency.
I just asked him if it would be possible to add a beacon sub-harmonic
mode where it is intended to be multiplied to 6M or 2M.....

73, Doug Reed, N0NAS.

=========================
>6 meter WSPR beacon
>Submitted by N8CGY on Tue, 2014/04/08 - 22:15

>Today I will begin my 6 meter WSPR Beacon experiment using 5 watts output to a
>Squalo antenna at 10 feet. Location here is EN74oh in Houghton Lake, Michigan
>which is north central lower peninsula of Michigan about 75 miles north of Saginaw.
>73 Ken N8CGY
=========================
WSPR USB dial (MHz): 0.136, 0.4742,
1.8366, 3.5926, 5.2872, 7.0386, 10.1387,
14.0956, 18.1046, 21.0946, 24.9246, 28.1246,
50.293, 70.091,
144.489,
432.300,
1296.500
=========================
PropNet Anchor Freq: 500kc
1.9982   3.5982   7.1032   10.1389
14.097   18.1039   21.098   24.924   28.1188
50.291
144.288
432.300
=========================