HFU HF Underground
Loggings => HF Beacons => Topic started by: Teotwaki on November 16, 2020, 2117 UTC
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Sends the sweeping signal"Whoops" 15 times then CW ID's with the letters "DW". Maybe a "Desert Whooper"?
Weak with some fading on the KFS Kiwi SDR using the SE antenna.
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Still hanging in although it comes and goes.
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No sign of DW here, and I was looking about the time you posted. I do, however, see, the assumed new 4097.2 beacon (2 sec on, 2 sec off) fading in and out.
T!
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DW was weak and faded in and out of the KFS Kiwi SE receiver. Not a great signal. I think I saw the new dasher (4097.2) and it seemed pretty strong.
What's the story on the dasher? If there were any forum messages I must have missed them.
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No real idea about the new dasher, other than I first saw it about a week ago. At times it is very strong here, other times unheard at all. It seems that I hear it best about an hour after local sunrise. At first I thought it was night time only (I did not see it in daylight for the first few days in a row), and that it might be related to the other new dasher on 7999.2 kHz (they have the same or very similar cycle times), and thought maybe shifting daytime/night time freqs. But then I saw the 4097.2 during the day, and have seen it pretty much every day since. However, I have not yet seen 4097.2 and 7999.2 at the same time, so they still could be related.
T!
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4097.2 dasher visible just above the noise floor on my SDR, rises up for a few cycles then fades back out for two or three minutes. No sign of DW at this point. 02:18 UTC 18 NOV 2020
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7999.2 dasher here with some fading. 16:55 UTC 19 NOV 2020 Not seeing 4097.2.
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Back on topic..... 8)
The DW Whooper seems to have come up a bit in signal strength and is now sending 21 "whoops" between the Morse IDs
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Back on topic..... 8)
The DW Whooper seems to have come up a bit in signal strength and is now sending 21 "whoops" between the Morse IDs
I love finding these kinds of signals! If you make a recording of the DW Whooper, please post a link here. I like to share these kinds of signals with my Twitter followers, who all love theses as much as I do. Thanks!
P.S. I tried to locate the signal myself at 4095.6 kHz via Token's WebSDR at approximately 1830 UTC, with no luck.
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I love finding these kinds of signals! If you make a recording of the DW Whooper, please post a link here. I like to share these kinds of signals with my Twitter followers, who all love theses as much as I do. Thanks!
P.S. I tried to locate the signal myself at 4095.6 kHz via Token's WebSDR at approximately 1830 UTC, with no luck.
West Coast KFS SDR with the SE directional antenna http://69.27.184.58:8076/
Try 4095.66 in CW mode and you can manually narrow the bandwidth with the mouse cursor
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West Coast KFS SDR with the SE directional antenna http://69.27.184.58:8076/
Try 4095.66 in CW mode and you can manually narrow the bandwidth with the mouse cursor
Thanks for the SDR link. And, yes, I'm hearing it faintly and seeing the "fish-hook" pattern on the waterfall at 4095.66 in CW mode.
73 / Curt / W9SPY
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Glad you could hear DW on the KFS SDR. BTW I saw your Twitter posts and this new beacon is unrelated to Stephen McGreevy’s “inyo whooper”. He has written some long posts here and said he is quitting beacons altogether. His beacons never had CW id’s and his whooper has been off the air for quite a while.
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Glad you could hear DW on the KFS SDR. BTW I saw your Twitter posts and this new beacon is unrelated to Stephen McGreevy’s “inyo whooper”. He has written some long posts here and said he is quitting beacons altogether. His beacons never had CW id’s and his whooper has been off the air for quite a while.
Thanks for the clarification on the Inyo Whooper. I like to be as accurate as possible and this helps. I'll post a correction.
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4095.69 KHz DW Whooper peaking at S5 right now on KFS http://69.27.184.58:8076/
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I can faintly hear it at 4095.66 Khz coming in and out at best at S5 briefly then back into the noise at 0725 utc in SW Arkansas, not really able to catch much as an station ID.
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I monitored this signal last night and got a weak, but readable copy of it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ1KAx7byN0&feature=youtu.be).
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I can faintly hear it at 4095.66 Khz coming in and out at best at S5 briefly then back into the noise at 0725 utc in SW Arkansas, not really able to catch much as an station ID.
Welcome to HF Underground!!
What is your setup (antenna & radio) for receiving DW there in Arkansas? I have been using the KFS KiwiSDR for now as my home antenna farm is still under reconstruction.
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The Desert Whooper is pushing S5 on the KFS SE KiwiSDR this morning http://69.27.184.58:8076/
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Am hearing the DW Whooper on the Sedona Kiwi SDR http://w7rna.dyndns-server.com/
main page for Sedona is at http://w7rna.ham-radio-op.net/
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Am hearing the DW Whooper on the following Kiwi SDRs
Northern Utah weak but readable
KFS SE array S6 peaks
KFS Omni S4 peaks
Sedona weak but readable
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Whooper Beacon heard here 0457Z, constant S-3 for about 30min +/- log time. Then into the noise at 0516Z
Receiver KiwiSDR
Ant: 80m dipole at 15m
location: DM12
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I just got this here at the house for the first time, and I have looked pretty often since it was first reported.
1620z, 24 Nov, 2020, peaking up to S3 and fading in and out of the S1 noise floor here, so a bit of QSB.
T!
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Am hearing the DW Whooper on the following Kiwi SDRs
Northern Utah very weak, barely readable
KFS SE array S7 peaks
KFS Omni S5 peaks
Sedona weak but readable
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I have it very faint here, seeing a few cycles of the fish hook pattern as it fades up out of the noise and goes back under. Just caught the "DW" CW ID and am now hearing the whooping weak but there, signal improving over the past few minutes. On the Airspy HF+ and 30 ft vertical antenna, weak but audible on the Icom IC-R8500 and 70 ft long wire as well. A lot of static crashes here tonight across the bands. 05:50 UTC 25 NOV 2020.
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This morning I am hearing the DW Whooper on the following Kiwi SDRs
Northern Utah has a fair signal
KFS SE array S5 peaks
KFS Omni S5 peaks
Sedona Very weak but readable
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Just faded up out of the noise here with a fairly strong signal. Whooping and sending "DW" quite clear. 01:52 UTC 27 NOV 2020
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Just faded up out of the noise here with a fairly strong signal. Whooping and sending "DW" quite clear. 01:52 UTC 27 NOV 2020
Excellent!
I just checked the SDRs and both of the KFS kiwis were quite good. Utah was a bit weak but clear and Arizona was a pretty fair signal.
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Northern Utah has a fair signal, S3
KFS SE array S5 peaks
KFS Omni S4 peaks
Sedona has a fair signal, S3
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Token has posted a YouTube video of receiving the DW Whooper at his home along with a detailed description of the beacon's characteristics. https://youtu.be/LEKZDaD7J8g
"This is a pirate beacon, probably located in the US desert south west. Some of these beacons have names, either given by the person who built / place the beacon or given by listeners who monitor the beacons, this one, at this time, is being called the "Desert Whooper", for obvious reasons. The chirps have a distinctive, and one assume intentional, non-linear chirp, or "whoop", and the CW ID is "DW". This beacon was first reported on the associated forums on HFUnderground in November, 2020. It is assumed that it started operations about the same time.
The frequency of this beacon is 4095.6 kHz, and it consists of a series of chirpy CW dashes, or short, frequency chirping, duration carriers. Each dash shifts downwards in frequency by about 600 Hz from start to stop. A "cycle" for this beacon has a CW ID consisting of the letters "DW", followed by 22 chirping dashes, the first dash after the CW ID is slightly longer than the other dashes. As far as I know, whoever placed this beacon has not yet released any details of its hardware.
Two other pirate beacons are seen in this video, a new and as yet unnamed beacon on 4097.2 kHz consisting of 2 second long flat chirps, and the long active Windy beacon in a failed mode.
