HFU HF Underground
Loggings => Longwave Loggings => Topic started by: jFarley on November 24, 2015, 1318 UTC
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New or interesting NDBs added to the logbook.
201.0 RI Riviere Du Loup, QC, CAN (2015-12-10 0344z; 1594 Km 200W)
204.0 YFY Forbay - Iqaluit, NU, CAN (2015-11-25 0308z; 2741 Km 1500W)
205.0 LNH Millen, GA, USA (2015-12-14 0340z; 1127 Km 25W)
209.0 SYS Stoystown' Somerset, PA, USA (2015-12-14 0350z; 788 Km 25W)
213.0 YRC St. Honore' Chicoutimi, QC, CAN (2015-12-18 0450z; 1513 Km 25W)
216.0 ME Matane, QC, CAN (2015-11-24 0308z; 1771 Km 100W)
221.0 BJT Bulldog' Athens, GA, USA (2015-12-14 0409z; 973 Km 25W)
221.0 HS Hanco' Bay Saint Louis, MS, USA (2015-12-03 0332z; 1275 Km 25W)
221.0 YAS Kangirsuk, QC, CAN (2015-12-18 0505z; 2367 Km 500W)
224.0 QM Moncton, NB, CAN (2015-12-14 0117z; 1929 Km 400W)
227.0 CPC Camp' Whiteville, NC, USA (2015-12-14 0418z; 1168 Km 25W)
227.0 UZ Rally' Rock Hill, SC, USA (2015-12-17 0254z; 980 Km 25W) NEW
236.0 BW Noora' Bowling Green, KY, USA (2015-12-14 0425z; 729 Km) NEW
237.0 EZF Shannon' Fredericksburg, VA, USA (2015-12-14 0430z; 979 Km 25W) NEW
242.0 LE Blayd' Lexington, KY, USA (2015-11-24 0321z; 515 Km)
245.0 ARM Wharton, TX, USA (2015-12-18 0403z; 1579 Km) NEW
245.0 JYL Sylvania, GA, USA (2015-12-14 0328z; 1166 Km 25W)
245.0 PTN Patterson, LA, USA (2015-12-18 0408z; 1381 Km) NEW
245.0 UDG Darlington, SC, USA (2015-11-25 0316z; 1085 Km 25W)
248.0 PQF Mesquite, TX, USA (2015-11-25 0357z; 1257 Km 25W)
251.0 BR Larew' Brainerd, MN, USA (2015-12-15 1241z; 706 Km) NEW
252.0 SMS Sumter, SC, USA (2015-11-26 0317z; 1098 Km 25W)
257.0 CEU Clemson, SC, USA (2015-11-26 0323z; 911 Km 25W)
257.0 DT Pinck' Denton, TX, USA (2015-12-18 0414z; 1253 Km) NEW
260.0 UFX St. Felix de Valois, QC, CAN (2015-12-18 0421z; 1257 Km 25W)
263.0 BGF Boiling Fork' Winchester, TN, USA (2015-11-24 0329z; 758 Km 25W)
263.0 RO Rogers, AR, USA (2015-11-29 0255z; 793 Km)
272.0 GLS Galapagos, , GAL (2015-12-15 0507z; 4711 Km) NEW
275.0 RU Rovdy' Salisbury, NC, USA (2015-12-04 0348z; 941 Km)
278.0 AUR Sulfy' Sulphur, LA, USA (2015-12-10 0422z; 1386 Km)
278.0 CEP Capitan' Ruidoso, NM, USA (2015-12-18 0429z; 1789 Km 25W)
280.0 QX Gander, NL, CAN (2015-12-10 0306z; 2695 Km 1000W)
311.0 DVK Goodall' Danville, KY, USA (2015-12-16 2309z; 547 Km) NEW
317.0 ZZR Trenton (Apt)' Severn, ON, CAN (2015-12-01 0210z; 878 Km 50W)
326.0 ZEF Zephyr' Elkin, NC, USA (2015-12-09 0154z; 878 Km)
329.0 BQP Bastrop, LA, USA (2015-11-24 0344z; 1066 Km 25W)
329.0 RVN Rogersville, TN, USA (2015-11-24 0345z; 744 Km 25W)
330.0 BH Surry' Bar Harbor, ME, USA (2015-12-01 0235z; 1622 Km 25W)
332.0 CZX Crosbyton, TX, USA (2015-12-18 0433z; 1480 Km) NEW
332.0 DKA Kenan' Kenansville, NC, USA (2015-12-08 0223z; 1152 Km 25W)
335.0 CK Snuff' Clarksville, TN, USA (2015-12-09 0207z; 593 Km)
336.0 BDB Accomack' Melfa, VA, USA (2015-12-09 0220z; 1145 Km)
338.0 CYR Caidy' Cairo, GA, USA (2015-12-08 0233z; 1265 Km 25W)
338.0 POB Pope' Fayetteville, NC, USA (2015-11-24 0354z; 1074 Km 50W)
339.0 MKR Milk River' Glasgow, MT, USA (2015-12-07 1126z; 1625 Km)
339.0 OP Yates' Thomaston, GA, USA (2015-12-01 0254z; 1044 Km)
340.0 OIA Oiapoque (AP), , BRA (2015-12-01 0317z; 5548 Km 100W) very lucky to see a quick fadeup on this
