QRSS Beacon Test
Dave Marshall, Sun Sept 09 2007, 03:50PMThis is a tentative announcement. Specific times and frequencies will follow shortly.
Chris Russell will be visiting my home in Georgia later this month, and we'll be doing an HF QRSS beacon test on Saturday, September 22nd. Tentative start time is 16Z.
There will definitely be a transmitter at 10.140Mhz. At this point we're hoping to have atleast one other transmitter in operation on a different band.
The 30m beacon will be transmitting from a half wave dipole at considerable height. We may turn it into an inverted V for some omni-directional work, or we may leave it as is, oriented east and west for greater distance to the west coast and Europe. That will largely depend on who expresses interest.
If you are interested, but are lacking a receiver, drop me a line and we'll see what we can work out. Unfortunately, because this broadcast will be originating from my location, there won't be a streaming receiver like there was last time (unless somebody with an extra linux PC and an okish HF receiver wants to volunteer).
Dave
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Steve Conner, Sun Sept 09 2007, 03:58PM
I'm up for it! Not that I'll be able to receive anything, but who knows. :|
Steve Conner, Sun Sept 09 2007, 03:58PM
I'm up for it! Not that I'll be able to receive anything, but who knows. :|
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
ShawnLG, Mon Sept 10 2007, 10:45PM
I am ready for 10.140Mhz.
"Unfortunately, because this broadcast will be originating from my location, there won't be a streaming receiver like there was last time (unless somebody with an extra linux PC and an okish HF receiver wants to volunteer)."
I would volunteer but I do not have linux. Can it be done on XP?
ShawnLG, Mon Sept 10 2007, 10:45PM
I am ready for 10.140Mhz.
"Unfortunately, because this broadcast will be originating from my location, there won't be a streaming receiver like there was last time (unless somebody with an extra linux PC and an okish HF receiver wants to volunteer)."
I would volunteer but I do not have linux. Can it be done on XP?
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Chris Russell, Tue Sept 11 2007, 12:27AM
Actually, yes, XP should work. We've been using icecast to redistribute the stream to a number of people, which is compatable with shoutcast. If you can get shoutcast running, and you have enough bandwidth to constantly upload a 24kbps (or so) stream to 4hv, 4hv can then serve the stream to a large number of people.
Chris Russell, Tue Sept 11 2007, 12:27AM
Actually, yes, XP should work. We've been using icecast to redistribute the stream to a number of people, which is compatable with shoutcast. If you can get shoutcast running, and you have enough bandwidth to constantly upload a 24kbps (or so) stream to 4hv, 4hv can then serve the stream to a large number of people.
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
ShawnLG, Tue Sept 11 2007, 02:20AM
I got Shoutcast running but my Firewall is blocking it. I am connected through a linksys wireless router. How do I get pass it's firewall?
ShawnLG, Tue Sept 11 2007, 02:20AM
I got Shoutcast running but my Firewall is blocking it. I am connected through a linksys wireless router. How do I get pass it's firewall?
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Steve Conner, Tue Sept 11 2007, 09:03AM
You need to use the configuration tool in your firewall (often a special web page hosted on the unit) to unblock the appropriate ports. See the shoutcast documentation for which ports.
If you want to try connecting your shoutcast to the 4hv server as Chris suggested, you should probably discuss it with Chris by PM or in the chatroom. He can give you the configuration info you need. Connecting to the server should work without any changes to your firewall, as most firewalls only block incoming packets, and you would be going out in this case.
I'm going on a MTB trip that Saturday, but I should be home by 1700Z.
Steve Conner, Tue Sept 11 2007, 09:03AM
You need to use the configuration tool in your firewall (often a special web page hosted on the unit) to unblock the appropriate ports. See the shoutcast documentation for which ports.
If you want to try connecting your shoutcast to the 4hv server as Chris suggested, you should probably discuss it with Chris by PM or in the chatroom. He can give you the configuration info you need. Connecting to the server should work without any changes to your firewall, as most firewalls only block incoming packets, and you would be going out in this case.
