HFU HF Underground
Loggings => HF Beacons => Topic started by: n0xu on December 05, 2019, 2123 UTC
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Windy appears to be transmitting only an "H" every 65 seconds or so.
Heard on the ND7M KiwiSDR in southern Nevada today at 2120Z.
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Here is what I think is going on -
Windy's solar panel is most effective at keeping the battery charged for normal operation in mostly sunny weather. Both the panel and battery appear to be a bit undersized to sustain operation after multiple days of heavy cloud cover and rain. The battery may also be getting a bit "old" and could need replacement.
When the battery runs down into the low eleven volt range the controller stops sending telemetry and sends four dits which I like to think is an "H" for "help". ;) As the battery runs down further the controller send three dits which could be an "S" for "SOS" before the controller shuts down completely. :-\
Last night Windy was sending three dits and the desert areas still have high clouds so battery charging may or may not be sufficient for telemetry to be sent for a few hours until sunset cuts off charging. There is more rain coming for the next two days so Windy will not get enough sunshine until Monday.
Having said all that it appears that the owner of Windy planned for low battery situations and programmed the controller to minimize power consumption when required. Therefore this is not a malfunction but a normal response to insufficient sunshine.
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I just checked Windy and it is operating normally but the battery is only at 12.5 volts
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Copying 12.0 volts right now at 23:16z. Cloudy here in central AZ pretty much all day today.
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03:12 Z 6 Dec2019
7:12 PM local
Signal strength has been good. I've been watching the voltage decline. Right now it is at 11.9 volts with the temp at 55 degrees
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Battery is hanging in there at 11.5 volts. The weather is shifting and most of the heavy rain clouds are staying along the coast. The high clouds over the desert areas may allow enough sunlight to get through for Windy to keep sending telemetry.
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Sometime after 10PM last night Windy's battery dropped lower and it is now sending three dits.
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Three dits as of 21:48z
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Still sending three dits but Windy should get a full day of sun today as well as 5 - 10 MPH winds. I hope to hear it transition from 3 dits, to four dits, to full telemetry this morning. ;D
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Windy just transitioned to sending 4 dits after a good hour to hour and a half of sunlight!
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Still sending just 4 dits.
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Back to 3 dits. The deserts will continue to have high clouds with some sunshine getting through so Windy's battery could take a while to get back to a full charge.
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3 dits being sent this morning at 8 AM Pacific ;D
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Now in the "help" mode sending four dits 65 sec apart. Am hoping the battery's state of charge improves today.
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Windy just woke up!
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A weak signal from Windy here around 1130 UTC.
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still sending telemetry with the battery at 11.6 volts
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Heard again circa 1130 UTC, 12 Dec 2019.
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Back to three dits at 20:40z Dec 13
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Back to three dits at 20:40z Dec 13
Still at 3 dits. Poor Windy!
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Windy is back this morning with 11.3 volts on the battery and 59 degrees wherever it may be. Here's to some sunny days to warm up the battery and get a solid charge going. 16:25z 18DEC2019
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21:33z 20DEC2019
Windy has faded in here with a strong signal and three dits
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We are getting some decent sunshine in SoCal today. Windy has progressed from "S" to "H" so the battery is getting a little bit of a boost. Hopefully charging will exceed 11.6 volts and bring the telemetry back on line.
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Three dits here this evening with a very strong signal. Here's to Santa bringing Windy sunshine and a strong battery charge for Christmas!
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Has anyone here ever heard any "rumors" about Windy's antenna and transmit power?
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Windy is sending telemetry again
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Windy survived the night without killing the battery. I have trouble believing the early morning temperature reading. It takes a huge jump upwards so I suspect the temperature sensor is in the sun.
It probably needs a shield over it
(https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597dc443914e6bed5fd30dcc/1557218157916-QEZOYHP8CP6C1ZPPRMWU/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kEKMAKWNvh-5ygszoonWnX1Zw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWQUxwkmyExglNqGp0IvTJZamWLI2zvYWH8K3-s_4yszcp2ryTI0HqTOaaUohrI8PIE1FuGn0h2q5tKUG_p3WoCtIorJUGhjwyN4ImJS00_D4KMshLAGzx4R3EDFOm1kBS/Solar+radiation+shield+effect+on+air+temperature+sensors)
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I had a weak signal from Windy circa 1100 UTC this morning, 6 Jan 2020, although I forget the exact time.
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An S (3 dits) from Windy at 1158 UTC 7 Jan 2020.
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Windy sending an S again at 1149 UTC 8 Jan 2020.
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Back to sending H, good signal. 00:42 09JAN2020
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Heard three dits at 1104 UTC 9 Jan 2020.
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Windy is back on this late morning. Sending 57 degrees and 12.3 volts. That is the highest I have heard it in awhile, so it must be getting good dun angle again.
73, Mark
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It is sending 70 degrees right now which makes me doubt the accuracy. There is nowhere in California, Nevada or Arizona that has hit that temp today
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had not thought of that! at 0000 utc its sending 60 deg and 11.9 Volts.
Will have to see how it lasts.
73, Mark
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A weak signal from Windy 1148 UTC 10 Jan 2020, but it sounds like it is sending normal telemetry? Too weak to decode.
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A weak signal from Windy 1148 UTC 10 Jan 2020, but it sounds like it is sending normal telemetry? Too weak to decode.
I was surprised it survived the night sending telemetry! Battery 11.4v and temp at 47
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I've been writing down Windy's reported temperatures and battery voltage for the last two hours. From 7AM to 9AM the temp has increased from 47 to 63 degrees (12 degrees warmer than Furnace Creek, DVNP, by-the-way). Battery has been constant at 11.4 volts.
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Windy is ditting away here in San Tan Valley AZ with a temp of 60 degrees and battery at 11.4 volts. Fair signal with some fading. 23:15z 10JAN2020
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Regardless of its temp, I'm just glad ole' Windy is still making RF!
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Three dits "S" heard from Windy at 1125 UTC, pretty good signal.
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Three dits heard several times this morning in the 1100-1138 UTC time period.
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One H, at a 62-second interval right now.
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Heard a few triple dits / S this morning 17 Jan 2020 circa 1100-1140 UTC.
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Very weak but I can tell Windy is sending telemetry right now. Caught a little; maybe 12.2 volts and definitely wind dits
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Hearing Windy tonite 0120 utc with a nice signal, tmp 68 and B = 11.9
Will be interesting to see if it makes it through the night.
73, Mark
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I’m with you! I want that little beacon to be in the best of health. I’d love to give it a 50 watt panel and a car battery.
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Hearing Windy this morning at 1350z, about 0550 local, well before sunup. So it is working through the night. Too weak for me to hear the B voltage though, would probably be storng enough to make out except for the pesky voice traffic on freq.
(edit) Got it, TMP 47 and B 11.5
T!