Recorded at my location in the Mojave Desert of California, USA, on 26 November, 2020, 2353 UTC."
He has lots of neat beacons and other signals on videos which are available at his channel https://www.youtube.com/user/FirstToken/videoshttps://www.youtube.com/user/FirstToken/videos
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Thanks Token, great information as always and much appreciated! DW is fading in and out here. I am not seeing any of the other usual suspects in this range right now such as Windy, the 4097.2 long dasher, or the 4094 dasher. I can usually see one or two of the others at the same time as DW but that is not the case right now, whatever that might say about propagation from other unknown locations if those beacons are transmitting. 04:28 UTC 29 NOV 2020.
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The DW Whooper changed it's "whoop". ;D
It now sweeps low to high with the very first whoop going from 4095.65 to 4096.35 and the next 21 whoops from 4095.65 to 4096.25 KHz. The sweep is a bit more linear and no longer has that "fishhook" look.
The CW ID of "DW" is still at the low end at 4095.65
Coming in S3 on the KFS Kiwi SE radio
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the sweep length has changed a little
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The DW Whooper changed it's "whoop". ;D
It now sweeps low to high with the very first whoop going from 4095.65 to 4096.35 and the next 21 whoops from 4095.65 to 4096.25 KHz. The sweep is a bit more linear and no longer has that "fishhook" look.
The CW ID of "DW" is still at the low end at 4095.65
Coming in S3 on the KFS Kiwi SE radio
Yeah, I noticed that. I grabbed some SDR recordings of it right after it changed and will do a new video sometime this week. I also noticed the ID has a small whoop on the entirety of the letter D that was not present before.
T!
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DW still sweeps low to high with the very first whoop going from 4095.65 to 4096.20 and the next 21 whoops from 4095.65 to 4096.1 KHz. The CW ID of "DW" is still at the low end at 4095.65 but no longer has that chirp on the first dash.
Coming in S1 on the KFS Kiwi SE radio
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A little while ago the transmit format changed again. Same whoop pattern in terms of frequency but 11 total whoops. At the moment instead of sending DW in Morse code it is sending 12.7
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Coming in S3 on the KFS Kiwi SE radio. The format of the beacon is now back as I reported yesterday. It was interesting that it sent the numbers "12.7" for a little while.
DW still sweeps low to high with the very first whoop going from 4095.65 to 4096.20 and the next 21 whoops from 4095.65 to 4096.1 KHz. The CW ID of "DW" is still at the low end at 4095.65 but no longer has that chirp on the first dash.
See Token's latest video for a really nice video illustrating the signal. https://youtu.be/Eh8Hlkvr__I
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I wonder if the time when it was sending 12.7 was at the end of a fully sunny day?
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I wonder if the time when it was sending 12.7 was at the end of a fully sunny day?
The format is a bit different today. Five cycles of "DW" and 32 whoops. Then "DATA" sent 5 times in a row (no whoops), then "12.8" or "12.7" sent. About 4 minutes for a complete cycle
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The format is a bit different today. Five cycles of "DW" and 32 whoops. Then "DATA" sent 5 times in a row (no whoops), then "12.8" or "12.7" sent. About 4 minutes for a complete cycle
DW is still following this latest format. I've copied a peak of 13.0 (assuming volts) at times during the day today.
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Since it went to this new format it has been very weak here at the house. I can, sometimes, see it and hear it, but just right at and in and out of the noise floor.
T!
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Roughly the same format but with interesting changes: 5 sets of ID & whoops, "DATA" sent 5 times in a row then one set of numbers/telemetry (?) The overall cycle is still about 4 minutes with 33 seconds between "DW" in the set of 5.
Each whoop still sweeps from low to high
At times, two different whoop rates heard between CW IDs.
The "Fast" whoop is about 31 whoops between CW IDs and "Slow" is 18 whoops; not quite 2:1
The first whoop is now exactly the same duration as all of them, about a 200 Hz upward sweep
The CW ID of "DW" is still at the low end of the signal, about 4095.65
"Voltage" readout/numbers/telemetry that varies between 12.7 and 13.0
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Good signal on the KFS SE Kiwi right now. Fast whoop is in play. Telemetry says 13.1
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S3 to S5 on the KFS SE Kiwi
Switched from slow to fast whoop about 6:50 AM
Whoops all have the same duration.
Time between DW IDs is about 63 seconds with about 63 whoops
After 5 IDs it sends "DATA" twice
Then it sent 12.7 VLTS and 0.0 TMP
Overall a cycle is about 7 minutes
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Finally heard it here at the home QTH for the first time this morning just after 1300 utc. Did not stick around long. Only heard the whoops and a couple of DW's.
73, Mark
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Could hear it tonight via the KFS Omni, also nice copy of Windy (I'm a fan!) :-)
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The Desert Whooper is evolving 8)
Listening on KFS Kiwi SE SDR this morning and DW is on the following cycle
5 cycles of "DW" and 5 fast whoops
Two "DATA" sent in CW
"BAT 13.1" in CW
"TMP 69" in CW
Then it repeats starting with "DW"
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Hearing it well via KFS kiwi with south facing array, not at all on Sedona kiwi.
Seems to be settling into it's transmission cycle well. Good signals tonight and an interesting listening target.
Good job DW maker!
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Hearing it well via KFS kiwi with south facing array, not at all on Sedona kiwi.
Seems to be settling into it's transmission cycle well. Good signals tonight and an interesting listening target.
Good job DW maker!
I want more signal out of DW. I've had good luck using the Utah Kiwi SDR to hear it when propagation seems to be decent. Sedona seems to generally not do as well hearing DW
4095.7 DW Whooper BAT 12.8 TMP 66
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What a treat to hear a new beacon!
DW heard at 2107 UTC via the KFS SDR (no antenna set up at the home QTH any more)
BAT 13.2
TMP 70
As syfr said - nice work DW creator! I wonder where it is..........?
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Thanks for the link Jim, that's speeds things up!
Great beacon... sounds good tonight though I think the antennas at that site could hear just about anything on the planet.
Thanks for DW, somebody!
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Propagation seems a bit better. Generally I've been able to hear DW just about anytime on the KFS SE Kiwi SDR.
BAT 12.8 and TMP 68
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Heard on KFS Kiwi SE abou S3
The Desert Whooper has been updated with a new telemetry field sent in CW as "PV" followed by numbers.
The preamble is 6 sets of "DW" with 32 whoops, takes about 3 minutes.
DATA
DATA
BAT 12.7
TMP 67
PV 0.3
Which takes about 43 seconds then it all repeats
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Constant S3 at this location.
Receiver KiwiSDR
Ant: 80m dipole at 15m
location: DM12
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4095.70 KHz
Heard on KFS Kiwi SE about S5 http://69.27.184.58:8076/
Heard on northern Utah Kiwi about S3-S4 http://kiwisdr1.sdrutah.org:8073/
Barely heard on Sedona, AZ Kiwi http://w7rna.dyndns-server.com/
DATA
DATA
BAT 12.5
TMP 58
PV 0.0
Which takes about 43 seconds then it all repeats
[/quote]
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Constant S3 at this location.
Receiver KiwiSDR
Ant: 80m dipole at 15m
location: DM12
Really nice that you have a lot big enough for the 80 meter dipole! Had to lookup DM12 to see it was a ham radio contesting/station locating reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidenhead_Locator_System
https://www.karhukoti.com/maidenhead-grid-square-locator/?grid=dm12 DM12 is around San Diego County, it seems. I think I did this once before but forgot where you were located as Maidenhead locators is not something I use. Definitely an interesting location shorthand.
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I think I did this once before but forgot where you were located as Maidenhead locators is not something I use. Definitely an interesting location shorthand.
Slightly OT: the ham WSPR beacons include Maidenhead locators with every transmission, along with the callsign and transmitter power in dBm. WSPR is a slightly magic protocol developed by Joe Taylor that can decode well below the noise floor, but for obvious reasons may not be suitable for pirate beacons!