I'm going on a MTB trip that Saturday, but I should be home by 1700Z.
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Chris Russell, Sun Sept 16 2007, 02:10AM
Everything seems to be on track! Anyone who is interested in actually trying to receive, please let me know. The orientation of the antenna will depend on who expresses interest.
For those who don't have a radio, but would still like to try receiving, ShawnLG has kindly offered to stream his receiver's output. Speclab or Argo will be quite capable of recovering the transmission from the stream, if ShawnLG is receiving the beacon.
For anyone else who is interested, but doesn't want to get into the radio or dsp aspects of it, Steve Conner has offered to set up an automatic screencap gallery, so you can see if the signal is making it to Scotland. Dave and I will also make captures of ShawnLG's stream available.
Chris Russell, Sun Sept 16 2007, 02:10AM
Everything seems to be on track! Anyone who is interested in actually trying to receive, please let me know. The orientation of the antenna will depend on who expresses interest.
For those who don't have a radio, but would still like to try receiving, ShawnLG has kindly offered to stream his receiver's output. Speclab or Argo will be quite capable of recovering the transmission from the stream, if ShawnLG is receiving the beacon.
For anyone else who is interested, but doesn't want to get into the radio or dsp aspects of it, Steve Conner has offered to set up an automatic screencap gallery, so you can see if the signal is making it to Scotland. Dave and I will also make captures of ShawnLG's stream available.
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
ShawnLG, Sun Sept 16 2007, 07:55PM
SpecLab has the ability to monitor the left or the right stereo channels. I can setup Shoutcast to send reception from both recievers when Chris and Dave have a second beacon up and running. You would need to go into your audio setting and null out one or the other channels to receive one of the beacons.
ShawnLG, Sun Sept 16 2007, 07:55PM
SpecLab has the ability to monitor the left or the right stereo channels. I can setup Shoutcast to send reception from both recievers when Chris and Dave have a second beacon up and running. You would need to go into your audio setting and null out one or the other channels to receive one of the beacons.
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Sulaiman, Tue Sept 18 2007, 03:00AM
I'm hoping to receive my M3 (foundation) licence in a day or two,
and a Radio Shack DX-390 receiver I won on ebay should arrive any day now.
I've just put up a simple aerial (13.5 meters of 1mm2 about 3.75 meters in the air) aligned North-South
I'd like to try receiving the beacon but there are a lot of variables;
- I'm inexperienced
- is the DX-390 suitable/capable?
- is the aerial any good?
- should I quickly make an ATU and/or pre-amplifier?
- any way I can test my setup before Saturday?
- am I too far away to hope for a signal?
- I've got Spectran installed but don't know how to optimize the settings for this test
My location is Walsall England,
any (helpful) comments urgently requested.
Sulaiman, Tue Sept 18 2007, 03:00AM
I'm hoping to receive my M3 (foundation) licence in a day or two,
and a Radio Shack DX-390 receiver I won on ebay should arrive any day now.
I've just put up a simple aerial (13.5 meters of 1mm2 about 3.75 meters in the air) aligned North-South
I'd like to try receiving the beacon but there are a lot of variables;
- I'm inexperienced
- is the DX-390 suitable/capable?
- is the aerial any good?
- should I quickly make an ATU and/or pre-amplifier?
- any way I can test my setup before Saturday?
- am I too far away to hope for a signal?
- I've got Spectran installed but don't know how to optimize the settings for this test
My location is Walsall England,
any (helpful) comments urgently requested.
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Steve Conner, Tue Sept 18 2007, 09:50AM
Yay Sulaiman, that's cool, congratulations on your license!
There are loads of variables, but don't worry, most of them are outwith your control because it's just a case of whether the propagation decides to work.
