LF Amateur Radio

Mike Dennison, G3XDV

Transatlantic LF DX: Winter 2004-5

Newest info is at the top - see also recent activity log Sun 16 Jan 05: VO1NA's QRSS30 signals were the strongest I had ever seen, and could be resolved in QRSS3 mode. The path was quite stable for more than an hour, and a second call was starting when I stopped the captures. Fri 7 Jan 2005: VO1NA's QRSS120 signals were again received on Argo set for QRSS10. Several complete calls seen weakly, but this letter 'A' was very clear at about 0230UTC. It looks like even QRSS3 might have been possible. Thu 6 Jan 2005: Monitored for VO1NA's QRSS120 signals overnight 5/6 Jan. Set my Argo screen to QRSS10 to see whether the S/N ratio would have been good enough at this speed. Several parts of Joe's callsign were seen, so QRSS10 could have been used for a possible two-way. The following shows the best bits. A 360-second dash at about 0410 A Morse 'A' at about 0750 Wed 5 Jan 2005: Monitored for VO1NA's QRSS120 signals overnight 4-5 Jan. Strong signals received 0320-0420. The screens below are set to QRSS30, showing that this speed or faster would have been effective. Note the increase in noise as conditions suddenly improve - the noise looks like 'Luxemburg Effect'. Fri 24 Dec 2004: Monitored for VO1NA overnight and conditions were good for a change. Best signals about an hour after dawn. The picture is a capture of an Argo screen set to 90s dot length from about 0800-0900UTC. VO1NA (sending 'NA') is the lower call, and above is 'XES' the experimental callsign of W1TAG sent in DFCW. Sun 12 Dec 2004: Canadian commercial station CFH 589 at 0730. Sun 31 Oct / Mon 1 Nov 2004: Monitored for VO1NA's QRSS120 transmissions. First signals were recorded around 2100UTC. Strength peaked at about 2330, gradually reduced to a trough at 0130 when only traces were seen for over two hours, then rose again to a peak at 0600, just before dawn, and faded out at about 0900UTC. The picture shows the best reception at 0600: Sat/Sun 30/31 Oct 2004: Monitored for VO1NA's QRSS120 tests. The signal was acquired at about 2000UTC and lost at 0730. Results as follows: 2045-2235UTC 2335-0225UTC 0225-0515UTC (VO1NA switched his Tx off approx 0200-0400) 0515-0800UTC Fri/Sat 29/30 Oct 2004: VO1NA was again a good signal sending "NA" on QRSS120 (freq 137.777kHz). Started monitoring at 1935 and Joe was already a good signal. 1935-2235UTC 2235-0115UTC 0115-0400UTC 0400-0650UTC 0650-0830UTC Thu/Fri 28/29 Oct 2004: Monitored for VO1NA and KL1X/5 in Oklahoma (experimental callsign XDW), both sending QRSS120. This was the first time I had received XDW. 2020-2305UTC (VO1NA had been visible from 2000!) 2305-0150UTC 0150-0440UTC (XDW was sending dots alternating about 0.3Hz apart; the lower frequency ones are mostly obscured by a fuzzy QRM line. He was visible from about 0130) 0440-0730UTC (Dawn: night time noise fades out; VO1NA peaks at about 0600; XDW peaks at about 0500) 0730-1020UTC (VO1NA fades to a trace) 1020-1315 (Daytime noise rises, but still traces of VO1NA, with a complete 'N' just visible at around 1145UTC!) Wed/Thu 27/28 Oct 2004: Monitored VO1NA's transmission. Visible almost all night until well into Eu daylight. He was sending just 'NA' using QRSS120 (dot length 120 seconds). 2130-0010UTC (The frequency wobble was my son opening a door close to the receiver and cooling it down!) 0010-0300UTC (poorest signal of the night around 0145) 0300-0550UTC 0550-0835UTC (showing the noise level decrease with dawn) 0835-0900UTC Tue 26 October 2004: Continued monitoring for VO1NA. Received as follows: 0000 'T', 0100 'T', 0200 'M', 0300 'M', 0400 'M', 0500 'M' to 'O' at end, 0600 very good 'O' (see picture below), and 0700 nil. Mon 25 Oct 2004: Monitored for VO1NA's QRSS30 tests. Received as follows: 2200 'O', 2300 'M'. Fri 22 October 2004: Still good signals from VO1NA: 0400UTC Best signal for ages 0600UTC End of weak call on left, peaking at UK sunrise. Start of weaker call on right Thu 21 October 2004: Good QRSS30 signals from VO1NA: 2100UTC 2300UTC (where did the first three dots go?) Wed 20 October 2004: Called CQ on CW but no reply. Tue 19 October 2004: Saw QRSS30 sigs from VO1NA at 0400 ('M'), 0615 ('M') and 0700 ('M). Some individual character seen at strength 'O', but no whole callsigns. This screen capture taken at dawn. VO1NA at strongest on left (capture shows "1NA"). Reduction of skywave-borne noise at dawn can clearly be seen in the centre, then the start of a much weaker call from VO1NA again. Mon 18 October 2004: Saw QRSS30 sigs from VO1NA at 2230 UTC ('M').

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