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Status (19 Jun 2009)
The NV4B beacon is back on the air!
The beacon has been returned to the air for the 2009
sporadic-E season
Reports, as always, are appreciated!
I finishing debugging a homebrew transmitter, which will
soon take the HTX-100's place. This will likely be a 1-watt or so
transmitter, though I may adjust the ultimate power level up or down.
I have not been looking for a permanent home for the
beacon, but will begin doing so as soon as I have the equipment finalized.
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Equipment
TX: Realistic HTX-100 at 5 watts
Keyer: NorCal Keyer, set at 16 WPM N0XAS PicoKeyer
set at 18 WPM
Antenna: Vertical (Solarcon A99 w/radial kit) at 60' AGL (& approximate
HAAT), 810' AMSL
Power Supply: Daiwa RS-300
QSLing
Reception reports/comments would be greatly appreciated to the following
e-mail address: beacon at chrisarthur.com.
Please provide as much of the following information as
you can in your report:
- Your call
- Your QTH
- Date and time you heard the beacon
- Preferably a transcript of the beacon text for a cycle to confirm it was
actually NV4B/B that you heard
- A signal report in RST format (i.e. 599 is the best
possible).
Currently, paper QSLs are not available.
Location
Beacon location is Russellville, Alabama at the NV4B license address, 65
miles WSW of Huntsville, Alabama; 85 miles NNW of Birmingham, Alabama; 33 miles
S of Tennessee, 25 miles E of Mississippi state lines.
Groundwave Coverage
Using an HTX-10 and a modified 11-meter mobile antenna, I can receive the
beacon mobile in an approximate 30 mile
radius. The beacon can be heard from a few miles across the
Mississippi state line on Highway 23 to the Lawrence/Morgan County line on
Alabama Highway 24.
Recent History
(6/19/09): Beacon reactivated at 1200Z.
(7/7/08): Beacon QRT
(6/23/08): Halfway to "WAS" - tnx KG2GL in New
Jersey!
(6/22/08): Beacon back online!
(2/07): Beacon offline; power supply acting funny
again.
(1/28/07): Beacon online again! Power supply
repaired in October or November and beacon placed back online January 28, 2007.
(7/30/06): Beacon offline due to power supply problem.
(3/26/06): Paper QSLs available for a limited time.
(2/21/06): First European spot (EA2CMY).
(2/13/06): Beacon placed back on the air after
about 3 days of inactivity.
(1/11/06): Beacon placed back on the air at 1245Z.
(1/10/06): Beacon taken off the air at 2330Z for
possible severe weather.
(1/4/06): Beacon placed back on the air at 1715Z.
(1/2/06): Beacon taken off the air around 0300Z due
to the threat of severe weather.
(1/1/06): New DX record and 1000 miles-per-watt:
PY3FF in Porto Alegre (5051 miles) received the beacon 559.
(12/31/05): Received via groundwave 72 miles away
(K5DZE).
(12/26/05): Beacon placed back online at 1700Z.
Keyer is now connected to the beacon power supply to eliminate downtime from
changing batteries.
(12/25/05): Beacon offline beginning at 0200Z due
to travel and battery death.
(12/20/05): Beacon offline from approximately 0200Z
to 2400Z due to travel.
(12/13/05): Beacon back online at 2055Z.
(mid-August 2005): Beacon has been offline for some time now. The
beacon will be back online again, eventually.
(8/9/05): Second 9V battery (for keyer) died. Beacon went
off-line sometime this afternoon. Placed back into service at 2240Z, Aug
9.
(8/4/05): Beacon back on-line at 1755Z.
(8/3/05): Beacon off-line at 1600Z for a day of personal on-air activity.
(7/20/05): First 9V battery (for keyer) died. Beacon went
off-line sometime this afternoon. Placed back into service at 0150Z, July
21.
(7/13/05): First 599 signal report (N4WO).
(7/7/05): First DX report received (HP1AC).
(7/4/05): Beacon offline from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. CDT due to
thunderstorms in the area. Beacon turned on at 11 p.m. for first overnight
operation.
(7/1/05): New e-mail address for beacon-related mail: beacon at
chrisarthur.com
(6/30/05): Beacon listed on
WJ5O's list of 10 meter beacons.
(6/29/05): Beacon listed in the
G3USF List of Worldwide
Beacons.