You can test your setup by seeing if you can tune in any other ham stations. Listen for callsigns and try to figure out where in the world they are: if you can hear other American stations, you may hear Chris.
10MHz is mostly CW, so if you don't know Morse code, try the upper end of the 14MHz band, above roughly 14.250. You should hear plenty of folks yakking away on (upper) sideband up there. You can also try the 3.5MHz band, you should hear plenty of UK amateur stations after dark. But this doesn't really predict how your setup will perform on 10MHz.
If the noise level in the receiver on your band of interest increases when you plug the aerial in, it's probably good enough for initial attempts. An ATU can help, but you can often get by receiving without one. They sure come in handy when you're trying to transmit though! :o
Speaking of noise, check that you don't have any bad noise sources in your shack. In my house, it's the kitchen lights. They are halogen lights running off electronic transformers that blot out all of the HF bands completely! I swear the ones in the ceiling even generate noise up to 2m. My shack is in the kitchen, but I got used to operating in the dark after a while
I've never received any of Chris's beacon transmissions so far :( I have a HF rig, so I should probably do a similar beacon for the UK and Europe one day.
Steve Conner, Tue Sept 18 2007, 09:50AM
Yay Sulaiman, that's cool, congratulations on your license!
There are loads of variables, but don't worry, most of them are outwith your control because it's just a case of whether the propagation decides to work.
You can test your setup by seeing if you can tune in any other ham stations. Listen for callsigns and try to figure out where in the world they are: if you can hear other American stations, you may hear Chris.
10MHz is mostly CW, so if you don't know Morse code, try the upper end of the 14MHz band, above roughly 14.250. You should hear plenty of folks yakking away on (upper) sideband up there. You can also try the 3.5MHz band, you should hear plenty of UK amateur stations after dark. But this doesn't really predict how your setup will perform on 10MHz.
If the noise level in the receiver on your band of interest increases when you plug the aerial in, it's probably good enough for initial attempts. An ATU can help, but you can often get by receiving without one. They sure come in handy when you're trying to transmit though! :o
Speaking of noise, check that you don't have any bad noise sources in your shack. In my house, it's the kitchen lights. They are halogen lights running off electronic transformers that blot out all of the HF bands completely! I swear the ones in the ceiling even generate noise up to 2m. My shack is in the kitchen, but I got used to operating in the dark after a while
I've never received any of Chris's beacon transmissions so far :( I have a HF rig, so I should probably do a similar beacon for the UK and Europe one day.
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Sulaiman, Tue Sept 18 2007, 09:58AM
Thanks, I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks !
Sulaiman, Tue Sept 18 2007, 09:58AM
Thanks, I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks !
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Dave Marshall, Tue Sept 18 2007, 12:18PM
One of the best ways to figure out if you'll be able to hear us is to tune to 10.000Mhz and listen for the WWV beacon out of Ft. Collins, Colorado. They're transmitting with 10s of killowatts. If you can't hear them atleast faintly, chances are good you won't hear us.
Dave
Dave Marshall, Tue Sept 18 2007, 12:18PM
One of the best ways to figure out if you'll be able to hear us is to tune to 10.000Mhz and listen for the WWV beacon out of Ft. Collins, Colorado. They're transmitting with 10s of killowatts. If you can't hear them atleast faintly, chances are good you won't hear us.
Dave
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Steve Conner, Fri Sept 21 2007, 05:36PM
Hi guys,
I've got my receiver running into Spectrum Lab and uploading screencaps every 5 minutes. It's currently on for testing, but I'll turn it off overnight and then back on at about 0630Z tomorrow morning.
latest pic, refreshes automatically
gallery of all screencaps so far
The receiver is tuned to 10.140 USB, and I think Chris will be transmitting with an audio offset of 600Hz, so his carrier should appear at 10.14006 MHz right in the middle of my screen :) I'll hopefully check this with him before I leave tomorrow morning, it would suck to miss the signal by a few hundred Hz.
