‰  NOW 13 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM SEPTEMBER 2016 QST PAGE 34  ‰

WORKS SURPRISINGLY WELL.  USING WSPR BEACONING, I GOT REPORTS FROM OVER 100
UNIQUE STATIONS AROUND 13 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.  BEST DX IS OH1LSQ, WHO IS
1075 MILES AWAY.  THESE RESULTS WERE ON 500 KHZ BECAUSE THE NEW BAND WAS
NOT AVAILABLE IN THE UK WHEN I INITIALLY TESTED THE TRANSVERTER.  MANMADE
NOISE  ONE OF THE ISSUES WITH LF AND MF OPERATING THESE DAYS IS THE FOG OF
MANMADE INTERFERENCE.  HERE, EVEN ON THE EDGE OF A VILLAGE IN THE UK, MY
NOISE FLOOR HAS RISEN BY AROUND 20 30 DB BELOW 4 MHZ IN THE LAST 10 20
ƒ  QST DE W1AW  ‰
YEARS.  OPERATION ON 160 AND 80 METERS IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE AT NIGHT NOW.
UNTIL RECENTLY, THE NOISE AROUND 470 500 KHZ HAD BEEN QUITE LOW, BUT NOW I
FIND THAT THERE IS AN S 8 NOISE LEVEL HERE TOO.  MANY PEOPLE LIKE TO USE A
DIFFERENT ANTENNA FOR RECEIVING LF AND MF SIGNALS TO MINIMIZE NOISE PICK
UP.  A POPULAR ONE IS THE PA0RDT MINI WHIP, WHICH CAN BE EFFECTIVE IF
MOUNTED WELL AWAY FROM THE HOUSE.  ANOTHER APPROACH USES A SMALL ROTATABLE
‰  END OF 13 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