(6/28/05): Beacon first heard by a non-local (K9QU); beacon announced
to the HFbeacons
mailing list.
(6/27/05): Beacon now online approximately 16 hours a day, and will
continue intermittently according to this schedule for the time being.
Groundwave coverage tested and approximated at 35 miles, with a weak signal
received at Monte Sano Mountain in Huntsville, AL (75 miles).
(6/26/05): Stupid me. There's a
reset procedure for the NorCal Keyer. So, despite the fact that I've
ordered and already received a PicoKeyer chip... the NorCal keyer rides again.
The beacon will be back online as soon as I recover from Field Day, hopefully
6/26 or 6/27.
(12/22/04): Beacon online for short test. First true NV4B/B
beacon test.
Complete History
The NV4B beacon is the result of many years of interest in the 10-meter
band. Ten meters is one of my favorite bands by far, and I have wanted to
operate a beacon since 1997 or so.
The original KT4XA beacon was operated only for brief periods on 28.277 MHz,
and was listed in KC4DPC's (now K4DPC's) 10-meter beacon list in June 1998.
However, no reception reports were ever received due to the relatively brief
periods it was actually on the air. Equipment then consisted of an MFJ
Grandmaster keyer and various different rigs, including a Kenwood TS-430, an
AEA DX Handy which I blew up by powering it directly with 13.8V and attempting
beacon operation :( an HTX-100, and others.
The beacon project had stalled somewhat until a couple of years ago, when I
first visited WJ5O's site detailing easy CB-to-10 meter conversions. I
searched for a suitable radio to convert for a long time, but couldn't find one
until the 2004 Huntsville Hamfest. I did convert an older Midland, but
decided not to use it due to uncertain stability and signal purity.
When I learned about the availability of crystals for 28.258 MHz from
Expanded Spectrum
Systems, better facilitating the use of a homebrewed transmitter as a
beacon transmitter, interest in the project picked up greatly. I then
decided to move directly forward with the beacon, given the new homebrewing
opportunities. Although I am not using a homebrew transmitter at the
moment, the frequency has, so far, proved to be a good frequency for the
beacon, as there are no other beacons within approximately 800 Hz of this
frequency.
NV4B/B first went on the air on 28.258 for a two-hour test in December 2004
after the construction of a NorCal Keyer. The project has been on hold
during the spring college semester, and is now active once again here in the
summer.
The beacon is not operating in its "final" state. It is unlikely that
any configuration will become truly "final." I plan on making many
changes before putting it online in continuous mode. Some of the
potential hardware changes are detailed below in the Experimentation section.
I may also consider relocating the beacon--or perhaps a new one--to
Northeast Mississippi, about 30 miles away, as the state of Mississippi does
not currently have any operating beacons.
Purposes
The beacon is a valuable tool for observing propagation to and from Northwest
Alabama on the 10-meter band. Additionally, I'm using the beacon as a way
to experiment with microcontroller design, RF design, and computer programming;
after all, experimentation is what amateur radio is all about.
NV4B/B was the first permanent ten meter beacon in north Alabama
when it first went on the air.
Future Changes/Experimentation
Eventually, I hope to have a homebrewed transmitter and keyer running the
beacon, which will be continuous on 28.258.
NV4B/B Logbook
Each recipient is logged once.