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Windy sending "S" this evening. 01:17 UTC 29 Jan 2020. Fairly strong signal here.
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Three dits (S) from Windy around 1135 UTC 30 Jan 2020
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4102.840 KHz Windy. Fair signal with some fading. Slight breeze. Temp 88? Battery 12.3 volts
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Hearing Windy tonight nice signal Tmp 62 and B = 11.9 at 0300 utc.
Mark
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Very nice strong signal from Windy here tonight. TMP 65 and 11.4 volts on the battery. No wind ditting. 02:50 UTC 02FEB2020.
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Can hear it here in Central Oregon - back to sending "s" again Feb 03 0555Z.
QTH: Crooked River Ranch
SDR: http://kk6pr.ddns.net:8075
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Three dits / S heard 1136 UTC 3 Feb 2020.
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Windy with strong and steady signal here sending "S" 00:12 UTC 08FEB2020
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Windy with a strong signal still sending "S this evening. Also some activity around the frequency I do not normally see. What sounds like analog voice inversion scrambling in a USB conversation at 4100.3 KHz with Windy audible in the bandpass. Also what I am assuming is a pirate broadcaster with music in USB at 4107 KHz. Announcer talking between songs is difficult to make out to make an ID. Pirate music broadcaster and scrambled USB conversation gone at 02:15 UTC. Sounds like some "drunken sailors" starting to fade in on 4110 KHz at 02:20 UTC.
Fun evening in the 4100 KHz beacon/pirate/drunken sailor band!
02:20 UTC 09FEB2020
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I'm hearing Windy this morning sending telemetry as usual, around 1135 UTC. Too weak to decode, but the first time I have heard it operating normally in quite some time.
No sign of A on 2097, however.
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Windy sending S again at 1123 UTC 12 Feb 2020. Still no sign of A on 2097.
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Windy sending S at 1221 UTC 13 Feb 2020.
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Now sending "H" at 1756 2/13/2020.
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Sending S at 05:36 UTC 14JAN2020
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S heard at 1151 UTC 14 Feb 2020.
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Back to sending H with strong signal, 02:30 UTC 15FEB2020. Music playing on 4105 KHz in LSB with Windy in the bandpass. Identifying itself with something along the lines of "...international radio for the musically inclined" and "...coming to you from across the sea from the Castle of Argyle" Mentioned lowering power by 10 dB at 02:41 and was buried in the noise after that.
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Windy is back with wind ditting varying around 1 dit per second, TMP 57 B 119. 04:40 UTC 16FEB2020
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2/17/2020 12:38 UTC
Very weak here.
Sending dits and W. TMP 54 and B 112 (I believe)
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Three dits / S from Windy at 1120 UTC 19 Feb 2020.
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The 'desert beacons' by the 4096 cluster-maker are not being maintained, anymore. No more intended, either. Enjoy them while they last before The Fall comes, soon...
Sad to hear, they were a fun catch out east a few years ago when I could receive them.
p.s. Windy heard with three dits / S at 1116 UTC 20 Feb 2020.
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Yes, enjoyed the 4096 cluster for many years. Especially out camping in northern Arizona, they always boomed in with their chorus of harmony!
Windy with four dits "H" tonight at 03:12 UTC 21FEB2020
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4 dits / H from Windy at 1116 UTC 21 Feb 2020. And again at 1121 UTC.
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Windy alive and well but down in the noise here. Around 4 dits, I think I heard six dits in there a couple times.
2/22/20 10:24 4102.8
TMP61 B118
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An actual wind report from Windy! First time for me in a while. W with a few dits circa 1110 UTC 23 Feb 2020.
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Windy heard with an S around 1145 UTC 24 Feb 2020 on the 120 ft T2FD antenna.
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Three dits / S at 1127 UTC. Good signal.
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Windy operating in 'H' mode (4 dits) at 0025 UTC 2/26/20, fair signal N AZ.
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"S" heard at 1113 UTC 26 Feb 2020.
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Temperature 81 Battery 12.5 at 1913 02/26/2020
Heard on the KPH HF KiwiSDR.
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1129 Windy sending occasional wind dits along with telemetry, a very good signal this morning: TMP52 B116
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Back on topic....
Thanks to N0XU for the reminder about the KPH HF KiwiSDR. I've never really been thorough about capturing all of the available HF SDRs
4102.840 KHz Windy with a fair signal here. Slight breeze. Temp 86 and battery 11.9v
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Windy coming in circa 1200 UTC 28 Feb 2020, sending telemetry, but a little too weak to copy. Lots of wind. So I cheated and used a NV KiwiSDR: TMP 59 B 113
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Last night, at about 0400 UTC on 29 Feb, 2020, I noticed it was in fail mode. Since it had been cloudy in the region all day and the bat voltage was reporting low that is not really surprising. This morning (1300 UTC) still in that mode.
T!
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"S" from Windy at 1131 UTC 2 Mar 2020
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Logging Windy on the central coast of CA this afternoon (5PM local) using just the Degen and its built in whip.
Lots of wind pips and the battery voltage is 11.9v (even on a very sunny California day like today). Might need a new cell....
Really good to hear it again.
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Windy with some wind dits an telemetry at 1103 UTC 3 Mar 2020. Too much static right now to decode.
Managed to copy some telemetry circa 1124 UTC: TMP 54 B115, anyone know what what voltage Windy switches to just sending S ?
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Nice signal from Windy today (just now)
TMP 71
Batt 11.9 (full charge these days?)
Really nice signal
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Three dits / S from Windy at 1124 UTC 5 Mar 2020.
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Three dits / S from Windy at 1104 UTC 6 Mar 2020.
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At the time of this writing, temperature is 94 and the battery voltage is 12.5 V.
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7 Mar 2020 1122: Windy came way up out of the noise for several minutes, temp 62, battery 11.8, quite rapid wind pips.
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Windy is sending telemetry this morning
4102.840 KHz Windy. Fair signal with fading. Light breeze. Temp 49 and Battery 11.4v
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Listening to the kfs kiwi and windy it'd doing well this AM. While it's much more fun to hear it on the degen when I'm traveling out west, it's nice to be able to log out from the east.
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I'm hearing Windy sending dits and occasional telemetry at 1039 UTC 9 Mar 2020.
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S heard at 1131 UTC 10 Mar 2020. No sign of A on 2097, btw.
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S heard at 1131 UTC 10 Mar 2020. No sign of A on 2097, btw.
Windy is going to be starved for sunlight today but should get at least partially sunny days after that.
(https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/psw/01/20200701506_GOES17-ABI-psw-01-600x600.jpg)
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Three dits / S from Windy circa 1000 UTC.
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Windy is back to its normal self. I copied battery voltage at 12.3 temp 65 degrees, via KFS
S.
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Windy heard 1112 UTC 12 Mar 2020 with normal telemetry. Too weak and too much storm QRN to copy, however.
