Heard Romania today on CB channel 25

[jwt873]

I've seen quite a bit of 11 meter SSB digital activity in Europe using the pskreporter web site. Display Reception Reports They all appear to be using a digital mode called JS8. (It's legal there).

JS8CAll is similar to FT8, but it has the capability of keyboard to keyboard chatting. In order to use the mode, you require an SSB radio, a transmit/receive audio interface, computer control of RX/TX and a software program called JS8Call. JS8Call

So.. today just for fun, I fired up JS8Call connected it to my IC-7600 radio tuned it to 27.245 MHz and pointed my beam to Europe. I left the radio on for the whole day. Darned if I didn't manage to pick up two stations.. 10MEX105 in Mexico and YRM63DLVK in Romania.

Since you need a computer to run JS8. If you're connected to the internet, you can tell the JS8 software to report contacts to the pskreporter web site over the internet connection. Contacts appear as 'pins' on the site. They show who is hearing who and even connect lines between the pins.

In the image below you can see the pin for YRM63DLVK and a line over to me where it says 4 hrs.. (Which was the time since I last heard him). The image below that shows the JS8Call screen with the two stations heard in the right hand 'callsigns' box.

Note that the signal report of -17 dB is down in the noise floor. Signals that weak can't be heard in the speaker, but the weak signal capability of the software managed to 'pull it out'.

What does this mean? Not much. I don't have transmit capability. Even if I did, it can't be done legally in the US or Canada. I just did it to see if I could snag a European station or two.

 

[mmckenna]

Damn.

 

[alcahuete]

Not all that surprising. Contacts like that on 10m happen all the time. No reason they shouldn't happen on 11m. Not sure what the power limits are in those places, but I'm I would bet they probably aren't using 4W. You never know, but probably not.

 

[ur20v]

Not all that surprising. Contacts like that on 10m happen all the time. No reason they shouldn't happen on 11m. Not sure what the power limits are in those places, but I'm I would bet they probably aren't using 4W. You never know, but probably not.

They're probably not even using 4w going into their amplifier...

 

[jhooten]

It can be done. Mid 70s was the peak of a solar cycle. The audio club had just got in the first of the 40 channel CBs. We bought one and one of those 20" tall center loaded mag mounts. On the way back to the barracks were were able to make contacts back to Florida, Georga, and Alabama for over 45 minutes from Central Germany on a box stock AM CB with a crap antenna. Give it a couple more years.

 

[jwt873]

I never monitored today, but looking over the last 24 hrs on PSKReporter it seems the conditions for 11 meters were MUCH hotter than they were yesterday. (See image below). The lines between the pins on the map show who heard who.

If you left click on the pins on the PSKreporter web page, some are listing their equipment. Quite a variety. From IC-7300s to President Lincolns. Most claim to be in the 12 - 40 Watt range. Quite a few use Sirio antennas. (Makes sense that they're be popular in Europe since they're made in Italy).

There are a few stations in North America on the map.. Not sure if they're transmitting or just monitoring. (You get a pin for your location just for hearing other stations - you don't need to be heard).

 

[p1879]

Yes, digital transcontinental propagation is about a daily thing, even with pretty low power and on 10 meters. SSB Voice is another animal altogether, being much less efficient. I understand the JT65 mode ( contact, but not chat capable) is even more penetrating than CW mode.

The www.dxmaps.com site can show (reported) 10M contacts in many propagation modes and modulation/digital parameters. In the DXMap site you may , by looking at 10M, get an idea about how things are going on 11M--or give a listen.

It is very true that the glory days for 11m propagation are arriving. At some point skip could run all day and all night to many odd places. Much of the time it might be short band openings along daylight paths. I am not at all surprised about the Germany-US contact from a barefoot mobile; that is some real fun!

 

[Rt169Radio]

What do you mean by "it can't legally be done in the USA or Canada"? Is there a FCC rule about how far you can transmit on a 11 meter radio?

 

[jhooten]

What do you mean by "it can't legally be done in the USA or Canada"? Is there a FCC rule about how far you can transmit on a 11 meter radio?

He is talking about using digital modes on CB in the US.

 

[spongella]

Thanks for the heads up jwt873. Very interesting. I've noticed some odd digital signals just above the CB band lately, need to take a screen pic and share. Will first try SignalWiki to see if anything matches.

 

[jaspence]

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