Date |
Time |
Distance |
Location |
Grid Sq |
Signal |
Report by |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
26 Jul 09 |
2342Z |
1852 mi |
Valley Springs, CA |
CM98nd |
579 |
K6FRC¹³ |
25 Jul 09 |
1445Z |
452 mi |
Lometa, TX |
EM23fp |
529 |
W5OTR |
24 Jul 09 |
0037Z |
1013 mi |
North Swanzey, NH |
FN32uv |
599 |
AE1P¹ |
21 Jul 09 |
1959Z |
604 mi |
Muskegon, MI |
EN63ue |
559 |
NR9B |
21 Jul 09 |
1425Z |
775 mi |
Saint Paul, MN |
EN34jv |
|
W0RSB¹ |
9 Jul 09 |
1704Z |
808 mi |
Saint Francis, MN |
EN35hj |
559 |
WE0H |
9 Jul 09 |
1319Z |
3244 mi |
Wasilla, AK |
BP51dm |
559 |
NL7Z |
8 Jul 09 |
2030Z |
666 mi |
Bonita Springs, FL |
EL96ci |
589 |
KB9ABX |
8 Jul 09 |
0015Z |
714 mi |
New Cumberland, PA |
FN10nf |
439 |
N3SW |
7 Jul 09 |
0315Z |
1051 mi |
Malden, MA |
FN42lk |
579 |
NM1J |
4 Jul 09 |
2230Z |
830 mi |
Kah-She Island, ON |
EN95wc |
459 |
VE3DJI |
4 Jul 09 |
0032Z |
790 mi |
Markham, ON |
FN03jv |
|
VA3CDX¹ |
3 Jul 09 |
1635Z |
340 mi |
Dry Ridge, KY |
EM78qs |
559 |
K5DZE² |
3 Jul 09 |
1310Z |
692 mi |
Owings Mills, MD |
FM19ok |
479 |
KB3MXM |
3 Jul 09 |
0010Z |
526 mi |
Raleigh, NC |
FM05rv |
579 |
KH2AR/4/P |
1 Jul 09 |
1558Z |
608 mi |
Montpelier, VA |
FM17et |
S5 |
WD4LBR |
30 Jun 09 |
1704Z |
1852 mi |
Valley Springs, CA |
CM98nd |
529 |
K6FRC¹ |
30 Jun 09 |
0032Z |
781 mi |
Drums, PA |
FN11xa |
599 |
K3BS |
29 Jun 09 |
2255Z |
794 mi |
Maple Grove, MN |
EN35fc |
S1 |
N9GC |
25 Jun 09 |
0125Z |
996 mi |
Dayville, CT |
FN41bu |
-- |
KB1NRB¹ |
24 Jun 09 |
1840Z |
1386 mi |
Paradise Valley, AZ |
DM43am |
559 |
AC7XP |
22 Jun 09 |
1913Z |
1600 mi |
Mexicali, Mexico |
DM22gp |
519 |
XE2ES¹ |
22 Jun 09 |
1840Z |
1888 mi |
Sacramento, CA |
CM98fm |
S1 |
N6DXX² |
22 Jun 09 |
0130Z |
518 mi |
Sturgis, MI |
EN71hs |
578 |
AJ8T |
21 Jun 09 |
1451Z |
669 mi |
Kyle, TX |
EL19bx |
-- |
KD5HOP |
21 Jun 09 |
1344Z |
561 mi |
Oklahoma City, OK |
EM15fm |
S7 |
NE5I¹ |
21 Jun 09 |
0135Z |
634 mi |
Martinsburg, WV |
FM19aj |
599 |
W8YT² |
21 Jun 09 |
0131Z |
498 mi |
Hillsborough, NC |
FM06kb |
-- |
WD4ELG¹ |
21 Jun 09 |
0106Z |
853 mi |
West Orange, NJ |
FN20ut |
419 |
N2MH³ |
21 Jun 09 |
0016Z |
944 mi |
Winsted, CT |
FN31lw |
569 |
K1KUZ |
20 Jun 09 |
2050Z |
751 mi |
Avondale, PA |
FM29ct |
569 |
AB3AP |
19 Jun 09 |
2155Z |
4659 mi |
Lautert, Germany |
JO30we |
-- |
DL8WX³ |
7 Jul 08 |
0445Z |
1987 mi |
Spanaway, WA |
CN87TB |
-- |
K7EK² |
7 Jul 08 |
0000Z |
755 mi |
Amherst, NY |
FN02ox |
559 |
WB2VUO³ |
6 Jul 08 |
0100Z |
537 mi |
Cary, IL |
EN52qg |
-- |
N9AVY³ |
6 Jul 08 |
0038Z |
708 mi |
Clinton, ON |
EN93fo |
569 |
VA3NN |
