HFU HF Underground
Loggings => HF Beacons => Topic started by: l0ngwire on April 26, 2022, 0658 UTC
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The Coastal Slider on 4109.5 is back, about S3 here in central California at 0650z. Wonder what repairs were needed to get it back on the air again?
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Good find, LW!
The Coast Slider is coming in well on my home RX and 120' dipole at 0550Z this evening, S6 or so. Nice to hear it back. It went off the air the same day as DW, so maybe it was damaged in the same storm. Hopefully the owner will post something.
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About two weeks ago, a hike was made to the beacon to investigate what happened. As expected, it was an antenna problem - probably caused by high winds over the ridge in the storm also took DW out on the same day back in April.
The Slider's 70' antenna wire is supported by small two pine trees, and lacked a way to accommodate movement of those trees in the wind. The strain caused the antenna wire to part at a solder joint near the EFHW transformer, leaving only 1' of wire connected. The beacon was found to still be transmitting though. Fortunately, the PA transistor was still OK (not surprising since the beacon only 1/3 watt).
The antenna was shortened a bit and the solder joint repaired with added strain relief. The height of the antenna was raised by an additional 10 feet. This had the happy side effect of bringing the SWR down to <1.5:1, whereas It was ~3:1 when first installed. A bungee cord placed on end to hopefully accommodate strain when the support trees move in the wind.
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The bungee was a nice bit of McGyver'ing! Hopefully it withstands the UV for many months until it can be upgraded on a future trip.
Here at home on the KX3 I have a pretty fair signal with some slow fades rolling in and out.
Glad you made it our there before June and thanks for the full report!
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Yes, hopefully the bungee cord will last a few months.
Just in case, a length of dacron para cord was paralleled with the bungee cord, so that if (when?) the bungee fails, the antenna will just sag rather than fall down. An upgrade to a pulley and counterweight arrangement that would allow for greater movement and a constant tension is probably the way to go.
And as you noted in your logs, the beacon's frequency shift has increased to nearly 400Hz from the original design value of 170Hz. Thanks for the report. There's an RC network which determines the amount (and rate) of the shift; perhaps the component values have changed a bit. It'll be interesting to see if the delta-F stabilizes or keeps increasing.
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Yes, hopefully the bungee cord will last a few months.
Just in case, a length of dacron para cord was paralleled with the bungee cord, so that if (when?) the bungee fails, the antenna will just sag rather than fall down. An upgrade to a pulley and counterweight arrangement that would allow for greater movement and a constant tension is probably the way to go.
And as you noted in your logs, the beacon's frequency shift has increased to nearly 400Hz from the original design value of 170Hz. Thanks for the report. There's an RC network which determines the amount (and rate) of the shift; perhaps the component values have changed a bit. It'll be interesting to see if the delta-F stabilizes or keeps increasing.
Excellent thinking on the parallel dacron cord. I just read about a counterweight solution where they used a pulley and a length of PVC tube that that added water to until they hit the right weight. Then the tube was sealed. At home I have a lightweight 20/40 meter OCF dipole and it takes about 7 pounds of counterweight. So a gallon of water might be all that's needed for your antenna.
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The beacon sounds good today 8)
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It probably wouldn't hurt the antenna nor reduce radiation (mnaybe by a few dB by allowing for a "sag" of the dipole more into a Vee form from 25 to 25 degrees from horizontal. This will reduce end-tension on the dipole antenna. I prefer rock formations rather than trees due to how trees can thrash around and break antennas... The shoert term solution of the bungee and // cord fix is good for a few months but Bungee cords deteriorate quickly out in the sunshine and elements, from past experience.
Slider is Now audible about S4-5 in the big QRN at 7:10 p.m. PDT now. DW by comparison is S9 and propagation pre sunset time must be favoring DW's distance. The other solar only daytimer 4096 cluster dashers are quite weak now due to fading Sun and for the cluster being "too close." At times the dasher out-signal strength DW by far mid-day and when absorption is low.
Anyway, cool and I plan on a Central Coast trip in June so it will be more of a local short skip signal there in a remote place between Templeton and Cambria. A far nicer/better place than this funky desert village locale by 100 times!
The original 4096 beeper was deep in a Marin County canyon in a fern forest in 1988 and the antenna was a half-wave wire (no ground) just to a 7aH SLA swapped bi-monthly via 10 mile round trip hikes. The desert-based PV units would come when this endeavor re-started after 1998.
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Have caught the slider the last couple of mornings here at the QTH rather on a KIWI. So is prop is changing.
73
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No reception of CS here at home and on the KFS Omni the signal is low but readable. It's great it is now a regular signal once again.
