RV Net - 10/8/2020

Below you can listen to an MP3 file of audio from my FLEX-3000 transceiver, recorded during the second hour of the RV Service Net. I edited an 18-minute recording to remove long periods of no usable signal. I left in a few short segments where a signal was marginal. The result is less than 15 minutes long.

RV Net - part of 2nd hour

The stations heard include: AI1N,W5BUY, W8MQ, N0JHX, KC4GO, and W4BXI. You'll hear W4BXI as net control station transmitting from the following sites, in order: N4GYN, WA5MLF, KC4GO, W4UOA. W4BXI connected to each station via the Internet, using software from RemoteHams.com.

When transmitting from WA5MLF, there is no background radio noise, since the recording captured the VoIP audio coming into the transceiver from the RemoteHams software components.

I have a few other short recordings, from that same net session, that also may be worth sharing.

73,

John WA5MLF

RV Net - 9/24/2020

Here are 5 audio clips from the second hour of the 9/24/20 (East-Central-Canada) RV Service Net on 7.191 MHz, recorded from my Flex-3000 transceiver in Baton Rouge. Any long time segments with no readable audio have been shortened or edited out. The stations heard are identified above each audio clip. 

John WA5MLF

AI1N

W8OI, WK1F, N4JLR

N4JLR, W8OI, WW1SS

K9JWJ

K9JWJ, W4BXI (via N4GYN), K4ICZ, W4OWT

WU5E (Korea) to RVNet -- 9/17/2020

 WU5E checked into the RV Net from South Korea using an Internet remote connection to his Flex-6600 in Tennessee. Below is part of his exchange with net control W4BXI. The audio was recorded by WA5MLF in Baton Rouge on his transceiver.

The figure below shows that WU5E and W4BXI use the Internet to connect to separate transceivers remotely. There is no direct Internet connection between their computers.

Radio Propagation Issues for the RV Service Net

During several months of observing the Eastern/Central RV Service Net and providing remote station access to W4BXI, the ability of net participants to communicate was analyzed.

The results of our study are presented in this document (PDF), which is focused on the 40 m band propagation during the time frame of the morning net on 7191 kHz. Marginal radio propagation at the current low point in the Solar Cycle makes it difficult for net participants to hear each other.

Our presentation combines observations of signal levels, net participant reports, ionospheric "soundings" and propagation modeling.

John WA5MLF
Dan KC4GO

RV Service Net - 11 April 2019

During the second hour of Thursday's net I captured some audio and screen shots of the activity. The net control station, Sam WA4ICK, was S9+10 to me (in Baton Rouge) and painted a strong image on my FLEX-3000 SDR waterfall/panadapter view as shown below.

Click on image for an expanded view.

Improved propagation noted by several net participants can be attributed to an active region (with sunspots) on the Sun that has rotated back into Earth view and is raising the solar flux. On April 11 the sunspot number was 13.

A sample of the audio recording from around the middle of the second hour illustrates the reception here of signals from WA4ICK and W3TOM. Below is a screen shot of a portion of the audio waveform. You can see how the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio changes after the hand-off from WA4ICK to W3TOM at about 1/3 of the way from the left.

Click on image for an expanded view.

The first third has a narrow baseline between syllables, indicative of my receive AGC turning down the gain in the presence of the strong signal. The remainder of the waveform has a lower S/N ratio as indicated by the thick baseline. Some fading is evident. The signal improved after the first few seconds. In this later 2/3 of the waveform the AGC opened up to allow more signal, but the noise was also higher. Click here for a 47-second recording that includes the portion represented by the above waveform.

 I have two longer recordings that I can share with interested parties upon request.

73,
John WA5MLF

RV Service Net Reception at WA5MLF

During the last half-hour of yesterday's RV Service Net the signal from W4UOA was solid at Baton Rouge. The distance from my station to W4UOA is 430 miles.

Below is a screen shot captured at 0751 CDT, while W4BXI was transmitting on 7191 kHz  from W4UOA. Another strong signal can be seen below 7188 kHz.

Click to enlarge view.

A little earlier (0728 CDT) I recorded KB0BH checking into the Net and acknowledged by W4BXI. The recording (click here) was made from my Flex-3000 transceiver in Baton Rouge.

73,
John WA5MLF

RV Net Stations and Remote Transceivers

Observations of received signal strength from various participants in the daily East Coast RV Net on 7.191 MHz has revealed a daily pattern of reception range during the 2-hour period of the Net. Below are map views that show distance (as a circle) from each remote transceiver site that is used by W4BXI. Click on any map for an expanded view.

500 mile range: During the early part of the Net, stations within about 500 miles of a remote are not readable from that remote, unless within ground wave range.
300 mile range: During the later part of the Net, stations within about 300 miles of a remote are not readable from that remote, unless within ground wave range. 

500 mile radius from W4UOA

500 mile radius from KC4GO

500 mile radius from WA5MLF

500 mile radius from W6SFG

 

300 mile radius from W4UOA

300 mile radius from KC4GO

300 mile radius from WA5MLF

300 mile radius from W6SFG