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Three dits / S from Windy at 1148 UTC 13 Mar 2020.
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"H" as of the time of this post.
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It's sending telemetry now
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Just three dits / S heard at 1130 UTC 19 Mar 2020.
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Just the occasional "H" there now....
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I think I heard telemetry from Windy at 1046 UTC 24 Mar 2020, but the signal was weak and lots of static.
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Temp 85 and battery of 11.9 as of this posting.
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A little chirpy this morning on the KFS SDR (Also a ton of noise...) Batt 11.4.
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Windy heard with a weak signal but sending telemetry circa 1100 UTC 26 Mar 2020.
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0954 UTC 29 Mar 2020 Windy heard with a weak signal, but sending telemetry.
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0954 UTC 29 Mar 2020 Windy heard with a weak signal, but sending telemetry.
Pretty fair signal here with 86 deg 11.3v and a good breeze
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If my report using the KPH SDR is out of order, please advise. A little over S7 into Point Reyes, CA at 0720 utc. Telemetry was 11.8V and 60 degrees.
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Noise level at about an S2 - S3 on the KPH SDR in Point Reyes, CA. Windy is about the same signal level and easily readable, except for the occasional fade below the noise. 75 degrees and 11.7V at 1618 utc.
Also, Hexy2K clearly readable with about an S1 signal and occasional fades at 1634 utc on 6700.5. A little bit of frequency drifting, which is OK with me. It gives it character :) Over the few minutes I listened, the drift didn't sound like more than a few tens of Hz. It would drift off, then come back to where it was before. Quite charming, really!
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Listening late at night, and Windy is coming in at about an S6 to the KPH SDR. 61 degrees and 11.6V.
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At 0555 utc, Windy is sending 62 degrees and 11.5V. Perfectly Q5 signal at about an S4 into the KPH SDR in Point Reyes, Northern CA.
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I heard Windy send an S sometime around 1100 UTC 20 Apr 2020, I forget the exact time.
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I heard Windy send an S sometime around 1100 UTC 20 Apr 2020, I forget the exact time.
That's interesting. I'm probably missing something, but can't think of where an S would fit into Windy's telemetry. I just heard it on the KPH SDR, at 2346 utc. I haven't listened at this time of day before, and it was warmer than usual, at 81 degrees and 12.5V.
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That's interesting. I'm probably missing something, but can't think of where an S would fit into Windy's telemetry. I just heard it on the KPH SDR, at 2346 utc. I haven't listened at this time of day before, and it was warmer than usual, at 81 degrees and 12.5V.
Were I to guess, (and of course I am), the S and H transmissions indicate a low battery voltage, possibly two different levels.
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That's interesting. I'm probably missing something, but can't think of where an S would fit into Windy's telemetry. I just heard it on the KPH SDR, at 2346 utc. I haven't listened at this time of day before, and it was warmer than usual, at 81 degrees and 12.5V.
Were I to guess, (and of course I am), the S and H transmissions indicate a low battery voltage, possibly two different levels.
I agree that the two Morse letters fit the scheme of reporting the beacon's status but minimize battery usage in a more compact and non-numeric form of telemetry. Somewhere below 11.5 volts Windy switches to a less frequent "H" which I jokingly call the "help!" mode. As the battery dips lower it switches to "S" as if it is sending an SOS to its creator that it wants a new battery.
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This afternoon at 4:36pm local time (2336 utc), Windy is a little above the S4 - S5 noise level into a KiwiSDR in San Diego, courtesy of KA9Q. 98 degrees and 12.0V.
Also coming into a KiwiSDR in the Pahrump Valley in Southern Nevada at about the same signal level at the same time as the above report.
At roughly the same time (just a few minutes later), coming into a KiwiSDR in the Prescott Valley, AZ a little more weakly than the above 2 reports. Band noise of S3, and the beacon is at or a little below the level of the noise.
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Just peeking above the noise at about an S2 into the KFS SDR in Half Moon Bay, CA at 2256 utc (3:56pm PDT).
97 degrees and 12.3V.
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I'm not sure I've heard Windy all day. I don't think it was cloudy in that area either.
Anyone else heard it?
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Its there! It comes up out of the noise this morning but only for a few seconds. Have heard a W and dits is all so far. Prop is just terrible for me here. Has the band gone long... or short... I think long. Will have to go and wander threw some SDR's and see. While listening and watching for windy I have been seeing a signal on about 4096.1 sending the letter "L" have you heard it?
73, Mark
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Its there! It comes up out of the noise this morning but only for a few seconds. Have heard a W and dits is all so far. Prop is just terrible for me here. Has the band gone long... or short... I think long. Will have to go and wander threw some SDR's and see. While listening and watching for windy I have been seeing a signal on about 4096.1 sending the letter "L" have you heard it?
73, Mark
Thanks for the quick reply! I have been checking the KFS Kiwi SDR but no luck yet. Nothing here at home yet Windy used to be heard here almost all day long. I've always believed the signal to be more of NVIS than a normal skywave so maybe something in the atmosphere above me "broke" LOL. Hopefuly Windy is not losing TX power.
I will keep an eye out for "L" on 4096.1 as that would be super cool to hear something new.
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I haven't been able to hear Windy on either the KFS SDR, or the Kiwi SDR in Pahrump, NV. I can usually hear it in the daytime on both of those. Glad to hear it is still alive and kicking.
Yes, I can hear a single L being sent on about 4096.1 on the KFS SDR at about 2200 utc, buried underneath what sounds like a relatively continuous tone. 4096 is a commonly used crystal frequency, so I suppose it's not surprising to hear a signal there. The L is sent about once every 7 seconds, and at a rough guess, I'd say the speed is about 6 - 7 wpm.
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I stand corrected, Windy is not there! ...... no 3 dits no 4 dits its gone.
Bummer!
mm
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Alright here I go! This morning I was on looking for the L beacon on 4096 and haystack or the other long dasher around 4095. Neither heard here so went online to the Southern NV SDR. And it was not hearing them either so while drinking some coffee and waiting just in case they might fade up out of the noise I noticed some CW up around Windys old freq. I started to imagine I could see and hear a W and some telemetry, very weak with QSB. This was around 1300 utc. I'm purty sure it was there. Though I have to remember I was in High School in the late 60's early 70's. This lasted maybe 15 minutes and then there was a long dash off and and on for a few minutes and then.... it was gone.... da di dah da da da di dah da da....
73, Mark
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I was out in the desert for ten days and never heard a peep from Windy.
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Still unheard
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Mark,
~4096.35 Haystack was taken off-air in March, along with Viking. Viking was relocated elsewhere away from too-frequented Viking Mine and to another place - day only and -10dB from Viking ERP.
A big windstorm last week blew 6626.3 *Rocky's* solar-panel 4 ft. away from the beacon site - rabbits has eaten its supply wire to the beacon.. I took it all back home...