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About two weeks ago, a hike was made to the beacon to investigate what happened. As expected, it was an antenna problem - probably caused by high winds over the ridge in the storm also took DW out on the same day back in April.
The Slider's 70' antenna wire is supported by small two pine trees, and lacked a way to accommodate movement of those trees in the wind. The strain caused the antenna wire to part at a solder joint near the EFHW transformer, leaving only 1' of wire connected. The beacon was found to still be transmitting though. Fortunately, the PA transistor was still OK (not surprising since the beacon only 1/3 watt).
The antenna was shortened a bit and the solder joint repaired with added strain relief. The height of the antenna was raised by an additional 10 feet. This had the happy side effect of bringing the SWR down to <1.5:1, whereas It was ~3:1 when first installed. A bungee cord placed on end to hopefully accommodate strain when the support trees move in the wind.
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Great work Beaconpop!!
We can appreciate all of your efforts to restore your beacon. We love The "whoop".
The DW Team
The DW Team
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I have a clear signal from CS here at home. Very cool!
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The Slider is doing really well into the KFS Omni. Congrats!
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A bit of slow fading but I've got good copy of CS here at home.
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CS is strong enough to hear decently well here at home on my good old NRD-525 using the Narrow filter
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Receiving the Coastal Slider here on the SF Peninsula with no difficulty this evening. S3 to S5.
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Nice signal here at home at 22:02 PST
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I'm an old beer brewer with a ruined back. A gallon of water is 8lbs. Make sure there's a nearby source so you don't have to lug it for miles. The antenna isn't going to care if the water came from Fiji or the nearest mudhole.
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I'm an old beer brewer with a ruined back. A gallon of water is 8lbs. Make sure there's a nearby source so you don't have to lug it for miles. The antenna isn't going to care if the water came from Fiji or the nearest mudhole.
Water, beer, rocks, dirt, mud, whatever. Innovation is the message.
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I was always a gravel and sack man, myself. I had one neighbor who seriously thought I practiced Voodoo when she first saw those nylon counterweight sacks hanging from the trees.
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Anyhow....
I've got a weak but clear 'n slow whoop from CS here at home on the KX3
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Copied it this morning at 1130 utc...
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I've got a weak but clear whoop from CS here at home on the KX3 and also on the KFS omni
It's a reliable beacon to check on for reception.
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But is it McGreevy approved?
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I've never heard CS, and a decent listening antenna is not going to happen at home anytime soon, so I resorted to the online SDR's. It's a very clear S3-S4 on the KPH SDR, and about S1 on KFS. Nice to hear it for the first time.
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S5 peak on the KPH kiwi SDR at 1800 UTC on 23 March 2022. Is there ever an ID for this beacon?
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Good signals into the KFS SE just now.
Well done, op!
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Is the Slider still on the air?
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I can hear it right now 10:10 am pst
http://69.27.184.58:8073/
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I've tried several times to access that Kiwi , but it's overrun with WSPR bots. Thanks for the info though, I'll keep trying.
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Typically the Omni is not infested with bots. It’s probably the best choice for CS as an optimum receive antenna
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Last I heard CS was Nov 23rd. Has anyone heard it since then? Might just be band conditions.
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Could not copy it when I was in the central coast a couple months ago.
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I think CS has become intermittent. For a few days (after Jim's post) I looked for the usually reliable CS just after sunrise using my home RX or the SDRs. Nothing but static.
But last Thursday something interesting happened: suddenly, around 0850 local (CA time), it came on. I had left the RX on after checking at 8am. However the 'slides' were weird and oddly formed - erratic and shortened, in groups of 2 or 3 with long pauses in between. This went on for 10 minutes and then stopped. Checked again several times that day and it was not heard again. I noted the CA weather that day was a mix of rain, clouds and occasional sun.
Today I checked at 7am, and again nothing was heard. But re-checking at 10am - there it was sliding away merrily, with a strong signal. So CS had started up sometime well after sunrise today. And it's still there at 8pm. North/Central CA weather was sunny all day. Maybe CS is having charging/battery problems?
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Stendec
That's a great report! I'll try to listen in the morning from sunrise on and see what I hear.
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I did listen with the KFS Omni but no joy. It is cloudy on the NorCal coast
(https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/psw/GEOCOLOR/20223421231-20223421626-GOES17-ABI-PSW-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif)
I wonder if CS's solar panel is knocked over and only gets partial daylight which wouldn't keep the battery healthy.
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I just checked the KFS Omni and there is a good signal from CS
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I did not catch the exact time but CS did come back on the air sometime after 9 AM. I guess for now it can be considered a daytime only beacon until Beaconpop can make repairs.