342.0 ST Hussk' St Cloud, MN, USA (2015-12-04 0409z; 631 Km)
343.0 YGO Gods Lake Narrows, MB, CAN (2015-12-04 0412z; 1495 Km 25W)
349.0 AAF Apalachicola, FL, USA (2015-12-08 0308z; 1372 Km 25W)
350.0 D7 Kincardine, ON, CAN (2015-11-26 0334z; 579 Km 25W)
350.0 RB Resolute Bay, NU, CAN (2015-11-24 0357z; 3679 Km 3000W)
353.0 VV Junne' Greensboro, GA, USA (2015-12-01 0337z; 1009 Km)
355.0 CS Fenix' Columbus, GA, USA (2015-12-08 0700z; 1077 Km)
356.0 AY St Anthony, NL, CAN (2015-11-24 0409z; 2632 Km 25W)
356.0 GMZ Grindstone Mountain' Bowie, TX, USA (2015-12-18 0537z; 1258 Km) NEW
356.0 PTT Pratt, KS, USA (2015-12-10 0435z; 1025 Km 25W) NEW
356.0 ZXE Barnes (Saskatoon), SK, CAN (2015-11-29 0238z; 1810 Km 39W)
357.0 IM Keans' Asheville, NC, USA (2015-11-24 0403z; 842 Km)
359.0 FXY Forest City, IA, USA (2015-11-28 0413z; 490 Km 25W)
359.0 HHH Devine, TX, USA (2015-11-28 0413z; 1725 Km 25W)
359.0 LXL Little Falls, MN, USA (2015-12-04 0418z; 688 Km 25W)
359.0 YQZ Quesnel, BC, CAN (2015-11-24 0411z; 2844 Km)
362.0 YZS Coral Harbour, NU, CAN (2015-11-24 0416z; 2502 Km 500W)
369.0 CXU Camilla, GA, USA (2015-12-17 0101z; 1227 Km 25W) NEW
369.0 ZDX Coolidge Saint Johns, , ATG (2015-12-17 0101z; 3710 Km 1200W)
370.0 HYW Horry' Conway, SC, USA (2015-12-17 0109z; 1183 Km 25W) NEW
371.0 FQW Walter Hill' Murfreesboro, TN, USA (2015-11-25 0335z; 666 Km 25W)
372.0 CQD Cascade' Erie, PA, USA (2015-12-17 0408z; 650 Km) NEW
372.0 ZPA Glass (Prince Albert), SK, CAN (2015-11-24 0422z; 1823 Km 25W)
374.0 HY Nette' Hays, KS, USA (2015-12-02 0323z; 1013 Km)
375.0 PSN Palestine, TX, USA (2015-12-15 0437z; 1314 Km 25W) NEW
375.0 RYB Raymond, MS, USA (2015-12-15 0432z; 1081 Km 25W) NEW
375.0 SPH Springhill, LA, USA (2015-12-15 0430z; 1099 Km)
378.0 UX Hall Beach, NU, CAN (2015-11-24 0423z; 3025 Km 400W)
379.0 DL Pykla' Duluth, MN, USA (2015-12-17 1220z; 660 Km) NEW
385.0 CPZ Chaparrosa Ranch' La Pryor, TX, USA (2015-12-18 0548z; 1806 Km 25W) NEW
385.0 DXB De Ridder, LA, USA (2015-12-18 0544z; 1322 Km) NEW
385.0 TKL Tikal' Santa Elena Y Flores (Peten), , GTM (2015-12-18 0547z; 2782 Km)
388.0 CDX Cumberland River' Somerset, KY, USA (2015-12-14 0219z; 608 Km 25W)
388.0 H7 Manitoulin East (Manitowaning), ON, CAN (2015-12-14 0219z; 663 Km 25W)
390.0 OWC Coffee County' Douglas, GA, USA (2015-12-10 0443z; 1244 Km 25W) NEW
391.0 GXD Nacogdoches, TX, USA (2015-12-18 0556z; 1282 Km 25W) NEW
392.0 JNM Monroe, GA, USA (2015-12-18 0554z; 976 Km 25W) NEW
394.0 MK Mersy' Jackson, TN, USA (2015-12-18 0558z; 708 Km) NEW
402.0 M3 Kindersley, SK, CAN (2015-12-15 0519z; 1938 Km) NEW
406.0 TT Leeco' Sanford, NC, USA (2015-11-26 0351z; 1044 Km)
406.0 YLJ Meadow Lake, SK, CAN (2015-11-26 0351z; 2048 Km 15W)
407.0 BZ Bullo' Statesboro, GA, USA (2015-11-26 0349z; 1187 Km 25W)
408.0 HBD Hubbard, OH, USA (2015-11-26 0356z; 624 Km)
408.0 LQK Lake Keowee' Pickins, SC, USA (2015-11-26 0355z; 906 Km 25W)
410.0 JU Ashee' West Jefferson, NC, USA (2015-11-26 0359z; 832 Km 25W)
414.0 AZE Hazlehurst, GA, USA (2015-11-26 0405z; 1203 Km)
424.0 RVJ Prison' Reidsville, GA, USA (2015-11-28 0140z; 1204 Km 25W)
Conditions seemed to have turned the corner, storm noise is way down, and we are starting to see more consistent appearances of middle tier Canadian NDBs in or above the auroral zone. It's Winter in my book!