Yup -- no reception of "The Wind Beacon" (true name we named it back in - uh, before 2000 Millenium...)
It's
The
End
Of
The
World
As
We
Know
It,
And I
Feel
Fine
(AIFF)
REM 80's tune. dunno why I just thought of it...
73 - ML
Alright here I go! This morning I was on looking for the L beacon on 4096 and haystack or the other long dasher around 4095. Neither heard here so went online to the Southern NV SDR. And it was not hearing them either so while drinking some coffee and waiting just in case they might fade up out of the noise I noticed some CW up around Windys old freq. I started to imagine I could see and hear a W and some telemetry, very weak with QSB. This was around 1300 utc. I'm purty sure it was there. Though I have to remember I was in High School in the late 60's early 70's. This lasted maybe 15 minutes and then there was a long dash off and and on for a few minutes and then.... it was gone.... da di dah da da da di dah da da....
73, Mark
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Wherefore art though oh Windy? :-\ :'(
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Oh for heavens sake! Can someone check on Windys freq and and let me know what you might be hearing???
Thanks, Mark, Ku7z
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Nothing heard at 4102.85 0300Z through 1500Z, 16 September from Southern California.
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The Wind Beacon has returned! I have it at 03:11z 17SEP2020. The usual W identifier, variable wind dits, and TMP 95 B 121. Some QSB but a nice strong signal on the upswing.
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I think it might have been E_L_V_I_S
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My apologies!!
Windy lives!!At 1359Z, 4102.84kHz, Temp 84, B11.7 no wind recorded
Signal 559 with QSB
Receiver KiwiSDR
Ant: 80m dipole at 15m
location: DM12
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Windy had certainly "left the building" for a time! It is down in the noise right now but readable, indicating TMP 105 and B 120. 23:02z 18SEP2020.
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Checking back on Windy. Good signal with TMP 98 B 119 and the wind seems to be gusting to a fair clip. Also in the neighborhood:
"H" beacon on 4100.07, slight chirp
Dasher on 4094.00
01:45z 19SEP2020
Hearing all three on the Airspy HF+ on the vertical and my trusty Hammarlund HQ-180A on the horizontal long wire.
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A weak signal from Windy on about 4102.8 at 0943 UTC 19 Sep 2020. Great to hear it again.
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And again around 1109 UTC 20 Sep 2020. Hearing the W and telemetry, no wind.
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Looks like Windy has gone into safe mode. Only sending 3 dits or rather S tonight.
Mark
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Seeing that too (via KFS Kiwi)
Glad it's back even in safe mode.
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Windy coming in again this morning, circa 1030-1100 UTC, normal operation.
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Nice copy here this morning.
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Weak reception from Windy 1018 UTC 30 Sep 2020. Not bad, considering the unsettled geomagnetic conditions.
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Windy doing well with the Sedona Kiwi.
11.x battery voltage and 97F at 6:30 PM :-)
Owens Valley is cooling off.
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Back in safe mode with "S" right now.
Hrd on KM6CQ Kiwi
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"S" heard at 1055 and then 1056 UTC 2 Oct 2020.
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"S" heard at 1054 UTC 3 Oct 2020.
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Windy sending W, no wind, and also telemetry (too weak to decode) 1013 UTC 5 Oct 2020.
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"S" heard at 1032 UTC 6 Oct 2020.
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"H" being transmitted now at 00:35 UTC 08OCT2020
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"H" heard 1005 UTC 9 Oct 2020.
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"W" and telemetry but no wind pips, just above the noise floor here at 0900 UTC 10 OCT 2020.
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Telemetry heard circa 1001-1007 UTC 10 Oct 2020.
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Windy heard in "H" safe mode just now, via the Sedona Kiwi
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"S" heard 1018 UTC 14 Oct 2020.
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"H" heard 0945 UTC 15 Oct 2020.
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Temp 99, batt 12.2 at 2326 along with wind pips.
Good to hear Windy
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Windy operating normally with W, wind dits, telemetry, 1037 UTC 16 Oct 2020
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Weak signal, but sounds like normal operation from Windy at 1114 UTC 17 Oct 2020.
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Windy with wind dits roughly one per second to a little faster and TMP 84 B 113. Fair to strong signal. 04:25z 18OCT2020
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"S" heard 1020 UTC 20 Oct 2020
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I wonder if Windy has been there all along but far too weak to overcome poor propagation?
Really glad to see some reports! I recently had my house fumigated so all of the antennas had to be removed before tenting.
I am now in the process of rehabbing the antennas and cables as well as add some new ones to install. It might be another week
before I can start receiving beacons here at home.
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Windy coming in circa 1020 UTC 22 Oct 2020, sounds normal.
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Normal today.... via the Sedona kiwi. 101 F, still toasty out there (and breezy)
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Windy sending telemetry at 1010 UTC 23 Oct 2020 with a weak signal.
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I have re-installed my SWL antenna and Windy is coming in weak but readable now.
Temp seems to be 74 and battery is at 11.2v
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Windy with a very nice strong signal with minimal fading, best I have heard it in some time this evening. Wind ditting about one per second, TMP 77 B 111. 03:00Z 24OCT2020.
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Windy nice and strong this evening but no telemetry, only "S" 01:15 UTC 25 OCT 2020
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"S" at 0936 26 Oct 2020
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Still sending "S" 15:30 UTC 26 OCT 2020
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Windy sure needs a battery swap....
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Been overcast here the past couple of days so maybe not enough sun in addition to the battery if it is cloudy wherever Windy is. Sending "H" now, I don't know which is less charge on the battery "S" or "H" or if they have some other meaning. Strong signal at 01:40 UTC 27 OCT 2020.
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"S" at 1019 UTC 27 Oct 2020.
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Batt up to 12.1 and sending the normal telemetry
It IS a cold day in hell (71!)
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1003 UTC 28 Oct 2020 Telemetry heard, quite weak this morning.
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Evening check showed it's 79 in hell today and windy is pinging away with almost no wind.
4096 hrd riding qsb peaks too.
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Telemetry heard circa 1030 UTC 29 Oct 2020.
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1014Z: Heard on SDR recording from this morning, fading in and out right around the noise floor. TMP 57 B111. I narrowed the RX filter down to 20 HZ for this -- worked well and much easier on the ears. No sign of the "L" beacon.
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Windy sending "S" this evening. 02:44 UTC 31 OCT 2020
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Telemetry heard 1119 UTC 2 Nov 2020.
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Windy telemetry heard, weak, around 1120 UTC 3 Nov 2020.
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"S" heard at 1122 UTC 4 Nov 2020
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"H" being sent now with a strong signal. 23:10 UTC 6 NOV 2020
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Windy quite strong and solid this evening. Peaking up to S7 on the Airspy HF+. The fastest wind I have ever heard Windy ditting out as well off and on tonight, fast enough to just be a buzz on wind peaks. Cooling as well, TMP 49 B 117. 04:16 UTC 08 NOV 2020
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Windy being received in Michigan right now, 0617z with clear "W" followed by rapid dits and other telemetry, maybe 50% copy here on the west DKAZ loop.