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I think I did this once before but forgot where you were located as Maidenhead locators is not something I use. Definitely an interesting location shorthand.
Slightly OT: the ham WSPR beacons include Maidenhead locators with every transmission, along with the callsign and transmitter power in dBm. WSPR is a slightly magic protocol developed by Joe Taylor that can decode well below the noise floor, but for obvious reasons may not be suitable for pirate beacons!
I had read a bit more on it too and it's really very ham specific and am not sure if many SWL hobbyists outside of ham radio use it.
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So back on topic :)
The Desert Whooper is weak but readable on the SE SDR
BAT 12.7 TMP 50 PV 0.0
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S3 to S5 signal, rapidly varying on the SDR
Been watching the "TMP" go from 39 up to 51 and the "PV" number go from 0.0 to 0.1 just now. "BAT" is at 12.6
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PV....PhotoVoltaic?
Hours of sun, or....
Hmmmmm....
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PV....PhotoVoltaic?
Hours of sun, or....
Hmmmmm....
"PV" as referring to photovoltaic works for me. 8) Hours of sun is interesting but how would it be used as a telemetered metric? The calculated hours of daylight numbers are available in lots of websites. If there was partial sun available (light clouds?) how could we communicate that via CW and then use the information to ascertain the beacon's health?
Offgrid systems are all about AmpHours (AH) into the batteries and AmpHours out. Measuring PV current across the hours of daylight can give a sense of AH if you know the solar panel is averaging 18 volts into the charge controller. If the beacon's current consumption has been measured in the build phase that would provide a baseline for when it has been deployed. I don't know how monitor and log AH with a microcontroller in a beacon and then transmitting it via CW :-\ Interesting problem though. Look at Windy with it's minimalist telemetry crying out for help but the owner has not driven out there and installed a new battery. :o
Couldn't check DW on the Kiwi southeast array; someone's has had it tied up for a while. I try to get in, listen and get out to free it up for the next listener. Anyhow the omni is receiving DW pretty well at S3
BAT 12.6 TMP 55 PV 0.0
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Yeah, who knows about the PV meaning? It's fun to guess.
It's quite strong today with a nice steady whoop into KFS-South
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A strong signal tonight with little fading. The format changed/evolved a little. In the past it sent "DATA DATA" before sending the telemetry. Now it gives 5 slow (1/3 rate?) "whoops, pauses and then starts off with the BAT, then TMP and last of all it sends the PV numbers.
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I heard that just now. It's certainly changed its stripes a bit.
Now...the mystery of "PV".............. :-)
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strong on the SDR
Bat 12.6 TMP 46 PV 0.0
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Good signal on the KFS SE Kiwi SDR
BAT 12.6 TMP 55 PV 0.0
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Fair signal on the KFS SE Kiwi SDR, weak signal on the omni
BAT 13.5 TMP 65 PV 0.2
The PV number was at 0.6 about an hour ago then slow decreased until resting at 0.2
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Catching a few "whoops" fading up and down here this evening, signal too far down in the noise to copy any telemetry. A bit stronger on the horizontal long wire as compared to the vertical, I can make out the "DW" ID but not much else. I believe I caught the TMP at 55. 02:45 UTC 10 JAN 2021
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Fair signal with fading on the KFS SE Kiwi SDR
BAT 13.8 TMP 75 PV 0.6
The PV number started at 0.9 and dropped slowly, 0.8 then 0.7 with BAT starting about 12.8 and rising rapidly to 13.8
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DW has become the "channel marker" for this slice of spectrum . While Windy is usually able to be found (in it's S , H or original full featured version) The Whooper is a real stalwart.
May it continue to whoop for a long time!
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Also hearing it well on the Northern Utah SDR at 0233Z.
BAT 13.0 TMP 46 PV 0.0
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Around 08:30 PST today it was reporting PV as 2.2 (big!) and battery as 13.0 volts
Right now it's reporting 14.0 volts, PV is 0.5 (assuming amps) and temp is 61
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Format has been tweaked a little. The PV telemetry seems to have been switched from X.X Amps to xxxx mA. No longer uses a decimal point and leading zeros are dropped. So 400 mA is never sent 0400 but 2 Amps can be sent 2000
I also count seven "DW" markers, six sets of 30 whoops and one set of 5 slow whoops before telemetry in the sequence.
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Very strong on the KFS SE kiwi SDR and decent on the KFS OMNI kiwi SDR.
More changes have crept in when I wasn't watching
six sets: 30 whoops and "DW"
1 set of 5 slow whoops and a "DW"
BAT 12.8
O TMP 54
I TMP 68
PV O
Then a last "DW" and the cycle repeats
Am guessing that "O TMP" is outside temperature and "I TMP" is inside (of something?) temperature.
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4 MHz propagation is pretty good tonight.
I am hearing the desert whooper on the KFS Omni, Sedona and Utah kiwi SDRs
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DW was off the air for about 24 hours. Around 4pm PST today it reappeared with a “massive” signal.
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DW was off the air for about 24 hours. Around 4pm PST today it reappeared with a “massive” signal.
Massive signal indeed - I am hearing it here on the east coast at 1112 UTC 22 Feb 2021.
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I can hear DW on both of my receivers at home, Sedona Kiwi. Northern Utah Kiwi, all four KFS Kiwis.
BAT 13.7
O TMP 59
I TMP 50
PV 1958 (mA?) This value steadily rose from a couple digits at 7:15 AM and BAt reading rose at the same time
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I'm getting copy again here on the east coast at 1114 UTC 23 Feb 2021. Fading in and out, but quite good, perhaps even strong, at times.
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I'm getting copy again here on the east coast at 1114 UTC 23 Feb 2021. Fading in and out, but quite good, perhaps even strong, at times.
Which antenna/receiver combination did you use?
I've been trying out a number of kiwi SDRs and hear some things at one but not another so it's fun to see what works where. BTW, on the HFUnderpants kiwi family, can the frequency markers be updated easily? I still see "Haystack" and "Viking" but those are long gone.
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DW is strong on all of the usual kiwis: KFS, Sedona and N. Utah. Just now I can hear DW starting to rise up in strength on both of my receivers at home.
BAT 12.8 (healthy!)
O TMP 53
I TMP 57
PV 0
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Fairly strong here for the past half hour but starting to fade now. I have never had great copy on this one but the whoops were hitting S7 a few times, best I have heard it. Typically Murphy chimes in though and it fades just as the telemetry comes up. This telemetry is a little shaky with rough copy but...
BAT 13.6
OTMP 75
ITMP 75
PV 811
22:55 UTC 23 FEB 2021
Listening on both SDRs at the same time, one on the horizontal long wire and one on the vertical. Fairly similar signal levels and fading between the two antennas. Beacons in stereo :D
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Got solid copy on the telemetry this go around, signal much more solid.
BAT 13.2
OTMP 70
ITMP 72
PV 46
00:36 UTC 24 FEB 2021
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It’s 10pm pst here and I tried out one of Chris’ SDRs
http://sdr.hfunderpants.com:8074/
I can actually get some clear whoops and even some Morse telemetry. Amazing propagation.
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It’s 10pm pst here and I tried out one of Chris’ SDRs
http://sdr.hfunderpants.com:8074/
I can actually get some clear whoops and even some Morse telemetry. Amazing propagation.
Amazing indeed! Coming in nicely at 104 UTC here on 24 Feb 2021
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Was up at 6am PST to look for beacons. At first I did not hear DW on my home receivers so checked the Western SDRs. Heard it really well on Utah and Sedona. KFS was a bit noisy but signal was there. Telemetry said the battery was at 12.8 but 0 for PV. Temps were 49/56. Then around 6:25 I heard the whoops rise up out of the noise on my home receivers as the sun rose in the east. The PV reading gradually went from 0 to 11 so if it is a solar panel current reading it should rise sharply in full sun.
