630 Meters Ground Wave Evaluation Network 630m GWEN

630m GWEN results this morning:
Participating 630m operators (per Slack #khz): N9RU CW 474.35, AA8SH 474.0, KB5NJD CW 474.5, KE7A CW 474.5, K9KFR CW 474.2.
CW contacts: KB5NJD KE7A 599+ 28 mi..
Reports: N9RU hearing dits, AA8SH copied K9KFR 229, K9KFR partially copied AA8SH, N9RU copied and recorded K9KFR.
Digital contacts: None.
Conditions: KB5NJD QRN (Growl) then quiet, AA8SH quiet.
Will repeat next weekend 1330z.

 

CQ 474.5 kHz CW 1315z - 1345z this morning (8:15 AM CDT - 8:45 AM CDT)... Listening omni on main position, NE/SW loop on 2nd receiver. Reports and QSO's appreciated. Long calls, please.

 

630m GWEN results this morning:
Participating 630m operators (per Slack #khz): KB5NJD CW 474.5, AA8SH CW 474.0, K9KFR CW 474.2, KE7A CW 474.5.
CW contacts: KB5NJD KE7A 599+ 28 mi.
Reports: KB5NJD very light dits or QRM below noise, AA8SH copied K9KFR 229.
Digital contacts: None.
Conditions: KB5NJD quiet, AA8SH quiet.
Will repeat next weekend 1330z.

 

CQ 474.5 kHz CW 1315z - 1345z this morning (8:15 AM CDT - 8:45 AM CDT)... Listening omni on main position, NE/SW loop on 2nd receiver. Reports and QSO's appreciated. Long calls, please. Noise is low after sunrise following a very noisy pre-dawn skywave session due to storms in the central US.

 

630m GWEN results this morning:
Participating 630m operators (per Slack #khz): W3TS CW 474.2, KB5NJD CW 474.5, Dick KE7A CW 474.5, , AA8SH CW 474.2, N9RU CW 474.35.
CW contacts: KB5NJD KE7A 599+ 28 mi, 24:45 minutes nice CW chat.
Reports: W8DPW copied AA8SH 599 13.3 mi.
Digital contacts: None.
Conditions: AA8SH quiet, W3TS quiet.
Will repeat tomorrow 1330z.

 

CQ 474.5 kHz CW 1315z - 1345z Sunday morning (8:15 AM CDT - 8:45 AM CDT)... Listening omni on main position, NE/SW loop on 2nd receiver. Reports and QSO's appreciated. Long calls, please. Noise is once again low following a very noisy pre-dawn skywave session due to storms in the central US. Storms don't seem to be moving very quickly. Skywave prop was good, however.

 

630m GWEN results this morning:
Participating 630m operators (per Slack #khz): W3TS CW 474.2, KB5NJD CW 474.5, AA8SH CW 474.2, N9RU CW 474.35, WB8JUI CW 474.0, KE7A CW 474.5
CW contacts: KB5NJD KE7A 599+ 28 mi, 28:10 minute (very low noise hi-fi CW) chat.
Reports: None.
Digital contacts: None.
Conditions: N9RU crashes of 20 over S9 storms 100-200 mi away, W3TS quiet local background noise, WB8JUI quiet, AA8SH quiet.
Will repeat next weekend 1330z.

 

ATTN HF OPS: Please note the QSO above between John KB5NJD and Dick KE7A, particularly John's description of this QSO as being a "very low noise hi-fi CW" chat.

Here is a link to an article titled "The 630 Meter Band Introduction" by Al Penney, VO1NO.
http://avarc.ca/?mdocs-file=1018

In his article, Al writes this about 630m ground wave. "Typically a signal at 3.0 MHz will suffer an attenuation that may be in the region of 20 to 60 dB more than one at 0.5 MHz over typical ground wave paths. The ability for a MW signal to be reliably received hundreds of kilometers away via ground wave is a prime difference between MF and HF propagation." Al adds, "Because ground wave propagation does not rely on the ionosphere, it is relatively unaffected by disturbances in that medium. As well, it has the ability to “fill in” shadow zones where VHF/UHF communications systems cannot operate in hilly or mountainous areas. The 630m band could therefore conceivably be used as part of a medium range (several hundred kilometer) reliable emergency communications system when the HF bands are rendered useless by
ionospheric disturbances, or where the terrain precludes VHF/UHF operations."