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1252 UTC: Just above the noise "TMP 46 B 114" with wind pips.
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Some fading this morning but a good signal on the upswing. TMP 65 B 117 and wind dits, not as fast as last evening but a steady breeze. 17:30 UTC 08 NOV 2020
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S heard 1035 UTC 9 Nov 2020
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"S" at 1033 UTC 10 Nov 2020.
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"S" 1056 UTC 11 Nov 2020.
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"S" 00:45 UTC 12 NOV 2020.
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"S" 1057 UTC 12 Nov 2020
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Windy with wind ditting and TMP 70 B 119 00:00 UTC 14 NOV 2020
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I've always wondered about Windy's reported temperature and assumed it was the air temperature but it was not quite accurate or consistent. Given that Windy is reporting battery voltage maybe the reported temperature is that of the battery?
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That is an interesting thought and could well be. Windy's temperature is indeed a bit inconsistent. Often times it seems to track pretty close to my ambient temperature here in rural central Arizona. My weather station is out in the middle of an open field so free from most of the effects of urban concrete and asphalt retaining heat. I will have to log my ambient along with Windy for a while an see how it differs. Probably not quantitative or proof of anything but an interesting comparison.
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Windy back to "S" 20:00 UTC 15 NOV 2020
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Windy now sending "H" 21:20 UTC 18 NOV 2020
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1218 UTC 21 NOV 2020: "TMP 59 B 115" with wind pips better than 1/sec. Well above the noise at times.
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Battery needs replacement. Anyone want to volunteer to swap in a new one? I'll pass the hat.
John (Windy Fan Club member)
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TMP 68 B 113 About two dits per second wind. Very strong signal this evening. 02:24 UTC 22 NOV 2020
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Battery needs replacement. Anyone want to volunteer to swap in a new one? I'll pass the hat.
John (Windy Fan Club member)
I’ll go
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Road trip!
(a bit of a slog from the east coast, but it would be good to swap out the batt)
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"S" with a strong signal. 01:38 UTC 27 NOV 2020
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Strong signal with minimal fading. Variable winds 1-3 dits per second. TMP 59 B 119
00:39 UTC 28 NOV 2020
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1115 UTC 28 NOV 2020: "TMP 48 B 115" variable wind speed (~1-2 pips/sec).
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0922 UTC 04 DEC 2020: Just "S" this morning. Decent signal compared to other mornings.
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A very weak signal from Windy 1129 UTC 7 Dec 2020. It sounds like it might be the normal message? Difficult to tell, but long enough.
Yes, W, some wind dits, and then normal telemetry at 1151 UTC. TMP 59 B115
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A very weak signal from Windy 1129 UTC 7 Dec 2020. It sounds like it might be the normal message? Difficult to tell, but long enough.
Yes, W, some wind sits, and then normal telemetry at 1151 UTC. TMP 59 B115
Using KFS's high gain antenna I can hear Windy operating normally but still at the low 11.5 volt battery voltage. From 11.3 to 11.5 is the level where it will start sending "H"
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In data mode today too.
Too bad it's heading towards QRT... it's such a reliable beacon that is just in search of a battery
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Sending "S" fairly strong, thought I heard an "H" in there but maybe not. The last couple of S's were solid. 00:03 UTC 09 DEC 2020
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S heard 1155 UTC 10 Dec 2020
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Windy is doing great via the KFS South array
Temp 62F
Batt 11.9
Sure could use a new battery (hint)
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Windy indicated in bright RED trace on the KFS omni and SE antennas. Strongest I've seen it!
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Am also hearing it with 53 degrees and 11.8 volts. Noticing the CW is very slow compared to the Desert Whooper
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0918 UTC 17 DEC 2020: "W" ID heard clearly, but telemetry was too weak to decode by ear despite a very quiet frequency.
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When I was listening the other night, it seemed like the "dits" from the anemometer had stretched out...which I guess is possible if it was just being keyed by an optocoupler, rather than having a fixed dit triggered by an anemometer.
Strange!
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Is it sending CW slower than before or is it just me? I don't think my CW listening "speed" has improved that much!
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S heard from Windy at 1110 UTC 21 Dec 2020
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"S" from Windy at 1114 UTC 22 Dec 2020
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Windy's morse has really slowed down.
I'm not sure how this happens without either modifying the code or changing the clock speed the processor is running. Neither seems likely if / as it's unattended.
Hmmmmmmmmm....
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Windy's morse has really slowed down.
I'm not sure how this happens without either modifying the code or changing the clock speed the processor is running. Neither seems likely if / as it's unattended.
Hmmmmmmmmm....
I ttoo thought it had slowed down but felt I was just mis-remembering. I was going to go listen to one of Token's fine Youtube videos and compare WPMs
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0922 UTC 28 DEC 2020: "TMP 49 B 115" with variable wind. Rising just slightly above the noise floor (-133dBm) at times throughout a 0900-1100 UTC SDR recording.
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Windy's morse has really slowed down.
I'm not sure how this happens without either modifying the code or changing the clock speed the processor is running. Neither seems likely if / as it's unattended.
Hmmmmmmmmm....
Rather than changing the software the Maker Of Windy should be changing the battery! ;D
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AMEN!
It's too good, and too reliable to let go to waste!
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windy sounding good here at the moment, 0115 utc. Temp 52 B 11.2
Don't think it will make it to sunrise tonight.
Also hearing the 4094 ditter and 4095 DW sigs.
73. Mark
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Hellish noise on the KFS Kiwis tonight.
No desert beacons tonight!
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Poor Windy is sending H.
It needs a vaccine injection of battery acid ::)
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Weak copy 1106 UTC 4 Jan 2021.
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Windy is strong on the SDR. The Morse CW speed is super slow. Am wondering if the battery was changed from SLA to Lithium 18650's, hence the current peaks only in the 11 volt range unlike the days of seeing 13.6v highs. I still think the temp probe is unshielded leading to inaccurate readings when the sun is shining on the probe.
Wind dits slow. Volts 11.3 Temp 85 (??)
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Jim, I think you're right in regards the 18650s. It's 4:30 PM PDT and windy is reporting 11.6 V, which correlates well with 3x Lithium. As has been seen in the past week or so, Windy has been really strong into the KFS kiwis.
If I were to guess:
* Clock speed of processor was lowered (hence the slower CW and anemometer pips)
* Battery was changed as you observe
* Antenna was fixed up.
If so, bravo to the ops!
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Jim, I think you're right in regards the 18650s. It's 4:30 PM PDT and windy is reporting 11.6 V, which correlates well with 3x Lithium. As has been seen in the past week or so, Windy has been really strong into the KFS kiwis.
