We are now in the season of super-DX Es openings on 6m when the band can open spectacularly across the Atlantic from Europe to the USA, the Caribbean, northern South America. WSPR could be a superb tool to help track fleeting openings over these very long paths, but we need more stations on 6m WSPR for this to be possible.

Ideally stations either side of the Atlantic need to be operational 24/7 on 6m but as a minimum from around 1100-2400z. If the band does open across the Atlantic then 5W to a small vertical or dipole should be enough to get transatlantic spots. You don't need high power or big beams: I've worked CW across the Atlantic on 6m with just 2.5W ERP using Es propagation a few years ago.

Let's fill the 6m WSPR slot with activity this summer!

Who says LF has to be hard? ....

Yesterday I combined the RX and TX parts of my ultra-simple 137kHz QRP transverter for the first time. Output is 8W from the IRF510 PA. ERP is just 50 microwatts from the antenna. Just 6 active devices are used. The transverter is used with an FT817 operating in split mode: 10.136MHz TX mixed down and direct 136kHz RX via a small RX preamp in the transverter. A simple vertical wire loop antenna (80m sq area) is tuned with just an old capacitance decade box and matched with a 3C90 8:1 step-down transformer. No big vertical or ground systems needed with a wire TX loop.

On receive it is copying DL, SM (951km), PA and G stations on WSPR. Best WSPR DX to date on transmit is 148km despite the low ERP. See my webpage http://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp/136k for more details, a video and schematic.

Great fun project and a simple way to get on this LF band with WSPR, CW, QRSS.

Since starting out on 137.5kHz WSPR a few weeks ago I'm pleased to be able to report some successes with 6 different stations now reporting reception of my sub-20uW ERP signal. Best DX is to G3YXM at 148km.

The equipment is basic: a simple homebrew IRF510 PA transverter fed from the FT817 into a vertical loop antenna (1mm diamter wire) down the garden tuned with a simple ATU sitting on the bedroom table. Tuning up of the antenna is done by monitoring loop current as I switch the capacitance decade box to find the right value. The loop is matched with a 3C90 toroid step-down transformer.

A few more distant reports would be appreciated. S/N levels suggest that >200km should already be possible before I take steps to increase the loop efficiency by making it with thicker wire to reduce losses.

What are the latest rules regarding WSPR exchanges and DXCC qualifying "QSOs"? I hear a rumour that ARRL will accept confirmed WSPR exchanged reports (he hears you and posts a report and you hear him and post a report to the database/by QSL card?) as a valid DXCC exchange. I.e. this is a mutual exchange of reports using, for example, WSPR2 and not necessarily the QSO mode in WSJT.

Is this correct?

Certainly an exchange of details via WSPR contains far more information than a DX contest exchange on HF which IS valid for DXCC.

The attached picture shows the antennas in use at G3XBM.

Expecting to be beaconing in WSPR mode on 28/50MHz during the next 24 hours when the Perseids meteor shower peaks. Would be interested to receive any reports.

As a newcomer to this mode I'm pleased to report that I now have successfully RXed and beacon TXed on 30m using WSPR and my signal is being reported from around Europe (no further yet!). At the moment I am using QRO (5W) into my 28MHz wire halo (via an ATU) which is not an effective 30m antenna, HI.

WSPR would be very useful on 10m as an indicator of marginal openings.

Not yet tried this mode but intend to do so shortly.