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pretty decent signal on the HFUnderpants
kiwi SDR V beam pointed at Europe
pretty decent signal on the 900 foot loop
weak but readable on the 400ft S beverage
weak but readable on the 500 foot NE beverage
Big signal on the KFS kiwi SE, omni & NW. Good signal on the SW kiwi
Big signal on the Northern Utah kiwi
Good signal on the Sedona kiwi
Nothing on my home receivers, LOL
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A weak signal here at 1103 UTC 25 Feb 2021, although apparently it was doing well earlier :)
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Heard circa 1135 UTC 26 Feb 2021, not as strong as previous mornings.
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DW has had an all day signal presence from barely readable to quite good at various times here. Pretty good on my NRD-525 right now.
O TMP and I TMP seem to stay within 5 degrees so far. Battery is from 12.7 to 12.9 in the mornings and seems to rapidly charge up between 6:30 and 8:30 to 13.7 volts. PV numerical peaks have hit over 2000 at times in the early morning.
BAT 13.1
O TMP 69
I TMP 68
PV 0
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DW has been noticeably stronger here in the past week or so than ever before. Prior to this I was never able to get much of a usable copy on it but the early evenings especially now it has been blasting in. It is fading on me now to the point I cannot copy the telemetry but I am checking in on it quite a bit later in the evening than I usually do.
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I just gave a listen on the hfunderpants SDRs
900’ sky loop - weak but readable whoops
400’ South beverage - weak but readable whoops
Also good signals on KFS omni/SE/NW
Great signal on north Utah SDR
Weak signal on Sedona SDR
No signal on my home receivers
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DW is barely readable at home but the KFS Kiwi SDR has it quite good
BAT 13.7
O TMP 59
I TMP 71
PV 5
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Saw the first glimmers of DW in the waterfall at 23:00 UTC, too weak to copy at the time but now at 01:01 UTC it is blasting in. Hitting -90 dBm at times and sitting at a solid -85 with very little fading. Nice whoops lighting the waterfall into the red.
BAT 13.2
OTMP 60
ITMP 67
PV 76
01:01 UTC 28 FEB 2021
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Started listening a little before sunrise and watched as the PV numbers ramped up and drove the BAT numbers up between 6 and 7 AM PST:
PV / BAT
0 / 12.8
20 / 12.8
205 / 12.8
495 / 13.4
790 / 13.5
982 / 13.9
985 / 14.1
1081 / 14.3
Signal strength here at home is very good. Before this I had to use SDRs to hear it
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Started listening a little before sunrise and watched as the PV numbers ramped up and drove the BAT numbers up between 6 and 7 AM PST:
PV / BAT
0 / 12.8
20 / 12.8
205 / 12.8
495 / 13.4
790 / 13.5
982 / 13.9
985 / 14.1
1081 / 14.3
Signal strength here at home is very good. Before this I had to use SDRs to hear it
Very cool, great idea to chart what the sun does to the PV values :D
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Started listening a little before sunrise and watched as the PV numbers ramped up and drove the BAT numbers up between 6 and 7 AM PST:
PV / BAT
0 / 12.8
20 / 12.8
205 / 12.8
495 / 13.4
790 / 13.5
982 / 13.9
985 / 14.1
1081 / 14.3
Signal strength here at home is very good. Before this I had to use SDRs to hear it
Very cool, great idea to chart what the sun does to the PV values :D
It seems to get about 10 hours of usable sunlight these days. at 4:15 PST it was down to 122 mA and at 4:58 it's at 63.
DW's "whoops" are really spicing up the Auroral Chorus ;)
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A fair signal here on the east coast at 1200 UTC 1 Mar 2021.
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1124 UTC 01 MAR 2021: Heard quite well here on a quiet morning.
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Copying with a good signal (overall it sounds SIO 222 but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt - 4 MHz is one of the more noisy parts of the HF spectrum at Casa MDK2, so it's got to be good to be audible over that) as of 0407 UTC.
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A good signal this morning, first heard circa 1045 UTC 2 Mar 2021.
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A nice signal this morning at 1125 UTC 3 Mar 2021
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A weak signal here on the east coast at 1112 UTC 4 Mar 2021. Now to see if Windy appears, no sign yet.
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Heard this morning from about 1045 UTC 5 Mar 2021, getting stronger circa 1107 UTC.
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Very strong signal here this evening.
BAT 13.0
OTMP 68
ITMP 70
PV 0
02:42 UTC 06 MAR 2021
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~1130 UTC 06 MAR 2021: Slow QSB. Occasionally rising above the noise floor, but not for long enough to decode (by ear) a full frame of the telemetry.
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Heard starting 1050 UTC 8 Mar 2021 and still coming in at 1122 UTC.
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Heard from 1050 past 1127 UTC 9 Mar 2021
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A good signal this morning, first heard circa 1045 UTC 10 Mar 2021
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Fair reception this morning circa 1050 UTC 11 Mar 2021
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Not the strongest signal, but audible circa 1112 UTC 12 Mar 2021
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DW is blasting in here this evening topping out consistently at S9 +20 on the 30 ft vertical. About S8 on the long wire.
BAT 13.1
OTMP 61
ITMP 64
PV 1
01:54 UTC 14 MAR 2021
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Decent signal coming in here at home on the NRD-525
BAT 13.7
O TMP 71
I TMP 74
PV 142
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Desert Whooper is
S7 on on KFS kiwi SE,
S4 on the KFS kiwi Omni
S5-S6 on Sedona kiwi
S5 in the Utah kiwi
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Getting a clear but weak signal on the Maryland HF underpants/underground 250 ft V Beam Antenna aimed to Europe as well as a few other receivers!
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Getting a clear but weak signal on the Maryland HF underpants/underground 250 ft V Beam Antenna aimed to Europe as well as a few other receivers!
Weak but audible on my 900 ft sky loop antenna as well at 1031 UTC 15 Mar 2021. Actually the signal is starting to come up a bit now. Still dark here due to the change to DST, often reception peaks right around sunrise, perhaps a greyline effect?
There is some traffic on 4101 USB that is blocking any possibly reception of Windy right now.
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DW is suddenly peaking 25 dB above the noise here at home. Something is up with the O TMP numbers. Earlier today they seemed "correct" but now some odd characters are being sent. Seems the temp sensor is out of order?
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A good signal this morning circa 1026 UTC 16 Mar 2021.
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DW is coming in really well right now into the NRD-525 and 70' end fed wire.
BAT 13.1
O TMP = symbol and three seemingly random digits
I TMP 66
PV 0
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A god signal this morning circa 1100 UTC, still coming in 1153 UTC 18 Mar 2021.
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Good signal on the evening of March 20 (UTC 0246 on 21 MAR) here in Denver.
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Good signal varying between 10 to 25 dB above the noise on the KX3/PX3
BAT 13.0
O TMP = symbol and three seemingly random digits
I TMP 64
PV 0
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Big signal peaking between 20 - 30 dB above the noise on the KX3/PX3
BAT 13.0
O TMP = symbol and three seemingly random digits
I TMP 60
PV 1
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Weak but readable here.
The O TMP is once again reporting normal numbers.
BAT 13.1
O TMP 61
I TMP 65
PV 0
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Weak but readable here. Good signal on the SDRs with gain antennas
BAT 14.3
O TMP 57
I TMP 61
PV 791
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I've been reading up on propagation and looked up a near real time map of f0F2 and guessed I should try a kiwi SDR in Hawaii.
https://www.sws.bom.gov.au/HF_Systems/6/5
There was DW with a pretty nice signal whooping away.
Kiwisdr.robinett.us:8073
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Very cool map, thanks for posting that link up! It shall make for interesting comparisons.
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Good signal peaks but also deep fades at times
BAT 13.2
O TMP 64
I TMP 69
PV 69
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Before sunrise the BAT reading was 12.8 and PV was zero. DW seems to quickly recharge the battery starting around sunrise and finishing within a couple of hours
BAT 13.8
O TMP 61
I TMP 61
PV 796
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The three digit PV numbers are puzzling!
