5 ms·
I'm a ham. I communicated with someone 8,000 miles away from me (Midwest US to South Africa) by bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere from an antenna I built
by SamPatt 2y ago
I'm a ham.
I communicated with someone 8,000 miles away from me (Midwest US to South Africa) by bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere from an antenna I built myself using as much power as a light bulb.
The hobby is definitely dying, but it still provides some awesome moments. Tons of nerds here would find it time well spent.
- _JamesA_ 2y agoIncandescent or LED?
- topspin 2y agoProbably the former but possibly the latter. Sometimes "conditions" are such that a tiny amount of power will go a very long way. Right now, near the peak of the solar cycle, 4 watt CB radios are sometimes heard thousands of miles away.
- SamPatt 2y agoIt might be possible those CBs heard that far away are actually 4 watts - but it's much more likely they're illegally boosting their output. Still, you're totally right that in ideal conditions propagation can be astounding.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- SamPatt 2y agoIncandescent :) It was FT8, which is a weak signal data mode. Very often you can make contacts hundreds of miles away using less than 20 watts. However, I was probably using between 40-100 watts for that contact - you can't get much further apart on earth than we were!
- wl 2y agoI've done both. If you and your remote station have good antennas, a low local noise floor, and the right atmospheric conditions, a little power can take you to the other side of the planet.
- wglb 2y agoI regularly contact Europe from the Chicago area with a very modest antenna using five watts
- fortran77 2y agoMy WSPR beacon is routinely heard at a research base in Antarctica.
- MandieD 2y agoEvery time I see DP0GVN in my list of received WSPR transmissions on WSPRnet.org, I smile about bothering the penguins.