New HiFer "SPT" Beacon on 13558KHz

[Mingus]

Hi there -

I just put a new HiFer beacon on the air. It sends "SPT" on 13558KHz at about 6wpm continuously. with a power of 4.6mW into the antenna, an L-shaped half-wave dipole at 25 feet.
It has been heard with a 239/339 in Portland, OR, a little over 500 miles away, and I'd love to know if anyone else can hear it.

[William Hassig]

Just tuned to 13558 and I don't hear it in Chicagoland. On 13560 I hear constant rhythmic chirps and beeps from the Elk Grove industrial/commercial park about 5 to 7 miles south of me. That park is just west of O'hare field. Kenwood R2000 and 7mhz backyard dipole.

[Dag]

13558 KHz is a sewer of noise in central Florida with the same chirps as William described. The hash and chirps are 24 hr/day here. SPT would be in the clear here if you could move SPT up above 13660 or below 13557 KHz.

Dag

[Mingus]

Thanks for trying William, and thanks for the input Dag. Unfortunately, 13558 is the lowest I can pull the crystal, though it will pull as high as the top of the ISM/HiFer band. I don't want to make any changes yet, until I get more feedback, but am very willing to move the frequency above 13560 if it seems that would work better.

[jFarley]

Have been looking for SPT here w/o luck.  The freq is generally quite clear.

MTI (Georgia?) variable right now fair to good on 13557.5
WV ( West Virginia?) weak on 13555.8

[Frank5000]

I can't hear any beacons. This HiFer stuff is all pretty new to my SWL routine.  I'll keep listening!

Chances are slim I could hear SPT in EM98, but I'll keep an ear out for it!

VY 73 de Frank5000

[Mingus]

SPT was heard briefly today by a hiker in Pike National Forest - a direct distance of about 900 miles. I think that's pretty good for 4.6mW into a dipole. Makes you wonder what a 100mW beacon could do. I'm too chicken to break the rules though, so I'll have to imagine!

Thank you for listening, jFarley and Frank. I believe that FRC (which is also in Northern California) has been heard in all 50 states, but I imagine it has a much better location for it's antenna installation than SPT, being in a broadcast transmitter building. I'd be surprised (yet overjoyed) if either of you gentlemen were to hear SPT.

Nice to see you on here Frank :-) Mingus is the name of our neighborhood cat, hence my screen name.