LF: WSPR on LF

[Roger Lapthorn <rogerlapthorn@gmail.com>]

As someone who has just got interested in WSPR, I am surprised that
this mode of personal beaconing has not become extremely popular on 137
and 500kHz. The bandwidth is only around 6Hz and the WSPR software is
very powerful and sensitive. As long as the system is supervised it can be run "in
the background" whilst other work is going on in the shack. Being an
FSK modulation scheme it does not require linear PAs. 

The main beauty is the ability to have stations around the world
listening and automatically reporting via the internet to a central
WSPR database. It means you can see who is hearing you, and who is not,
how well they are copying your signals and at what times of the day or
night.The database can be interrogated later and filtered by callsigns
etc.  It is perfect for comparing antenna systems. The more people that are
active then the better the "propagation picture" becomes. People can also use the
system just as listeners and upload logs to the internet automatically.

Getting active on WSPR on HF was extremely simple and the results quite
remarkable including 14 reports from Australia in a few days on 40m
(all 5W and one with 2W) - all with just a random 15m of wire from the
gutter to a small washing line pole down the garden. Results from a
well equipped 137 or 500kHz station can only be imagined.


There is a summary page about WSPR on my website and links from it to much better resources such as that by G4ILO. See http://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp/Home/wspr

73s
Roger
G3XBM


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