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

WSPR is very interesting. A few years ago I wanted to test out my amateur radio antenna. I used WSPR running milliwatts of power. My WSPR signal was heard world wide and Antarctica.

 

Me too! So far, I've been able to be heard in Antartica by the WSPR receiver there with 2 out of 3 antennas tested. Using just milliwatts. Dave

 

I just removed a comment. Happens only very occasionally here on T&E. It was one word, "BS", to the post which commented that WSPR is an important development in radio. I beg the author to state his/her case please instead of just the two letter comment. I won't delete a well-stated case that says WSPR is not important. I want to see what the reasoning is, as I agreed with the original poster that WSPR is critical to today's ham radio! Thanks, Dave W7DGJ

 

Well, WSPR seems to be a two-pronged tool. You've talked mostly about the testing of antennas, and I suppose the next issue will discuss more about the general atmospheric propagation analysis. It's the latter that fascinates me most, and it's its widespread use and centralized data capture that creates a massive pool of data to be analyzed.
I do worry a little about the highly centralized collection point to which WSPR reporters send their data. I may be relatively uninformed about the back-end operations in of all this, but I'd like more reassurance that the data is safe, that new data continues to be collected without gaps, and that the data will always be available for analysis. I believe it (WSPR.live) is currently an amateur-style system with the usual incumbent financial and operational constraints. I might rather like to see some greater university or other foundational support for this, as I do view the system as scientifically critical.
The Missing Flight MH370 search attempts through WSPR reporting was in my opinion rather farfetched and silly, but the purported effort did increase the visibility and perceived value of the database. In future research and over broader time periods, the database will in my mind be of enormous value in better understanding solar and geomagnetic behavior.

 

I bet you have it already.

The software is free. Install WSJT-X in whatever spare machine you have. A Raspberry Pi will do.

Connect the computer sound to whatever spare rig you have. I used my Icom 735 @5w for years.

Enjoy!!

 

Thanks Franz for your well-stated and thoughtful comment. I agree with you that the system is amateur based and potentially at risk as any other website to hacks and so forth. I don't know what the answer is, except to perhaps look at organizations with serious money who might invest in building the systems necessary to keep this information permanent. What's the name of that organization that got all the money from the sale to Amazon? They need to be tapped to help here. Dave, W7DGJ

 

@N2RJ knows something about what you allude to, I think. Also required is finding out a bit more about the current WSPR.live proprietor, and the person or people behind it and the vision.

 

I just published Part Two of this series (the conclusion) and urge you to read and enjoy. Thanks to Marty Buehring, KB4MG.

 

Will you start a separate thread for discussion of part 2?

My comment is, should have mentioned that WSPR can be set to cycle through different bands every 2 minutes. This is really great for testing multiband antennas, and for checking wider propagation.

Something similar for CW on 20m through 10m is the NCDXF beacons. https://www.ncdxf.org/beacon/

 

Thanks for your note, Cliff. The two columns have one combined forum discussion -- this one. 73, Dave

 

The comments have been great. My question to the QRZ readers is "what are you doing with WSPR?" I would love to hear your ideas and stories.

 

For several years I have been running a WSPR beacon on 12, 10, 6, and 2 meters. I feel it is most useful to know who received my beacon. WSJT-X won't do that. I have my own software that collects data from wsprnet.org and displays it on the computer screen in text format. Any report greater than 0 dB SNR is in blue and any from more than 3000 miles away is in green. So by just glancing at the screen I can tell, for example, if 10m is open to Europe.

I also agree that there is a need for more WSPR monitors. Any ham that operates digital modes can set their station to monitor WSPR (using WSJT-X) during idle hours. Consider it a service to the amateur radio community. I use WSPR for comparing antennas but the lack of monitors makes using FT8 (in Rx mode) more effective due to the number of data points collected.

 

I have been active on WSPR since 2019, when I started chasing balloons on 20m. Since then, I have spent countless hours with antennas, with the goal of increasing my ability to spot balloons, and to be competitive with the WSPR challenge/top spotters results. Initially, extraordinary WSPR ops WA2TP and KA7OEI were very helpful to me.
I am often top 5 in the world on any given 24 hour WSPR "run" on 20m and 10m with top 10 to 15 on 160-12. VK7JJ, https://www.wspr.rocks/ has some fantastic tools for spotters and beacons.

 

Thanks Jim! We aim to get more spotters out there and I have a new ZachTek receiver on the way. You'll read about it here. Thanks, Dave W7DGJ

 

Marty, up until the time you and I spent together discussing this subject (and your two excellent articles) I had been using WSPR only to transmit and check out antenna installations. I often take it along on POTA missions and set it up in a bush somewhere and take a hike. When I come back in a couple of hours, I can see what's open or at least that I'm being heard out there. Since the focus on WSPR in these pages, I've been experimenting with other use cases and will later report on them, Dave w7DGJ