Steve Conner, Fri Sept 21 2007, 05:36PM
Hi guys,
I've got my receiver running into Spectrum Lab and uploading screencaps every 5 minutes. It's currently on for testing, but I'll turn it off overnight and then back on at about 0630Z tomorrow morning.
latest pic, refreshes automatically gallery of all screencaps so farThe receiver is tuned to 10.140 USB, and I think Chris will be transmitting with an audio offset of 600Hz, so his carrier should appear at 10.14006 MHz right in the middle of my screen :) I'll hopefully check this with him before I leave tomorrow morning, it would suck to miss the signal by a few hundred Hz.
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
ShawnLG, Fri Sept 21 2007, 07:52PM
Nice Steve!
I will be a work tonight, so I will run the stream to 4hv while at work so the admins can set up the rest. Tomorrow September 22nd, I am very busy, but I will be here when the transmittion starts and make shure things are working right and find Chris's beacon location on speclab. Unfortinatly I am connected to a wireless lan network which means the stream can be disconnected and I can not fix it when I am at work. Saturday, I would be going to a ham-fest. What a weekend!
I will be sending the stream at 48kbps. If this is too fast for your ISP, I can send at a lower bitrate.
ShawnLG, Fri Sept 21 2007, 07:52PM
Nice Steve!
I will be a work tonight, so I will run the stream to 4hv while at work so the admins can set up the rest. Tomorrow September 22nd, I am very busy, but I will be here when the transmittion starts and make shure things are working right and find Chris's beacon location on speclab. Unfortinatly I am connected to a wireless lan network which means the stream can be disconnected and I can not fix it when I am at work. Saturday, I would be going to a ham-fest. What a weekend!
I will be sending the stream at 48kbps. If this is too fast for your ISP, I can send at a lower bitrate.
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Sulaiman, Sun Sept 23 2007, 09:06AM
Maybe it was my setup or me
- but I got noise here in central England.
Sulaiman, Sun Sept 23 2007, 09:06AM
Maybe it was my setup or me
- but I got noise here in central England.
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Steve Conner, Sun Sept 23 2007, 10:51AM
I never got anything either. There was one signal that I thought was it, until Chris had to shut down his transmitter due to high SWR, and the signal kept right on going on my screen. :(
Note: The info box on my screencaps says "Listening 10.140". I retuned the receiver to 10.139 but forgot to change it!
Steve Conner, Sun Sept 23 2007, 10:51AM
I never got anything either. There was one signal that I thought was it, until Chris had to shut down his transmitter due to high SWR, and the signal kept right on going on my screen. :(
Note: The info box on my screencaps says "Listening 10.140". I retuned the receiver to 10.139 but forgot to change it!
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Dave Marshall, Sun Sept 23 2007, 02:01PM
Steve, you actually did get us very briefly. There was about a 2 minute window where we were able to see a faint signal that was almost certainly us.
We were coming in quite well at ShawnLGs station. Unfortunately we were having substantial antenna problems. Apparently we had a break in the ladder line , and SWR was randomly bouncing from 1:1 to infinite.
Dave
Dave Marshall, Sun Sept 23 2007, 02:01PM
Steve, you actually did get us very briefly. There was about a 2 minute window where we were able to see a faint signal that was almost certainly us.
We were coming in quite well at ShawnLGs station. Unfortunately we were having substantial antenna problems. Apparently we had a break in the ladder line , and SWR was randomly bouncing from 1:1 to infinite.
Dave
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
ShawnLG, Tue Sept 25 2007, 07:04AM
This is the only screen capture that I have of the beacon.
ShawnLG, Tue Sept 25 2007, 07:04AM
This is the only screen capture that I have of the beacon.
Re: QRSS Beacon Test
Chris Russell, Tue Sept 25 2007, 02:05PM
Here is a capture I pulled from the stream:
Chris Russell, Tue Sept 25 2007, 02:05PM
Here is a capture I pulled from the stream:
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