I noticed listening last night that the last whoop before telemetry is now more of a long dit than the normal whoop. Was that just an anomaly of yesterday?
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The three digit PV numbers are puzzling!
Hi Syfr!
I've been logging the telemetry from DW for a while now and here is what I have observed.
Most of the day the BAT reading sits at 13.7 with the PV reading a single 4 which is about what a typical PV controller might consume in milliamps while not charging the battery. Once in a while I will catch a three to 4 digit reading as if the charge controller is topping off the battery. Somewhere after 3 PM the BAT reading ramps up to 14.3 (equalization volts) and the PV reading is in the 400 to 600 range. After sunset the BAT reading slowly declines until it hits 12.8 prior to sunrise. During that time the PV reading is 0 although once in a while it reports a 1 (A2D noise I guess). Around sunrise (06:30-ish) the PV reading starts at a couple of digits and as it ramps up so does the BAT reading. Around 07:45 I see the PV reading peak in the 1100 to 1200 range. Within an hour after that it is reading 4 or 5 with the BAT reading sitting at 13.7 or 13.8. Am guessing a couple of amp hours were sent back into the battery so the panel and battery are not small.
I'm convinced PV is reading out in milliamps and correlates well with the BAT readings.
Jim
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I noticed listening last night that the last whoop before telemetry is now more of a long dit than the normal whoop. Was that just an anomaly of yesterday?
I believe it has always been about 2/3 of an upward sweeping whoop. Am guessing it is just a matter of timing as to when the microcontroller decides it needs to send Morse Code rather than analog whoops.
Before "DW' code
(https://i.ibb.co/HqKBP54/DW-1.png)
Before telemetry
(https://i.ibb.co/5RXF5RW/DW-2.png)
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Thanks for sharing your observations on the PV telemetry. I normally don't listen early in the morning as I have the opportunity to this week, and the sun availability vs PV number correlates well to what you describe.
I've noticed also, that the battery is pretty stout (especially given the duty cycle of the transmitter) and its recovery time is short, which supports your observation on the capacity of both. It's a well designed system and hopefully will be with us a good long time.
Wish we could send out the Geek Squad to service Windy.
I had never noticed that last slash before telemetry as being truncated as I heard it yesterday. Perhaps the AGC of whatever radio I was using further shortened it to the "dit" I heard
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One of the other nice things about DW is the excellent frequency stability despite today's higher temperatures.
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Listened to DW last nite and could hear it inside on the whip antenna on the portable. Really impressive performance for a very marginal receiver.
Windy appears here earlier and disappears earlier than the whooper.
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I have finally uploaded a newer video of this signal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZm8zEU9qqU
(edit) this is the corrected version, with fewer typos ... DOH!
T!
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1100 UTC 05 APR 2021: I checked yesterday morning's IQ recording and heard DW come way up above the noise for a short time. BAT 13.0 ITMP 69 OTMP 73 PV 0. This was a quiet morning for geomagnetic activity and noise. I can see the whoops on the waterfall most mornings around this time, but I usually can't make out the telemetry.
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1100 UTC 05 APR 2021: I checked yesterday morning's IQ recording and heard DW come way up above the noise for a short time. BAT 13.0 ITMP 69 OTMP 73 PV 0. This was a quiet morning for geomagnetic activity and noise. I can see the whoops on the waterfall most mornings around this time, but I usually can't make out the telemetry.
Hello Minnesota!!
It’s great to see your reception reports.
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Thanks for the greeting! The desert beacons tend to be at the very limit of what I can receive here, so they're an interesting test of my setup and propagation (and weak signal CW practice).
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Right now I am camping in Escalante Utah and set up my KX3 with a 20m/40m end fed half wave. I am getting an excellent signal from DW. I only check in the morning and evening when I am in camp but DW has always been there.
Right now it sent
BAT 13.0
OTMP 69
ITMP 76
PV 0
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Very nice S9 signal this evening with very little fading
BAT 13.1
OTMP 85
ITMP 87
PV 66
01:22 UTC 10 APR 2021
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I just came back from 11 days of camping and exploring in Utah. I brought along my KX3 and the 20/40 meter Par End Fed. There was a very low noise floor and I could always hear DW even though at times it was quite weak.
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DW has been coming in S-3 to S-5 sig strength on the VE7GL SDR in Chilliwack, BC as well as VE7AV in Prince George, BC.
No dang way it's a milliwatt beacon. Sweet signal!
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DW has been coming in S-3 to S-5 sig strength on the VE7GL SDR in Chilliwack, BC as well as VE7AV in Prince George, BC.
No dang way it's a milliwatt beacon. Sweet signal!
I had only tried SDRs as far north as Washington state. Now I wonder what the SDR furthest south is? So far SDRs in Hawaii and Maryland have provided the longest distance reception of DW that I have tried.
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I just caught DW in a morning battery charge cycle
BAT 14.1
O TMP 57
I TMP 61
PV 1001
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PV could be solar irradiance in watts per square meter. That tends to range from 0 - 1200 or so. Maybe someone already brought that up.
I almost always hear that beacon pretty loud on my Kiwi SDR in Wrightwood, CA. http://ak7v.hopto.org:8073/
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Holy dinah! Last night before bed, she was hitting S9 on VE7GL.
Would love to know the antenna. I've heard the "desert dipoles" before, they never slam in like this one.
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PV could be solar irradiance in watts per square meter. That tends to range from 0 - 1200 or so. Maybe someone already brought that up.
I almost always hear that beacon pretty loud on my Kiwi SDR in Wrightwood, CA. http://ak7v.hopto.org:8073/
Thanks for the SDR link!
If the PV reading was irradiance I would think it would continuously report a large positive value during daylight hours regardless of the BAT reading.
What I have observed over the months is PV readings rising in the morning after dawn with a matching rise in BAT numbers up into the low 14’s. After a couple of hours BAT has settled at 13.7 and PV drops to 4 or 5 which could be the idle current of a PWM solar charge controller circuit.
Later in the afternoon the BAT and PV readings rise again as if a lead acid battery is being topped off.
I recall Syfr raised the idea of irradiance before but if I wanted to know battery health I’d measure voltage and current and if possible calculate amp hours in and out of the battery.
Fun stuff!!
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.......... my Kiwi SDR in Wrightwood, CA. http://ak7v.hopto.org:8073/
I forgot to ask for tech details on your SDR. Please share!
Jim
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DW has been coming in S-3 to S-5 sig strength on the VE7GL SDR in Chilliwack, BC as well as VE7AV in Prince George, BC.
No dang way it's a milliwatt beacon. Sweet signal!
I had only tried SDRs as far north as Washington state. Now I wonder what the SDR furthest south is? So far SDRs in Hawaii and Maryland have provided the longest distance reception of DW that I have tried.
I just spent the evening trying several Kiwi SDR's around the continent. Groundwave strength all over AB and northern BC, but unreadable in AK. Barely a whisper east of CA, but heard in CA and unreadable in HI, WA and OR. Pretty good in NV.
Seems to currently be following the 4MHz HAP chart line centred on Vancouver going N-S.
Anyone know of a Mexican SDR that isn't listed?
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.......... my Kiwi SDR in Wrightwood, CA. http://ak7v.hopto.org:8073/
I forgot to ask for tech details on your SDR. Please share!
Jim
Sure! It’s here at my place in Wrightwood, CA at 6275’ ASL and I’ve had it working for about a year, but just put it online for the world a few weeks ago. It’s a KiwiSDR with a home brew 5v linear power supply. Antenna is a W6LVP active loop on a speaker stand in my backyard, fed with about 25 feet of RG-6.