2 Jul 08 |
0100Z |
223 mi |
Troy, AL |
EM71as |
-- |
WJ5O³ |
25 Jun 08 |
0323Z |
826 mi |
Ishpeming, MI |
EN66dl |
-- |
N8PUM¹ |
24 Jun 08 |
1338Z |
1050 mi |
Box Elder, SD |
DN84lc |
559 |
NR5A² |
23 Jun 08 |
0250Z |
859 mi |
Nutley, NJ |
FN20wt |
559 |
KG2GL |
23 Jun 08 |
1959Z |
1693 mi |
Carlsbad, CA |
DM13id |
419 |
N6RY¹ |
22 Jun 08 |
0030Z |
806 mi |
Rochester, NY |
FN13ee |
-- |
N2NXZ³ |
12 Jul 06 |
0257Z |
1037 mi |
Westford, MA |
FN42go |
219 |
WD9HBC |
26 Jun 06 |
1800Z |
598 mi |
Lake Station, IN |
EN61in |
599 |
KB9YGD |
18 Jun 06 |
2237Z |
626 mi |
Quinton, VA |
FM17km |
- |
KA4H¹ |
17 Jun 06 |
1820Z |
658 mi |
Alexandria, VA |
FM18lr |
-- |
AJ3G¹ |
5 Jun 06 |
0031Z |
2005 mi |
Port Orchard, WA |
CN87ql |
-- |
KQ7W¹ |
31 May 06 |
0243Z |
628 mi |
Catlett, VA |
FM18eq |
-- |
KA4RRU |
25 May 06 |
1456Z |
1964 mi |
Boring, OR |
CN85tk |
519 |
N7DB¹ |
25 May 06 |
0037Z |
905 mi |
Kings Park, NY |
FN30jv |
-- |
KT2Q |
23 May 06 |
1822Z |
643 mi |
North Fond du Lac, WI |
EN53st |
599 |
KB9KEG¹ |
21 May 06 |
2110Z |
886 mi |
Harrison, NY |
FN31db |
-- |
AE5X³ |
20 May 06 |
1314Z |
693 mi |
Jupiter, FL |
EL96xw |
589 |
WY5I |
18 May 06 |
1456Z |
1010 mi |
Littleton, CO |
DM79mn |
-- |
K0FX¹ |
17 May 06 |
1405Z |
1202 mi |
Val Belair, PQ |
FN46hu |
-- |
VE2CRH¹ |
16 May 06 |
2339Z |
757 mi |
Mississauga, ON |
FN03dn |
-- |
VE3XAP¹ |
16 May 06 |
2331Z |
801 mi |
Keswick, ON |
FN04gf |
599+* |
VE3FGU |
15 May 06 |
0150Z |
784 mi |
Mound, MN |
EN34ew |
599 |
KD0SF |
14 May 06 |
1820Z |
597 mi |
Madison, WI |
EN53hb |
-- |
KC9GNK³ |
21 Mar 06 |
0012Z |
588 mi |
Springtown, TX |
EM12cx |
-- |
AD5VJ¹ |
20 Mar 06 |
2225Z |
582 mi |
Zeeland, MI |
EN62xu |
555 |
N8YEL |
10 Mar 06 |
0220Z |
56 mi |
Eva, AL |
EM64ph |
-- |
N5ROC |
21 Feb 06 |
2001Z |
4442 mi |
San Sebastian, Spain |
IN93ah |
-- |
EA2CMY¹ |
27 Jan 06 |
2136Z |
4550 mi |
Pres. Venceslau, Brazil |
GG48bc |
599 |
PY2SRB |
14 Jan 06 |
0405Z |
995 mi |
Cornwall, ON |
FN25oa |
539 |
VE3GIB |
14 Jan 06 |
0239Z |
1080 mi |
Dover, NH |
FN43mf |
559 |
AA1QD |
14 Jan 06 |
0153Z |
946 mi |
Troy, NY |
FN32er |
449 |
WB2HPR |
14 Jan 06 |
0138Z |
577 mi |
Ypsilanti, MI |
EN82ef |
599 |
N8UUP |
8 Jan 06 |
0200Z |
792 mi |
Lehighton, PA |
FN20ev |
-- |
K3NG¹ |
6 Jan 06 |
1600Z |
1688 mi |
Vista, CA |
DM13jf |
-- |
W6WU¹ |
1 Jan 06 |
1845Z |
5051 mi |
Porto Alegre, Brazil |
GF49jx |
559 |
PY3MM |
31 Dec 05 |
2157Z |
72 mi |
Owens Cross Roads, AL |
EM64sq |
349 |
K5DZE |
31 Dec 05 |
2150Z |
1810 mi |
Edmonton, AB |
DO33hm |
589 |
VE6TXT |
27 Dec 05 |
1930Z |
1980 mi |
Kent, WA |
CN87wi |
-- |