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Things are proceeding nicely on the loop and its control software. When things are running well, it is proving to be a very productive system. It was anticipated that communications with the SBC server in the loop head would be the toughest part of the project, and that is indeed the case. I have gone through a number of revisions or methods for communication with the loop server.
ATTEMPT 1: Since I had a buried shielded CAT5 out to the site, the initial attempt here was to do a TCP link to the server. Not so good. This has exposed a number of issues with the Arduino Ethernet library, and I would need to rewrite a portion of the library to be compatible with the 3rd party library I generally use for TCP comms. I am not going to do this in season, and this remains on the back burner for a summer project.
ATTEMPT 2: A reliable PC USB to Arduino USB link was put in place. I used a pair of inexpensive USB to CAT5 converters, one each at the upstream and downstream ends. This works nearly flawlessly - I can even remotely upload firmware patches to the server Arduino - but is noisy. At each end is a UIC4102 line converter which unfortunately employs a crystal resonator oscillator to drive the state machine controlling the USB half duplex link. There appears to be a copious amount of spurious noise by the state machine clocking.
(http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s387/jFarley44/Screenshot-2015-11-23-215645_zpspkgdepr1.png) (http://s1049.photobucket.com/user/jFarley44/media/Screenshot-2015-11-23-215645_zpspkgdepr1.png.html)
This noise can easily be seen in the above screencap around 305 and 350 kHz; it shows up in other places also, and can be seen on a Wellbrook loop about 2 meters away. For the most part it is not too difficult to DX around the noise.
ATTEMPT 3: I put in an RS485 link over CAT5 to see if I could get rid of the noise. It did, but I also lost reliable comms with the server. RS485 comms with the Arduino server requires intensive use of its interrupts, some of which were in conflict with things such as general timing and Stepper Motor control. I kaboshed this for the time being, and have fallen back to the USB to CAT approach.
Both the USB over CAT5 and RS485 approaches share an additional problem. By necessity, the CAT5 cable was buried along with the cable which connects to a pair of 3 wire rotors. Moving a rotator while the server is connected to the PC USB port will occasionally generate enough noise to shut down or reset the PC USB port. This requires a re-open of the port and a re-sync of the server, a 1.5 minute process. We will just live with this for a while, until the next comm link is built. This will be an 868 MHz wireless link, I hope. I have picked out a pair of inexpensive transceivers which should be compatible with both ends, and have more than adequate range with their builtin chip antennas. If not, there are many designs for DYI Yagi antennas floating around which should be cheap and easy to build.
What a long strange trip it's been.
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jFarley: I like the use of a high tech UHF radio link to control an antenna for receiving [mostly CW] signals on long wave. But then I wrote software to perform long term integrations on LORAN-C transmissions ;D
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;D
I'll do anything to break a groundloop!
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Have you considered a fiber optic link?
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I have indeed thought about a fiber link, and that remains a possibility in the future. I was planning to trench in a couple more RF cables to replace older above-the-ground runs which have become a little crusty. It's a little too late in the season to do trenching here. Maybe at that time I will add in a F/O run, and there is plenty of time to study the technology.
For the mean time, the 868 MHz link looks like the way to go in the short term. The devices I have picked out seem to show low BER over a 50M line of sight using only the inherent on board chip antennas. This range does increase nicely by using a pair of rubber duckies - the boards have provisions for mounting an SMA connector - and this is what I will do initially. If all else fails, I could build a pair of YAGIs for about 10 bucks each.