Relatively rural area, but houses are close together so there is some domestic RFI. I don’t seem to hear much above 15MHz - not sure if that’s the antenna, recent propagation, and/or being tucked up against a mountain. At some point I will put some wire up in the trees and see how those compare. But it seems to work great for MW and pretty well for the lower HF bands.
I used to live on a few acres and had bigger wire antennas (plus a vertical I transmitted with) and used my Perseus to listen. This setup now isn’t quite as good, but for the space I have, it’s acceptable.
Thanks for your interest and enjoy the SDR!
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DW's I-TMP reading hit 105 today and it didn't seem to stop it from working ;D
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The three digit PV numbers are puzzling!
I noticed listening last night that the last whoop before telemetry is now more of a long dit than the normal whoop. Was that just an anomaly of yesterday?
I've noticed that the higher the I-TMP number is above 80 degrees the shorter the last whoop is before CW is sent
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BAT 13.7
O TMP 68
I TMP 71
PV 602
good signal here at home
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BAT 13.1
O TMP 83
I TMP 88
PV 82
good signal here at home
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BAT 13.3
O TMP 70
I TMP 72
PV 146
fair signal here at home this morning, big signal on SDRs with gain antennas such as the KFS kiwi receivers
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the signal is peaking at 25 - 30 dB above the noise here at home
BAT 13.1
O TMP 85
I TMP 86
PV 0
Interesting how the O & I temps are close. They are usually 5 degrees apart. Maybe thermal lag from the I temp location? Wish I had temp numbers for the whole day......
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high PV number
BAT 13.7
O TMP 73
I TMP 78
PV 1719
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BAT 14.3
O TMP 88
I TMP 97
PV 4
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Great signal! It's +30 dB over the noise floor on my KX3/PX3 here at home
BAT 13.1
O TMP 79
I TMP 84
PV 0
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S7 signal
BAT 13.1
O TMP 93
I TMP 96
PV 19
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S3 signal at home and S5 on KFS. Battery seems to be charging well
BAT 14.2
O TMP 74
I TMP 78
PV 1209
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Good signal at home
BAT 13.1
O TMP 93
I TMP 96
PV 1
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at 16:40 PST today DW had an O TMP of 103 and I TMP of 109. Highest I've seen yet
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at 16:40 PST today DW had an O TMP of 103 and I TMP of 109. Highest I've seen yet
I TMP of 114 degrees!
O TMP is "only" 106
BAT 14.1
PV 4
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BAT 13.1
O TMP 87
I TMP 89
PV 200
Fair signal on my KX3
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I temp of 114.....that's a lot !
Nothing electronic likes that kind of heat....especially things like electrolytic caps . It must see direct sun at times.
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I temp of 114.....that's a lot !
Nothing electronic likes that kind of heat....especially things like electrolytic caps . It must see direct sun at times.
Based on DW's telemetry data and assuming the temps are Outside and Inside, the data shows a delta of 5-8 degrees typical. Therefore I don't think there is much in the way of direct sunlight impinging on DW's box. I believe the delta to be the product of internal heating due to power consumption. Conventional electronic components are designed to operate with upper limits generally set at 158 F for commercial applications. Good electrolytic caps are typically rated at 25,000 hours service life at 70C/158F. Chinese quality can be a crapshoot but I have to say I have had some Baofeng UV5R's in 24/7 use for three years without failure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_temperature#Commercial_and_retail
https://www.xppower.com/resources/blog/electrolytic-capacitor-lifetime-in-power-supplies#:~:text=Manufacturers%20of%20electrolytic%20capacitors%20specify,to%2010%2C000%20hours%20or%20more.
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The (assumed location) desert beacons that send telemetry are reporting some big hot numbers
4095.650 KHz DW/Desert Whooper. Good signal on KFS, BAt 13.6 OTMP 116 I TMP 120 PV 753
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DW is silent this morning. I last listened around 10 PM PST last night and DW was there with the other 4 MHz beacons. Battery was normal at 13.1 and temps were in the 90's as I recall. No signal at all this morning although Windy and "Beacon L" have decent signals here at home. Hopefully DW will be back soon.
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Have been listening on and off and have not heard it a-whooping away either.
Any updates from anyone?
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Yesterday on the KFS SE kiwi I could swear I heard it. It was not as strong as usual but the reported temps were quite low for the desert, maybe in the 70’s. Made me think it’s somewhere indoors being repaired and tested.
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Got it just now on the SE kiwi at KFS. Vy weak but steady but weak.
The slow dasher is in there above it too.
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The new dasher at 4096.34 disappeared and immediately the desert whooper comes up at 4095.7 (KFS SE kiwi)
Must be repair and testing going on?
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Still whooping away but strangely there is no CW ID or telemetry interrupting the whoops
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No joy this morning, although Windy is Q5 this morning (and only a balmy 92)
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At 2345Z I'm hearing DW on the KFS SE SDR. Weaker than usual, about S1.
BAT 12.9
OTMP 83
ITMP 80
PV 0
STENDEC
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Good catch!
I’ve been hearing it too and right now it has a good signal on the SE kiwi although at times it is better on the omni.
Edit
It seems as if it has been repaired and is being tested as the PV is always zero, BAT is constant and TMP values vary only a few degrees
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The Desert Whooper is back at full signal strength and also normal telemetry. Heard on the KFS SE kiwi
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DW can again be heard across a wide swath of SDRs as well as on my receivers at home.
4095.700 KHz DW BAT 13.8 OTMP 86 ITMP 90 PV 1712
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I have a weak to fair, readable signal on both receivers here at home. I also checked SDRs in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Canada and California. The signals were fair to very good. Other than the improved signal strength, the telemetry and "whoop" format seem unchanged.
BAT 14.3 O TMP 92 I TMP 101 PV 4
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Weak but solid copies late last night on VE7AV and VE7GL SDR's. Nice to hear it again!
(QRN was killer this past few weeks)
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It's back at full speed now.
Both it and Windy are reporting a temp of 104 which is interesting. Internal temp is 109.
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Good signal here at home as well as weak to fair signals on a number of distant SDRs such as Canada, Maryland, Hawaii
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DW has been back on the scene about two weeks and the signal has been pretty consistent. Right now (0404Z 13Aug2021) I have it at +20-25 dB above the local noise floor shown by the KX3/PX3. DW's BAT readings seem good where the morning reading of 12.9 indicates a battery at 100% charge after running all night. Despite the high TMP numbers reported, DW seems to be surviving (fingers crossed!).
BAT 13.0 O TMP 97 I TMP 103 PV 0
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+10-20 dB above the local noise floor shown on the KX3/PX3 and a strong signal across the various kiwi SDRs
BAT 13.5 O TMP 89 I TMP 93 PV 1408
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+10 dB above the local noise floor shown on the KX3/PX3 and a strong signal across the various kiwi SDRs
BAT 13.0 O TMP 85 I TMP 92 PV 317
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no local signal but it's S4 on the KFS SE kiwi
BAT 13.7 O TMP 94 I TMP 100 PV 4
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Strong local signal and it's S9 on the KFS SE kiwi
BAT 13.1 O TMP 93 I TMP 102 PV 0
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Before 6 AM there was no signal on my home receivers but signal was S9 on the KFS SE kiwi with its gain antenna. About 6 minutes after sunrise (06:06 PST) in the desert areas the signal at home jumped up to a weak but very readable level and KFS SE kiwi was at S10+. About 10 minutes later the signal dropped to barely readable at home while at S8 to S9 on KFS SE. HF propagation is fun!
BAT 12.9 O TMP 68 I TMP 77 PV 1
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Thanks for the logs
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Thanks for the logs
I've had a ton of fun listening to DW!
BAT 14.3 oTMP 100 iTMP 105 PV 4
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BAT 13.0 oTMP 99 iTMP104 PV O 25 dB over the noise floor on the KX3/PX3
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I have a crummy antenna at home, though hope to listen for DW on a camping trip to the Eastern side of CA in a few weeks. In the meantime, I just had a listen on several online SDR's, and was excited to hear it over a wide area. In the period from about 0442 - 0446z on 9/15/2021, I heard it on Kiwi SDR's in the following locations -
Prescott Valley, AZ at Q5 with an S5 noise level.