If I were to guess:
* Clock speed of processor was lowered (hence the slower CW and anemometer pips)
* Battery was changed as you observe
* Antenna was fixed up.
If so, bravo to the ops!
If it is lithium-ion powered now i wonder what the "H" and "S" messages mean?
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Heard again this morning sending S at 1057 UTC 5 Jan 2021.
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"S" heard 1104 UTC 6 Jan 2021.
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H ealthy
S ick
????
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H ealthy
S ick
????
Good guesses.
How about
Hibernating?
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No sign of Windy this morning, but propagation is lousy here atm.
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Very good signal on the KFS Kiwi SE SDR but Windy is only sending "S"
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"S" at 1058 UTC 8 Jan 2021.
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Three of the Four (Mhz) Horsemen are making a strong showing today. No sign of Marin, but again I using the south favoring Kiwi from KFS. 4097 dasher is doing well , DW is whooping away amidst Spanish QRM and Windy is winding down (H mode)
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"H" at 01:12 UTC 10 JAN 2021
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Its back running this evening.
TMP 57
B 11.9
73, Mark
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Normal operation heard 1111 UTC 11 Jan 2021.
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Normal operation this evening as well with a strong signal. TMP 58 B 115 01:04 UTC 12 JAN 2021. Very little wind ditting and sometimes the dits are longer as if the anemometer is turning very slowly.
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"S" heard 1054 UTC 12 Jan 2021.
"S" heard again 1240 UTC with a somewhat stronger signal.
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Still "S" at 23:55 UTC 12 JAN 2021
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"S" 1103 UTC 13 Jan 2021
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"S" 1103 UTC 14 Jan 2021
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"S" heard 1040 UTC 15 Jan 2021, and a few times later as well.
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"H" at 23:52 UTC 15JAN2021
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"S" 1200 UTC 18 Jan 2021.
And again 1223 UTC.
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"S" 1220 UTC 19 Jan 2021.
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"S" 1209 UTC 20 Jan 2021
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"S" 1134 UTC 21 Jan 2021.
"H" 1142 UTC 21 Jan 2021 - Makes me wonder if I heard S or H earlier.
"S" 1204 UTC 21 Jan 2021. Pretty sure it was S.
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Hearing "H" 23:04 UTC 21 JAN 2021
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"S" (I think it was S) 1112 UTC 22 Jan 2021.
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Listening on KFS, the S sounds almost like an "O" in morse.... strange.
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"H" 23:37 UTC 22 JAN 2021
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Back to telemetry with about 1 dit per second/variable and TMP 55 B 119 00:55 UTC 24 JAN 2021
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"S" heard 1129 UTC 25 Jan 2021.
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"S" 1210 UTC 27 Jan 2021
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"H" 00:55 UTC 28 JAN 2021
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"S" 1045 UTC 28 Jan 2021
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Listening on Mojave desert KiwiSDR right now (Jan 28 1545Z) I hear it quite well but it is only sending either an "S" or an "H" every minute or so. Nothing else being sent.
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Windy sending normal messages at 1036 UTC 29 Jan 2021.
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Windy clicking along with some gusty winds. TMP 59 B 115 23:30 29 JAN 2021
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It still seems that Windy is short of a solid battery/solar solution that would support 24/7 operations. It's anemometer and temperature functions are frequently offline with only H or S being sent. A couple nights ago I noticed that keying of Morse Code "W" was pulling the frequency quite a bit.
(https://i.ibb.co/8Y5CFDJ/Windy-Freq-Pull.jpg)
Or maybe it's always been that way... ;)
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It still seems that Windy is short of a solid battery/solar solution that would support 24/7 operations. It's anemometer and temperature functions are frequently offline with only H or S being sent. A couple nights ago I noticed that keying of Morse Code "W" was pulling the frequency quite a bit.
(https://i.ibb.co/8Y5CFDJ/Windy-Freq-Pull.jpg)
Or maybe it's always been that way... ;)
I have noticed the pulling from time to time on the "W" as well, it typically has not been that way so I would agree that the battery situation is deteriorating. It had much more "active telemetry" up time in the past. Right now it is sending "S" 01:00 UTC 31JAN2021.
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I have noticed the pulling from time to time on the "W" as well, it typically has not been that way so I would agree that the battery situation is deteriorating. It had much more "active telemetry" up time in the past. Right now it is sending "S" 01:00 UTC 31JAN2021.
It would be cool if it also had telemetry for the solar panel current the way the Desert Whooper (DW) does. It helps to give a sense of the solar panel output and how well the battery is accepting charge. Around 8 in the morning I'll hear DW reporting over 2 Amps and 14 volts so that's a happy battery getting an electrified breakfast ;D
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"S" heard 1216 UTC 1 Feb 2021.
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Back this evening at 0345 utc. TMP 62 and B 11.8 at the moment! Got some again today!
73, Mark
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1112 UTC 3 Feb 2021 - Windy sending normally. The signal is too weak to reliably copy the telemetry at this time, I'll keep the radio on in the background and see if I get the usual boost in signal strength around local sunrise.
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1320 UTC 03 FEB 2021: About 10 minutes before local sunrise, solid "W" IDs. Could see telemetry and some wind pips on the waterfall, but too weak to decode by ear.
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At 0545 utc this evening Windy is showing TMP 62 and B at 11.3..
Might not make it to sunrise in the morning.
73, Mark
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"S" heard 1116 UTC 4 Feb 2021.
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"S" at 16:15 UTC 06 FEB 2021 - Very solid signal then switched to "H" at 16:18 UTC
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Back to normal operation TMP 80 B 123 - 21:45 UTC 06 FEB 2021
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right now Windy is very strong with slow dits, TMP 82 and B at 11.9
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Sounds like regular operation from Windy at 1104 UTC 8 Feb 2021
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"S" heard 1118 UTC 9 Feb 2021.
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"S" heard around 1223 UTC 10 Feb 2021.
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Just copied a strong "H" . Big signal to KFS tonight.
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"H" here at 1124 UTC 11 Feb 2021, also a good signal.
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I heard Windy sending what sounded like regular telemetry circa 1130 UTC (I forget the exact time). It was too weak to copy.
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"S" heard 1205 UTC 15 Feb 2021.
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Windy sending normal telemetry, but too weak to decode, 1102 UTC 16 Feb 2021
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"S" heard 1110 UTC 17 Feb 2021.
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Quite windy out at Windy this afternoon, the anemometer is getting a workout. Same here at my location.
TMP 70 B 119 23:04 UTC 20 FEB 2021
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"S" heard 1111 UTC 22 Feb 2021
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"S" heard circa 1105 UTC 23 Feb 2021.
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"H" at 23:10 UTC 23 FEB 2021
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"S" 1107 UTC 24 Feb 2021
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Sounds like normal telemetry from Windy 1117 UTC 25 Feb 2021.