WB7AEI¹ |
27 Dec 05 |
0630Z |
757 mi |
Brampton, ON |
FN03jg |
-- |
VA3UXB¹ |
25 Dec 05 |
1908Z |
1549 mi |
Yuma, AZ |
DM22qq |
569 |
N6QU |
24 Dec 05 |
0336Z |
889 mi |
Duluth, MN |
EN36vw |
-- |
K0KP¹ |
22 Dec 05 |
1919Z |
1935 mi |
San Francisco, CA |
CM87tr |
-- |
WA6CDO³ |
22 Dec 05 |
1810Z |
1779 mi |
Spokane, WA |
DN17gq |
-- |
KL7FDQ/7 |
21 Dec 05 |
2340Z |
677 mi |
Austin, TX |
EM10ce |
S3 |
KB5OGG |
21 Dec 05 |
2115Z |
290 mi |
Biloxi, MS |
EM60oj |
-- |
N5BO¹ |
16 Dec 05 |
1625Z |
447 mi |
Summerville, SC |
EM93wa |
-- |
KG4GVV³ |
11 Aug 05 |
1700Z |
1261 mi |
Busby, MT |
DN65nm |
-- |
KL7FDQ/7 |
5 Aug 05 |
2217Z |
1835 mi |
Panama |
FJ09fa |
555 |
HP1DCP |
5 Aug 05 |
1955Z |
516 mi |
Spring Hill, FL |
EL88rl |
589 |
KE4REM |
2 Aug 05 |
2134Z |
440 mi |
Frontenac, KS |
EM27pk |
-- |
N2UHC³ |
28 Jul 05 |
1915Z |
534 mi |
Saint Joseph, MO |
EM29nr |
559 |
WD0BBR |
27 Jul 05 |
2045Z |
544 mi |
Apopka, FL |
EL98fp |
S3 |
N4HLF |
25 Jul 05 |
1640Z |
697 mi |
Arnold, MD |
FM19sb |
-- |
K3DI¹ |
24 Jul 05 |
1347Z |
1281 mi |
Aguascalientes, Mexico |
DL81uv |
539 |
XE2AC¹ |
21 Jul 05 |
2020Z |
853 mi |
New York, NY |
FN20wo |
599+ |
KC2GOW |
13 Jul 05 |
1550Z |
511 mi |
Brooksville, FL |
EL88rn |
599 |
N4WO |
8 Jul 05 |
0015Z |
878 mi |
Roslyn Estates, NY |
FN30dt |
-- |
K2DUX |
7 Jul 05 |
1515Z |
1834 mi |
Panama City, Panama |
FJ09gb |
529 |
HP1AC |
3 Jul 05 |
0321Z |
26 mi |
Allsboro area, AL |
EM54wq |
519 |
KU4WW |
30 Jun 05 |
1420Z |
737 mi |
Corpus Christi, TX |
EL17ip |
Q5 |
WJ5O |
29 Jun 05 |
0030Z |
1027 mi |
Claremont, NH |
FN33uj |
559 |
AA1TT |
28 Jun 05 |
1908Z |
675 mi |
Seward, NE |
EN10lw |
-- |
K0HA¹ |
28 Jun 05 |
1702Z |
501 mi |
Downers Grove, IL |
EN51xs |
579 |
K9QU |
22 Dec 04 |
0420Z |
31 mi |
Hamilton, AL |
EM54xd |
589 |
K4EKG |
¹ Via DX cluster.
² Via 10mbeacons.com beacon spotting page.
³ Via HFBeacons mailing list.
Thanks to all who have reported!
NV4B/B has been reported heard in these states:
AL AK AZ CA CO CT FL IL IN KS KY MA MD MI MN MO MS
MT NC NE NH NJ NY OK OR PA SC SD TX VA WA WI WV (33/50)
DXCC: DL EA HP KL7 PY VE W XE
Links -- Many more to come!
10m
beacon spotting page
Good 10 meter beacon information from WJ5O
- go here to get your HF beacon frequency coordinated!
G3USF List of Worldwide
Beacons
HFbeacons
mailing list -- definitive source of up-to-the-minute information on beacons
and receptions
N9SSA Grid Square Distance
Calculator--also does miles/watt calculations for QRP'ers
Wayne Leman, KL7FDQ's web site--contains
lots of beacon info and links
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