Missoula, MT at Q5 with an S4 noise level.
Truth or Consequences, NM at Q1-Q2 with an S4 noise level (can hear whoops, but not copy telemetry).
Fort Collins, CO at Q1-Q2 with an S5 noise level (can hear whoops, but not copy telemetry).
and of course the following two -
Half Moon Bay, CA KFS at S7 with an S4 noise level (Q5 of course).
Point Reyes, CA KPH at S8 with an S4 noise level (Q5 of course).
Oh, and at 0503z, I could *just* hear the whooping under an S5 noise level from a Kiwi SDR in Booth Bay, British Columbia.
For 1 watt, this is really good!
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First time hearing the Whooper this morning under a tremendous noise level.
Could hear the Whooper but copy wasn't good enough to copy the data string.
Sept 17th, 11:27 UTC, 4095.65.
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First time hearing the Whooper this morning under a tremendous noise level.
Could hear the Whooper but copy wasn't good enough to copy the data string.
Sept 17th, 11:27 UTC, 4095.65.
To hear it from your location is quite an achievement.
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I have a crummy antenna at home, though hope to listen for DW on a camping trip to the Eastern side of CA in a few weeks. In the meantime, I just had a listen on several online SDR's, and was excited to hear it over a wide area. In the period from about 0442 - 0446z on 9/15/2021, I heard it on Kiwi SDR's in the following locations -
Prescott Valley, AZ at Q5 with an S5 noise level.
Missoula, MT at Q5 with an S4 noise level.
Truth or Consequences, NM at Q1-Q2 with an S4 noise level (can hear whoops, but not copy telemetry).
Fort Collins, CO at Q1-Q2 with an S5 noise level (can hear whoops, but not copy telemetry).
and of course the following two -
Half Moon Bay, CA KFS at S7 with an S4 noise level (Q5 of course).
Point Reyes, CA KPH at S8 with an S4 noise level (Q5 of course).
Oh, and at 0503z, I could *just* hear the whooping under an S5 noise level from a Kiwi SDR in Booth Bay, British Columbia.
For 1 watt, this is really good!
Yes, the Desert Whooper really gets out! It puts in a respectable signal here out east in the morning just before sunrise.
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All of the reception reports are very much appreciated and are a bit exciting too! This is the first HF telemetry beacon built by the DW team and the temperature reporting has filled a gap in our remote location weather data used for evaluating bighorn sheep migration patterns. Some of the government weather stations in the general area have been proven to be unreliable so we decided to build a weather station of our own.
Development started around September of 2010 utilizing a shortened antenna for local reception in our city. It was quite a surprise to read that the KFS SDR's still heard the beacon! That was unknown by us until reading of it here. As reported here on HFU, the whoop pattern and telemetry evolved over the months but were finalized early this year so as to commence with the beacon's final construction and testing. The beacon's on site installation turned out to be quite a challenge too, including backpacking the hardware to the site and reducing the visual signature of the equipment.
The transmitter's "whoop" was engineered to provide a distinctive yet consistent pattern that could worm through noise and interference yet fit within CW bandwidth filters. It also provides a sense of time between telemetry reports.
A reliability issue with the final amplifier was resolved with a redesign and retrofit. The 2N3866 bipolar transistor was replaced with a more robust IRF510 MOSFET that is not fazed by the 120 degree internal temperature peaks. The transmitter circuit has a jumper set up to allow bypassing the MOSFET for a final output of only 200 mW. The MOSFET is slightly less efficient but the battery and solar panel are sized to provide at least three days of run time in heavily overcast weather so there is little impact from reduced efficiency.. The BAT and PV telemetry show the battery should provide a long life before requiring replacement. Hopefully the beacon continues to run well in the winter months.
The antenna system was a challenge to engineer but has exceeded all expectations as proven by the reports that all of you have generously supplied. Despite primarily aiming for NVIS operation over the area of interest the broader coverage across North America is turning out to be very beneficial due to the broad public network of HF SDRs.
The DW Team
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Maybe September of 2020? ;)
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23 SEP 2021, 0128 UTC (or Wed the 22nd, evening time, about 30 minutes after sunset), quite strong signal into Denver.
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23 SEP 2021, 0128 UTC (or Wed the 22nd, evening time, about 30 minutes after sunset), quite strong signal into Denver.
Great catch at home, especially with Denver's urban noise infesting local airwaves! I have a bunch of Grid-Tie solar systems around that kill my chance at long distance catches.
In the first page of this thread there is a post with an email address for DW eQSLs.
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First time hearing the Whooper this morning under a tremendous noise level.
Could hear the Whooper but copy wasn't good enough to copy the data string.
Sept 17th, 11:27 UTC, 4095.65.
To hear it from your location is quite an achievement.
Thanks Dave, but I think it's more of a testament to the Whooper's antenna system which I'd love to hear more about! 8) 8)
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.........................I think it's more of a testament to the Whooper's antenna system which I'd love to hear more about! 8) 8)
This thread was started when I discovered DW last year and logged numerous reception reports.
To learn about the antenna you want to see the thread from the people that built DW :)
----> https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,85047.0.html
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Updated
Propagation has been changing quite a bit. A few times DW's signal has been noisy even into the mighty KFS kiwi SDRs.
4095.650 KHz DW good signal on KFS BAT 13.7 oTMP 86 iTMP 93 PV 4
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It's been about 11 months since DW's signal went "big" in February of 2021. The frequency has "aged" upwards about 50 Hz. In the last few weeks it has become easier to hear over more hours at home.
4095.700 KHz Desert Whooper good signal on my KX3, about +30dB/noise BAT 13.0 oTMP 52 iTMP 62 PV 0
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I just caught the highest peak current I've ever seen and it looks like the bulk charging phase for the battery
4095.700 KHz Desert Whooper. Weak at home, S6 on KFS SE. BAT 14.0 oTMP 52 iTMP 59 PV 2297
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Just above the noise here in Eastern NC this morning. Can't make out the Morse but I'm hearing the whoop.
1215 UTC 30 Jan 2022
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Just above the noise here in Eastern NC this morning. Can't make out the Morse but I'm hearing the whoop.
1215 UTC 30 Jan 2022
Very cool! What is your receive setup?
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Got it again here in Eastern NC.
...whoop whoop whoop DW whoop whoop...
1200 UTC Jan 31 2022
Still too weak to fully copy the code unfortunately.
Very cool! What is your receive setup?
I guess I should have posted that, sorry. FTDX-101 and a 240' Wire Doublet
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4095.700 KHz DW with a signal 20-25 dB over the noise here. BAT 12.7 oTMP 48 iTMP 53 PV 2
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4095.700 KHz DW is weak here as well as on KFS. BAT 14.5 oTMP 52 iTMP 58 PV (faded out)
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Happened to wake up and checked a number of SDRs
Weak but readable in three of the seven in Maryland;
Utah #1 omni
KPH
KPS
Canadian one in the west
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4095.700 KHz DW is fair on the SDR. BAT 13.3 oTMP 61 iTMP 68 PV 208
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4095.700 KHz DW is readable at home. BAT 13.6 oTMP 50 iTMP 52 PV xx9 (faded)
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4095.700 KHz DW is readable at home on the KX3. BAT 12.9 oTMP 43 iTMP 45 PV 0
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I can hear DW on both of my receivers at home, Sedona Kiwi. Northern Utah Kiwi, all four KFS Kiwis.