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Sounds like regular telemetry from Windy, 1143 UTC 26 Feb 2021. Weak signal.
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"S" at 00:08 UTC 28 FEB 2021
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A very low speed CW "S" on Windy tonight, but VERY stong.
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Sounds like normal telemetry at 1157 UTC 1 Mar 2021
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1123 UTC 01 MAR 2021: "TMP 44 B 115" with wind pips. Best signal from Windy here in a while, perhaps due to a low noise level this morning.
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Normal telemetry heard 1107 UTC 2 Mar 2021
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"S" heard 1127 UTC 3 Mar 2021
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"S" 1119 UTC 4 Mar 2021
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"S" heard 1109 UTC 5 Mar 2021
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Variable wind ditting and a solid signal this evening. TMP 67 B 120 02:47 UTC 06 MAR 2021
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~1200 UTC 06 MAR 2021: "TMP 56 B 118" with steady wind pips. Peaked about 1/2 hour before sunrise here.
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1123 UTC 07 MAR 2021: "TMP 56 B 115" with slow wind. Exceptionally quiet conditions this morning, otherwise I doubt I would have heard it.
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A good signal this morning, first heard 1050 UTC and still coming in 1121 UTC 8 Mar 2021, sending normal telemetry.
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"S" heard 1126 UTC 9 Mar 2021.
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Normal telemetry from Windy 1107 UTC 10 Mar 2021, sounds fairly windy this morning.
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Windy with normal telemetry 1121 UTC 11 Mar 2021
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Possibly a very faint "S" at 1115 UTC 12 Mar 2021
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"S" heard 1105 UTC 15 Mar 2021.
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Weak but normal telemetry 0948 UTC 16 Mar 2021.
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Normal telemetry heard circa 1100 UTC this morning, 18 Mar 2021. Still heard 1153 UTC, but weaker.
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Windy is ditting away coming in 10 to 20 dB over the noise on the KX3/PX3
TMP 67
B 11.0
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very weak dits and unreadable telemetry here at home
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Windy is again ditting away with a quick breeze and coming in 10 to 20 dB over the noise on the KX3/PX3
TMP 63
B 11.7
Frequency seems to pull downwards a little when sending Morse Code
-
4 dits
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Windy faded up here just before the end of the UTC day with a nice signal and variable wind ditting. TMP 68 B 119
23:57 UTC 26 MAR 2021
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If Windy's creator reads this thread I'd bet they'd be happy to know I can also hear Windy in Hawaii right now
http://kiwisdr.robinett.us:8073/
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Slow dits with TMP 64 and B 11.1
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Listening on Degen 1103 with just the telescoping whip from Santa Barbara county and can copy Windy with normal telemetry (85 in the desert at 0030) .
No sign of DW from here with the same setup
Update:
45 min later, Windy is armchair copy, and I can hear the occasional whoop from DW, but nowhere near as strong.
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Windy sending "H" 01:16 UTC 30 MAR 2021
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Windy with a whole bunch of pips this afternoon. It's windy down at Windy.
Listening from the Central Coast, Windy is considerably louder then The Whooper at 0100-0200.
Again, even with just a 3' long whip to the Degen portable, Windy is strong enough to carry on a QSO. Impressive stuff.
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1010 UTC 05 APR 2021: Windy came in well on yesterday morning's IQ recording under quiet conditions TMP 74 B 114 with slow wind pips.
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1122 UTC 12 APR 2021: TMP 65 B 114 with slow wind. Signal peaked around this time, about 10 minutes before my sunrise.
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A noisy KFS sdr has Windy with a battery voltage of 12.0.
Must be sunny to charge up even a weak battery
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Fair signal with modest wind activity, 86 degrees and 12.1 volts reported
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Fair signal here at home, steady wind activity dits, 75 degrees and 11.6 volts reported
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I have to say that Windy has really turned a page. It is now consistently transmitting with a pretty good signal. I can regularly hear it during the day here at home and pretty much any time on the KFS SDR. I appreciate the efforts of Windy's creator with the repairs or updates that keep Windy on line.
TMP 102
B 12.2
-
good signal here at home
TMP 89
B 12.4
-
good signal on KFS
TMP 106
B 12.8 (highest I've seen in a while)
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Fair signal on my KX3
TMP 78
B 12.1
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Summer in MN is glorious but brief. Nights are short and the sun never gets all that far below the horizon. Compared to long winter nights, this isn't favorable for receiving 4MHz beacons like Windy and DW. Propagation predictions show this and my own experience is consistent with them. The last two nights have had very quiet conditions in terms of geomagnetic conditions, lightning, and local noise. But the beacons are weak here in the 0900-1100Z predawn hours, rising above the low noise floor only briefly. I get clear IDs from Windy, but not full frames of telemetry. DW is mostly just a ghost of an image on the waterfall. Oh well, it is a great time of year to enjoy the outdoors instead!
-
Summer in MN is glorious but brief. Nights are short and the sun never gets all that far below the horizon. Compared to long winter nights, this isn't favorable for receiving 4MHz beacons like Windy and DW. Propagation predictions show this and my own experience is consistent with them. The last two nights have had very quiet conditions in terms of geomagnetic conditions, lightning, and local noise. But the beacons are weak here in the 0900-1100Z predawn hours, rising above the low noise floor only briefly. I get clear IDs from Windy, but not full frames of telemetry. DW is mostly just a ghost of an image on the waterfall. Oh well, it is a great time of year to enjoy the outdoors instead!
DW and Windy seem to have fairly "big" signals 24/7 but there is no way I will ever hear CryBaby in the eastern Rockies since it only runs 10mW and only during daylight hours. This is where SDRs are so useful whether I live in California or Minnesota. ;)
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Windy has a very slow breeze spinning the anemometer TMP 84 B 11.9
Good signal here at home.
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Wow! Windy reports 129F at 1910 Z (1210 CA time).
And DW may not have survived this heatwave -- not being heard either direct or on the KFS SDR.
/STENDEC
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Wow! Windy reports 129F at 1910 Z (1210 CA time).
And DW may not have survived this heatwave -- not being heard either direct or on the KFS SDR.
/STENDEC
Beacon L has also gone silent :( :-\ :'(
-
And Beacon L had a great signal, while it lasted. I wonder if the heat got to it also?
Windy reported just 135 degrees at 1915Z, 12:15 pm CA time. Yikes!
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Windy is stuck on transmit (6/28 14:10 UTC)
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Windy is stuck on transmit (6/28 14:10 UTC)
It never seems to last too long as some puff of wind will eventually tickle the anemometer’s cups. It has always made me wonder if Windy has a sticky mechanical switch or a opto-isolator to send the wind dits. Either way, following it with a one-shot timer in hardware or software would eliminate the hung transmit incidents that waste battery power.
-
Yep,, some sort of watchdog to save the batteries would be a good addition. It's back in service now :-)
102F...toasty!
