4100.04 KHz "H"

[l0ngwire]

Tonight I am hearing the H beacon very weakly in DM04 at a slightly lower frequency.  I used to copy it at 4100.2, but at 0840z I am hearing it slightly lower at 4099.8.  My Icom 7200 is quite stable in the CW mode, and it appears the H beacon has drifted downward slightly.

[Heathkit]

Most beacons do drift about a wee, though "H" is one I've always caught on 4100.000. Maybe just my time catching it, evening temps are consistent?

73's

[Teotwaki]

Adding to the “H” chatter, “H” is heard regularly at DM12 and has been recorded regularly as it fades in between 1000Z and 1100Z very weakly each day since late September, conditions notwithstanding. Today at 1434Z, “H” peaked at 569 (sunrise at this location) and was gone at 1510Z. With that report, “H” seems to be becoming stronger as we proceed towards the winter months.

As I last reported in May of this year, I had first heard “H” in September of 2020, it became stronger during the winter months then either went off the air in spring or just drifted down into the QRN of summer, I suspect the latter. Although there is no Doppler on “H” during sunrise here, due to the signal behavior of “H”, I strongly suspect it to have an Asia Minor origin.


Receiver KiwiSDR
Ant: 80m dipole at 15m
location:  DM12

Ooooo.... that is a really interesting thought about the location of "H"

[Teotwaki]

It must be at the bottom of an ancient well, 50M deep in the middle of Mexico with a completely NVIS antenna 

73's

Some beacons are hidden in just such a clever way! You never know when some angry person will attempt to locate and damage a pirate beacon, LOL!

[Heathkit]

It must be at the bottom of an ancient well, 50M deep in the middle of Mexico with a completely NVIS antenna 

73's

Some beacons are hidden in just such a clever way! You never know when some angry person will attempt to locate and damage a pirate beacon, LOL!

Indeed!

From experience here in Cascadia, the raccoons and squirrels are even more destructive, HI HI

73's

[zeak]

Sometimes we have to be patient and give credit where credit is do.

All evening I have been copying "H" at 4094.12kHz, although weak but readable, its in there. "H" first popped out of my noise floor at this location at 0332Z and is still about the same at 0449Z with a little bit of QSB.

Although 75m skip is long right now, "H"'s location always eludes me.

Zeak,

Receiver KiwiSDR
Ant(s): 80m dipole at 15m and 1m Loop
Location:  DM12

[zeak]

In reference to my earlier reporting on beacons “H” and “F”,. The latest was copying of “F” starting at 1303Z as it came up out of the noise floor and rose to a very good signal (589) by 1443Z. Anyway, as for “H”, shortly after the 1440Z report and almost coincidental with the local sunrise (1449Z) I could copy beacons “H” and “F” simultaneously, “H” was weaker but readable at 549 and “F” at the usual 589. Since, from 1510Z “H” has slid, almost abruptly back into the noise.

 So, I guess the point is, both beacons are still there, at least from this location and allowing for propagation.

Zeak,

Receiver KiwiSDR
Ant(s): 80m dipole at 15m and 1m Loop
Location:  DM12

[l0ngwire]

Zeak, good catch hearing both the H and F beacons at the same time on 4100.  So it appears that the newer F beacon is not the reconfigured H beacon.

Related trivia:  in the late afternoons or early evenings I get on 80m SSB to talk to a ham friend in San Bernardino, about 150 miles from my Santa Barbara location.  I've noticed that if I can't hear the Desert Whooper beacon, I am more likely also not to he able to hear my friend.  So DW acts as a useful propagation beacon for me.

[zeak]

Yes, excellent use of DW, rather than the brute force approach to HF propagation traditionally used by amateur radio. In the case of HF beacons at 4MHz (with the exception of DW), we unfortunately don’t know their general location preventing much in the way of path identification.

 Additionally, one of the best HF path and relative path quality identification tools easily available to most these days is WSPR and to some extent QRSS beacons.

As far as “F” and “H” are concerned, notionally it’s always interesting to attempt path estimation based on time of day, ground wave and D-layer propagation. “F” is a little easier to work with from this location; “H” remains more of a mystery.

Zeak,