Trials and Errors Issue #48: Guest Article - WSPR, The Mode that Ensures You are Getting Out!

Please take some time to read Marty Buehring's excellent article on WSPR at this link. In Issue 48, Marty describes how WSPR works and what it can do for you. Special attention is paid to the fine-tuning you can do to your antenna if you have WSPR up and operating at your station. Please comment on the article here, where you can ask the author specific questions about WSPR. Marty and Dave will both be here to answer or address your comments. Thanks, W7DGJ

 

I am here too and can answer your questions. I encourage you to try WSPR and see what you can learn about your station and antenna.

 

Thanks for the great article, guys! I know about the Weak Signal Propagation Reporter mode, looked at the little rigs offered and checked out the WSPR websites before.

Maybe I'm missing something, but it's hard for me to justify the cost for something that I would use only occasionally, mainly when adjusting or building an antenna. I bought a cheap nanovna to use, and it spends months on the shelf. I think the WSPR rig would suffer the same fate.

But then I see posts on the Zachtek forums, where guys are turning these units on and letting them run for days, weeks and even months. Is all that data doing any good, or just "clogging the system"?

I enjoy running QRPp, using the Zachtek flea and other homebrew transmitters. It's amazing what a hundred milliwatts can do!

 

I am a huge fan on the Zachtek WSPR transmitter. When I have it on, I let it run through 10M to 80M on my 40M OCFD. I figure there is enough loss in my antenna system not to concern myself with any big mismatches, and so far (for years now) it has not damaged my receiver.

The best part for me is being able to watch the time-varying changes in propagation across the bands. It can be really helpful when contesting or playing radio in other ways. No guessing on what bands are "working".

And you do not need to buy a fancy standalone device. Just run WSPR through WSJT-X using one of your transceivers to see if you like it.

Mindy

 

WSPR is one of the best things to happen to radio. Good Article.

 

Thanks Rick. You know, I have a nanovna also sitting on the shelf. It wasn't all THAT easy to use, required me to watch some YouTube in order to "get" and then by the time I use it again, I need to brush up. The WSPR transmitter I have cost peanuts compared to other ham gear. It gets used all the time. I'm always doing something, checking an antenna or propagation or something. It is just "natural" for me to have something that transmits a signal and it's so much fun to see who's hearing it. It's just such a low powered signal and I can even take it on a vacation and have fun with a little whip and my WSPR. I don't know, Rick, but it seems like a real part of ham radio to me, and an analyzer is just something you hold in your hand for a few minutes. Instead of just another wrench so to speak. Dave, W7DGJ

 

Thanks Mark. Glad you are back and reading T&E. Marty's got a great Part 2 coming up, stay tuned. Dave, W7DGJ

 

Hi Mindy. Good to have you here. I use the same device. So easy. Like you, I let it zoom through the bands. I use a web-based piece of software instead of the PC-only software that Harry at ZachTek recommends, as I have a Mac, and it works beautifully. Like you, I enjoy seeing the changes and watching how different the bands are from one another. Dave, W7DGJ

 

Great article. I did not find how to generate the radiation patterns on WSPR.live, but maybe my ADD is kicking in and it's right in front of me? I see the Google Earth visualizer with exports a kml file, but not sure what to do with that. Do I need to install Google Earth locally? Not gonna do that on my PC.

 

Thanks for the comments. Antenna testing is just one application. In part 2 I will talk about comparing antennas and using WSPR to help understand propagation and why your station is working certain parts of the world or country.

 

Hi Mark, the Google Earth pictures are very cool. To add the kml file you have to go to the menu and choose New Project. Once opened you choose the file menu and use the option Open Local KML File, and it will import your Spots. This is a really nice view since it is the globe as apposed to the flat map. When you where your signal went you will be amazed. See my 20 meter Spots below.

 

Marty, that is a really cool picture of the globe and your 20m propagation. Next antenna review here on T & E, I'm going to use THAT instead of the flat earth. Dave, W7DGJ

 

You can find the antenna pattern listed as Radiation Pattern under the Dashboards/WSPR Station Information/Radiation Pattern menu.
You can put in my callsign (KB4MG) and set the RX/TX to rx (ie receiver) and look at the last 7 days. You should see this pattern. This is how my antenna was receiving the 20 meter band.

 

I'm right there with @KM1NDY; I like to hook my ZachTek transmitter up and let it run all day, or all night, or both...and then review the plot charts to see not only where my antenna is reaching out to, but also see how each band's propagation changes as the hours progress. After letting the ZachTek run multiple times on a particular band, I have a pretty good idea of when that band will be "open" and yield the best results for me, on most average days.

The other thing I love about the ZachTek transmitter is the portability of it; you can move it anywhere to check any station or antenna setup you have, or loan it to a friend so they can check theirs. I consider it to be a "must-have" piece of equipment, right alongside an antenna analyzer, soldering iron, multimeter circuit tester, Anderson power pole crimper, etc.

 

Great article! I didn’t realize what practical benefits WSPR might have for me. Now I know.

Question: I have two HF antennas. Could I operate my station on one antenna and band while running the Zachtech transmitter on a different band or bands using the other antenna? Can the WSPR transmitter tolerate the RF field of my station without damage?

My specifics: I have a both a vertical dipole and a horizontal dipole, each fed with ladder line and tuners for multiband use. The horizontal dipole passes within about 15 feet of the vertical. I run FT8 and other HF digital, CW and SSB, usually with 100w and sometimes 400-600w.