-
Pretty strong here at home but with some fades. Slight breeze, TMP 99, B 12.3
-
Windy pretty good to the Calif central coast. 116 in the desert today. Really nice to hear it again "natively" .
Nice easy copy starting about 2200 using a Belka DX and about 20' of wire up about 10'
-
Batt 11.5
Temp 86
Nice steady signal this morning
-
Been a sunny day in the desert.
Batt 11.9
Temp 95
Enjoying the central coast DXing. No sign of the others, but my random wire is only about 6' off the earth here in temporary quarters.
Windy delivers!
-
It's 9AM local and Windy reports a temp of 106. It's gonna be *toasty* in the desert today! (Batt is 11.7)
-
0230 in the Central Coast and I can hear Windy. Nothing special, but when I moved out from underneath the aluminum patio cover (doh!) I can copy it Q5 with just six inches of the Belka's telescoping antenna--- which is the stock antenna fully compressed.
Pretty amazing propagation and RX.
101 F in the desert tonight, with intermittent breezes.
-
I'm not hearing Windy on KFS or any of the usual west coast SDRs this morning. Checked several times between 1600Z and 1730Z. It's normally very reliable. Anyone else heard it today?
STENDEC
-
Windy is back and sounding good on the west coast SDRs: TMP 106 B 12.6 with a good breeze, too.
It was silent for ~72 hours. I don't think it was propagation dropout since I still could hear the 4097.5 fast dasher and the slow dasher at 4096.2
STENDEC
-
A battery voltage of 12.6 on Windy is good and surprising news!
When I was listening last week, I never heard it above 11.9.
Could it be that it was serviced?!
-
I believe that Windy is now running on some sort of rechargeable lithium based battery. Prior to the last time it was off the air it had lead acid battery voltage ranges being reported.
PS: I merged "Is Windy Off the Air" with this topic. No need for two threads about Windy's hiccups ;D
-
That's a good point Jim. Peak voltages are in the 12.3-12.6 (a 3 cell Li series string?) range now, rather than close to 13 like you'd expect with lead acid at the end of the afternoon of full sun . It's been a long time (until very recently) since Windy was charged up to over 12.
To whomever responsible: Thank you!
-
Windy's signal strength continues to be good. I have a weak but readable signal on my KX3 here at home. The other day the anemometer appeared to be stuck and it was draining the battery. Right now the telemetry says TMP 101 B 11.9
-
Windy appears to be running the battery low again. Just now I heard the "S" (about 60 secs apart) and no other telemetry.
-
Still sending "S" this morning, fair signal here at home
-
Windy is now sending "H" so that's a sign that the battery is getting some charge.
-
Windy is again operating normally :)
No breeze, TMP is 81 B is 11.9
-
TMP is 103 B is 12.1 Slight breeze.
S4 on KFS SE kiwi
-
TMP is 115 B is 12.1 Tickling breeze.
S2 on KFS SE omni
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I am listening to Windy at 07:00 UTC, and I believe the anemometer/wind speed gauge is malfunctioning. When it gives the usual "W" character there is an about 12 second-long dash, instead of the usual "dit" or "dits". (Or is this normal when there is no wind?)
Voltage is 11.7v and temperature is 84 degrees.
--Leigh in Santa Barbara, Calif.
07:20 UTC update--the dits have returned after the W character.
-
I believe it to be a small design defect in a beacon that has been around for years.
My guess:
Each time the anemometer turns 360 degrees a small switch or optical interrupter is triggered and “blips” the transmit control line. There is no one-shot timer to buffer things and limit the maximum duration of the “blip”.
Every so often the breeze is so faint the wind cups can’t generate enough force to push through the interrupter and the transmitter stays keyed on. Ultimately it runs the battery down if no breeze pops up to push the anemometer through.
Just my theory. I’d love to see Windy in person some day.
-
I've heard this happen too (but not very often).
Pray for a breeze or a lot of sun! :-)
-
I’d love to see Windy in person some day.
With a can of compressed air in hand and see who logs the hurricane? ;D
Naughty Healthkit.
73's
-
Windy is starting to show signs of battery depletion again. As the "W" is keyed or telemetry is being keyed the transmitter frequency is pulling low. Easily seen on a waterfall display.
The battery and solar panel must be sized on the small side.
-
There have been some clouds and thunderstorms moving through the SW deserts. Windy is mostly off the air right now, sending "H" during the day and "S" at night. Hopefully the current sunny weather gets it running again!
-
Windy was still sending 4 dits in the morning but now I hear healthy telemetry this afternoon.
Good wind dits TMP 80 BAT 12.0
-
Hearing Windy at 1036 UTC 8 OCT 2021 with a fair signal.
-
Generally I check both Windy and the Desert Whooper to compare temp readings and signal strength.
Just now DW is the usual S9 on KFS-SE but Windy is a faint whisper. Windy’s telemetry was TMP 61 and B 11.9 so it seems to be functioning well.
That leaves idle speculation at:
Weird propagation
Antenna or coax damage
Output amp level lowered or damaged
Windy was moved or vandalized
Other transmit circuit malfunctions
-
Windy is certainly weaker than it has been by quite a bit.
It could be any of the reasons you suggest .... battery hasn't gotten any worse or better than it has been in the past 6-8 months. Occam might suggest antenna damage. :(
-
It looks as if a repair mission was completed yesterday.
Windy was back up to full strength last night. Currently about equal to DW on KFS SE kiwi at S9
-
Hooray!
Can't hear it tonight as the ))#$(&% WSPRdaemons are parked on KFS , but will keep trying.
Thank you , whoever did the work!
-
Hooray!
Can't hear it tonight as the ))#$(&% WSPRdaemons are parked on KFS , but will keep trying.
Thank you , whoever did the work!
I’d recommend a few other kiwis to hear Windy
Radio Ranch in Nevada
Utah omni kiwi
KPH
-
Windy is operating normally at the moment
Slow wind dits
Internal temp of 92
Battery of 11.8
-
Thanks for the recommendations, Jim.
It's pretty easy to configure a Kiwi to keep folks from parking on it. It's a shame.
-
Thanks for the recommendations, Jim.
It's pretty easy to configure a Kiwi to keep folks from parking on it. It's a shame.
I suspect the Whisper folks donate enough money to get a access password and be allowed to park on SDRs as much as they want
-
Windy sounding normal today, with the usual downward frequency pull on Morse characters . Steady wind dits, TMP 82 B is 11.9
-
No signal at all from Windy, either locally or on SDRs. The cloudy weather must have flattened the battery. Windy really needs to upsize its solar panel and battery. No one is going to suddenly find it if there is a 20 watt panel instead of a 5 watt panel 8)
-
Poor windy needs a little love.
And a new battery.
-
Poor windy needs a little love.
And a new battery.
I just checked a few SDRs and couldn't hear it. The western deserts are clouded over so Windy may have shut down.