BAT 13.7
O TMP 59
I TMP 50
PV 1958 (mA?) This value steadily rose from a couple digits at 7:15 AM and BAT reading rose at the same time
I've been wanting to compare readings with my original posts from a year ago
BAT 13.8
O TMP 45
I TMP 53
PV 1813
Likewise am easily hearing DW at home and on the same kiwis so signal strength appears to have held steady
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4095.700 KHz DW is readable at home on the NRD-525 at 0601PST
BAT 12.8 oTMP 35 iTMP 45 PV 1
Cold out there
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I have a pretty good signal from DW right now at home. It seems February is a great month for good copy.
BAT 13.0
oTMP 37
iTMP 47
PV 0
It's interesting to see the air temp keep dropping but there is a longer lag for the iTMP numbers to close the gap
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Outside air temp dropping rapidly
0456am pst
BAT 12.7
oTMP 41
iTMP 48
PV 0
0522 am pst
BAT 12.8
oTMP 36
iTMP 48
PV 0
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0808am pst
BAT 13.8
oTMP 55
iTMP 61
PV 5
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good copy here at home
BAT 13.1
oTMP 68
iTMP 76
PV 0
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good copy here at home. During the shorter days of the year I’ve seen the battery go as low as 12.6 volts in the hours before dawn. With the longer days I’m seeing 12.8 in the early hours, much the same as when DW was deployed a year ago. Also the outdoor temperature readings seems more stable and when the air is really cold there is a much larger delta from the iTMP readings
BAT 12.8
oTMP 55
iTMP 63
PV 1
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Thank you for all of the reports! They have been veryhelpful!
The DW Team
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I've been hearing DW for a few hours here at home and it's currently reporting
BAT 13.0 oTMP 80 iTMP 88 PV 1
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A decent signal wafting in and it's still really hot out there!
BAT 13.0 oTMP 95 iTMP 101 PV 1
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Starting 2 days ago DW has exhibited some ragged keying. Signal strength seems normal when keyed up but some "whoops" and Morse characters go missing. It could be the result of the constant heat out there or an after effect of the last time it went off the air. The keying problem does not seem to vary directly with the reported temperature changes. Battery voltages seem normal.
EDIT
This report was based on the KFS SE kiwi SDR but I should double check other SDRs for compparison
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It seems that the KFS SDRs may be having more issues than I recently reported to the owner/operators
(see https://forum.kiwisdr.com/index.php?p=/discussion/2605/possible-bug-with-public-facing-gui-fixed-in-v1-523 )
Now that DW is coming in strong this evening it sounds just fine. However, I found this interesting issue reported by our very own forum owner (Smolinski) and it makes me wonder if that is what made DW sound glitchy on the KFS SE kiwi.
https://forum.kiwisdr.com/index.php?p=/discussion/2623/the-saga-of-glitchy-audio-waterfall-and-a-chinese-bot
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That sounds like a very plausible explanation for the glitchy reception of DW Jim. DW is quite strong in Southern Utah and, as you observed, sounds fine. At about 1130pm MDT on 6/19/2922 (0530z on 6/20/2022) DW was 13.0V, otmp 76, itmp 86, pv = 1.
Receiver for the above was my plucky little Belka-DX with the telescopic whip.
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I've been trying to kick and ban these Chinese bots when they appear on the KiwiSDRs, but unfortunately they frequently change IP addresses to avoid the bans, so it is like playing Whack A Mole.
Good reception of the Desert Whooper and the Slider on the northern CA KiwSDR. I don't think I'll be getting up early enough for local reception of 4 MHz beacons for some time :)
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Okay signal here at home and very strong into KFS, KPH and Utah
4095.67 KHz DW battery 13.6v outside temp 81deg inside temp 86deg solar panel current 1063 mA
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Gtreat signal here at home
4095.67 KHz DW battery 13.1v outside temp 97deg inside temp 102deg solar panel current 1 (which is actually zero)
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Last night I rolled into Saint George, Utah around 11 PM and tuned in DW on the truck's Yaesu FT-857D and heard it faintly but clearly. Since the ATAS-120 antenna isn't made to go below 7 MHz I tune it to 8191 KHz and hope enough of the 4095.65 signal gets through. Will have to look at the 120 antenna with a network analyzer some day.
Back home tonight and DW is so strong I can easily hear it on the NRD-525 set to Narrow filter
22:11 PST BAT 13.0 oTMP 100 iTMP 107 PV 1
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Jum[img in a bit late, but I just started looking for Beacons outsides 33 m. The DW signal is very readable here in Northern California after dark, S3 S5, equal to the noise. Antenna is an 80 ft random wire with transformer isolated feeder back to various radios. The higher frequency "desert slider", 4108 kHz is also easy copy, similar strenghts.
Ed
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Jum[img in a bit late, but I just started looking for Beacons outsides 33 m. The DW signal is very readable here in Northern California after dark, S3 S5, equal to the noise. Antenna is an 80 ft random wire with transformer isolated feeder back to various radios. The higher frequency "desert slider", 4108 kHz is also easy copy, similar strenghts.
Ed
Welcome to hunting Pirate Beacons Ed!! It is a lot of fun!
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fair signal here at home
21:58 PST
BAT 13.0 oTMP 97 iTMP 104 PV 1
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Easy armchair copy her at home tonight. No ear strain!
BAT 13.1
oTMP 94
iTMP 99 (interesting, only 5 degrees above ambient)
PV 1 (it's dark out there
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A bit noisy here at home and also on KFS SE
BAT 13.1
oTMP 103
iTMP 106 (interesting, only 3 degrees above ambient)
PV 2
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It looks like the battery voltage is dipping from the immediately preceding logs, taken at roughly the same time of the evening and an earlier sunset now.
08/23/2022, 0400 UTC, 4095.6 KHz carrier frequency, received on the KPH kiwi SDR, Point Reyes, CA, SINPO 25232.
BAT 12.1 (V)
OTMP 100 (F; still hot in the desert well after dark. Also perhaps the sensor is not in the open air.)
ITMP 107 (F)
PV 1
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It looks like the battery voltage is dipping from the immediately preceding logs, taken at roughly the same time of the evening and an earlier sunset now.
08/23/2022, 0400 UTC, 4095.6 KHz carrier frequency, received on the KPH kiwi SDR, Point Reyes, CA, SINPO 25232.
BAT 12.1 (V)
OTMP 100 (F; still hot in the desert well after dark. Also perhaps the sensor is not in the open air.)
ITMP 107 (F)
PV 1
The beacon maker’s thread is here
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,85047.0.html
They state the otmp readings are from an outdoor sensor and the battery has a low volts disconnect. In all of my logs I’ve never seen the voltage below 12.8 and given my own weak skills with Morse a very low appearing reading was more likely to have been 13.1 rather than 12.1 volts.
I cross check temps by looking across temps in desert towns as well as seeing that DW’s two readings usually have a 3 to 7 degree delta based on time of day. A year ago I saw the iTMP hit 120 degrees.
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Yeah, the signal was fading up and down last night and maybe I copied the battery voltage incorrectly.
Here is a recording of much better reception on the KPH SE beam kiwi SDR at 2230 UTC 23 August 2022 in the afternoon sun.
https://voca.ro/1oQ6dhNbcpwM (https://voca.ro/1oQ6dhNbcpwM)
In any case, it sounds like the battery voltage is up to 14.3 Volts right now with the sun at "full gas".
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The battery is about 22 months old but has done very well so far. It is oversized in terms of the Amp Hours needed and so is the solar panel. In this manner it can easily survive a few heavily clouded days before the low voltage disconnect would shut down DW. The LVD will shut things down around 12.1 volts, approximately 55% battery capacity.
(https://www.rvtechlibrary.com/images/voltchart.gif)
Thank you for all of your reports!
The DW Team
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The battery is about 22 months old but has done very well so far. It is oversized in terms of the Amp Hours needed and so is the solar panel.
That was a good design decision. Top marks, and thank you for giving us such a great signal to listen out for, even though I know that wasn't the primary intent!
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Looking over my notes it seems that DW was getting weak around the 3rd week of September. Now it is great copy at home, even can be heard on the NRD-525 with an untuned, RX-only antenna.