The sweep is from 4109.2 to 4109.6 which might be a little lower in frequency, probably due to the cold weather.
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CS sweeping 4109.2 to 4109.6, about S6 on KPH
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I caught CS turning on at 1752 Z
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CS still seems to be a daytime-only-with-good-sunlight-beacon.
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Agreed, CS now seems to be a daytime-only beacon, and then only in sunny weather. During California's recent 'atmospheric river events' it was was off the air for days.
CS actually keeps going a few hours past sunset. It's now about 10:30PM CA time and it's strong on the KFS SDR. But it'll be dead by morning.
I caught CS in 'wakeup mode' this morning around 9am. Irregular and shortened beeps for maybe 30 minutes, beeps a couple of times, stops for a few seconds, then chirps again, etc. Seen on the KFS SDR, some of the beeps have an interesting signature and are spread over a couple of kHz (caused by low battery voltage?). See the attached screenshot.
(https://i.ibb.co/CVqjDqy/19-Hy-G1e-Imgur.png)
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Sure looking good tonight at 5 PM left coast time!
Good work!
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I guess that CS has been repaired and the battery is well charged. It is 5:45am with dawn a ways off and I can hear CS faintly at home and it's also coming in very good on KFS omni.
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Can hear CS at home, faint but recognizable.
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I think CS is having battery issues. Am listening on the KFS omni kiwi and the signal seems to drop out at times, restart with a few closer spaced whoops, drop out and then restart with a normal cadence of whoops.
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CS is MIA
I could not hear it at home so I checked a kiwi SDR and no signal there.
I hope it is repaired and back on the air soon!!
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I just checked some kiwis and could not hear a signal.
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It's transmitting right now
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Greetings to all beacon aficionados!
In the rugged coastal mountains of California, a daring mission was undertaken last week to ensure the continued operation of a certain clandestine HF beacon known as the 'Coast Slider'. Join us as we recount this thrilling adventure up a misty mountain.
The journey began under the cool embrace of morning fog, creating an eerily quiet atmosphere. As our intrepid team ascended towards the beacon site, the persistent chill in the air was a most welcome companion. The sun eventually broke through the mist, but fortunately the temps remained pleasantly cool, setting the stage for an afternoon of repair and maintenance work.
Over the winter months, it became apparent that the Coast Slider's battery was no longer up to the task, struggling to hold a charge. This left the beacon operational only during daylight hours when the solar panel received sunlight. To address this issue, a comprehensive plan was hatched: replace the aging battery AND upgrade the solar panel.
Upon summiting the ridge, we were relieved to find the CS's container and solar panel in great condition - unmolested by human hands, vexatious varmints or curious condors. With great care, the box was unsealed and its contents eaxmined. To our delight, the battery and electronics were dry and pristine, untouched by the relentless rain of an unusually wet winter. This underscored the meticulous sealing of the box's lid and cable penetrations - care taken when the CS was first emplaced nearly 18 months ago.
Our first task was to replace the battery, installing a new 3Ah SLA to rejuvenate the transmitter. NExt, we turned our attention to the solar panel, upgrading it from its original 5 watts to a more robust 11 watts. These enhancements should ensure the the Coast Slider's uninterrupted operation for an extended period.
Replacing the panel meant cutting into what had been a continuous 10' underground run of cable to the beacon's container. This task was executed with precision, and the splice was carefully sealed to prevent moisture ingress, an important step in wet coastal conditions. (Oh, for a dry desert location with mostly sunny days!)
With the upgrades complete, time was spent to assess the beacon's performance. Its output power remained steady at 1/3 watt, a reassuring sign for its continued operation. However, the SWR had increased slightly to 1.8:1 (from 1.5), most likely due to the development of 2-3' sag of the antenna wire. And the resonant frequency also shifted down from 4110 kHz to 4060 kHz. The bungee cord which served to accomodate movement of the scrawny 'pine' trees supporting the antenna was replaced with a fresh bungee cord, this time enclosed in black nylon mesh tubing to protect it from the sun. The sag was left in the wire, since the antenna had survived a number of winter storms perhaps due to the slack.
The hike and maintenance tasks had far taken longer than anticipated (they always do!), so the elevated SWR issue was left for another time. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows as we started our descent.
Until the next adventure,
Beaconpop
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Thanks for taking the time to repair the beacon and to provide us with the story!!
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Weak but readable here at home
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Hearing it now, a bit weak but easy to recognize
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Very weak right now but recognizable here at home.
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Nov. 12 Time 1250 Utc 4109.18 khz Q5 copy in Colorado.
This is the first time I have heard this beacon.