Al's comments on 630m ground wave are a succinct retelling of facts that have been very well understood by LF/MF RF engineers for a century or more. KB5NJD, KE7A and the rest of the fellows ahead of me on 630m understand this too, but I had no idea this was so until last winter, when I read up on 630m prior to getting started on the band. If you are a typical HF OP, you may not know this either, so here is a link to an authoritative document on ground wave: https://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-r/rec/p/R-REC-P.368-7-199203-S!!PDF-E.pdf

OK. "Attenuation that may be in the region of 20 to 60 dB" definitely means something to me. But "very low noise hi-fi CW chat" means even more! John and Dick are 28 miles apart and enjoying "very low noise hi-fi CW." today. Think on that. No QRM, little to no QRN, perhaps 50 to 75 miles effective range in all directions to similarly equipped stations. That's 630m ground wave.

So far my closest 630m ground wave contact has been 90 miles to Ralph K8RYU in Marietta OH, a bit too far for armchair copy with my equipment. But I can copy Ralph solidly. Charlie N8RR in Charleston WV can copy us both FB on a 160m inverted L. Almost there.

"SEEK YOU"

 

CQ 474.5 kHz CW 1315z - 1345z today - Saturday morning (8:15 AM CDT - 8:45 AM CDT)... Listening omni on main position, NE/SW loop on 2nd receiver. Reports and QSO's appreciated. Long calls, please. Very low noise this morning pre-dawn during the skywave CW session. Exceptional skywave propagation for the last 2 mornings. Would sure like to see some local reports from the central region and North Texas area if you are so inclined.

 

630m GWEN results Saturday morning 09/24/22:
Participating 630m operators (per Slack #khz): W3TS CW 474.2, KB5NJD CW 474.5, N9RU CW 474.35, AA8SH 474.0, KE7A 474.5.
CW contacts: KB5NJD KE7A 599+ 28 mi, 26:20 minutes nice CW chat.
Reports: None.
Digital contacts: None.
Conditions: KB5NJD quiet, very quiet with weak carriers, AA8SH quiet with weak carrier at 474.25,
Will repeat tomorrow 1330z.

 

This is an overnight shot for 12 hours 630 mtr WSPR taken at around 7AM local eastern. Set up is a Ten Tec Jupiter with a Monitor Sensors transverter about 45 watts to a 500 ft end fed wire using a military surplus variometer.


630 mtr SWR/PWR meter built into old Heathkit HW-11 case.

 

CQ 474.5 kHz CW 1315z - 1345z this morning (Sunday, 8:15 AM CDT - 8:45 AM CDT)... Listening omni on main position, NE/SW loop on 2nd receiver. Reports and QSO's appreciated. Long calls, please.

 

I love this! Tentec Jupiter is one of my favorite radios ever! My friend Jeff N4TKW has been on me for years to get into digital, but I keep resisting. Your screenshot makes a good case for it.

 

630m GWEN results this morning:
Participating 630m operators (per Slack #khz): KB5NJD CW 474.5, W3TS present on Slack #khz but grounded for storm, AA8SH CW 474.0.
CW contacts: None.
Reports: None.
Digital contacts: None.
Conditions: W3TS nearby storm, AA8SH QRN with S7 crashes, KB5NJD low noise light carriers.
Will repeat next weekend 1330z.

 

I'll only be QRV for a few minutes this morning due to a commitment. Probably 10-15 minutes at the most...CQ 474.5 kHz CW 1315z - ? today - Saturday morning (8:15 AM CDT - ?)..

Listening omni on main position, NE/SW loop on 2nd receiver. Reports and QSO's appreciated. Long calls, please.