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November 10, 2011
Actual Radio Frequencies (Hz):
| 80m | 40m | |
| K5CM | 3,579,315.28 | 7,055,713.67 |
| W8KSE | 3,579,351.70 | 7,055,823.30 |
| W6OQI | 3,579,287.88 | 7,055,688.33 |
K5CM/W8KSE/W6OQI All (<=1 Hz):
AA6LK, AA8K, AB2WB, AB4RS, K3JQ, K4COD, K5CM, K5XL, K6BZZ, KB4ZVM, N3FG, N5DM, N7AIG, N7EP, VE2IQ, VE3OAT, W3JW, W4JLE, W6BM, W6IHG, W7KPZ, W8DPK, WA1ABI, WA2DVU, WO7V
K5CM 80 (<=1 Hz):
AA6LK, AA8K, AB1IX, AB2WB, AB4RS, AF9A, K0ANS, K1GGI, K3JQ, K4BSD, K4COD, K4PO, K5BTK, K5CM, K5XL, K6APW, K6BZZ, K6IQL, K6OQK, K6PZB, K7HIL, KB4ZVM, KC8IMB, KD2BD, KD5MMM, KD7UT, KG0HY, KG9NZ, KK5J, KM6QX, KU4PY, KX0O, N2GL, N3FG, N4AU, N5BF, N5DM, N5LBZ, N6SD, N7AIG, N7EP, N9CYL, VE2IQ, VE3OAT, VE3ZRK, W0FNQ, W0HBK, W2FD, W3GXT, W3JW, W3SA, W4JLE, W4UK, W5DZ, W5EMC, W5PDB, W6BM, W6IHG, W6OQI, W7KPZ, W8DPK, W9TJ, W9ZB, WA1ABI, WA2DVU, WA4FJC, WA5DJJ, WA6VPL, WB6BNQ, WO7V, XQ6FOD
K5CM 80 (>1 to <=5 Hz):
AG2M, K2PM, K6GKB, KB0UAZ, KR7C, NO5K, WZ4CW
K5CM 80 (>5 to <=10 Hz):
K5RKS, K7II, W8BL
K5CM 80 (>10 Hz):
AA7OO, K4OL, N5JOA, N8OB, VE2AZX, W2LB, W3FAY, W6SFH, W7KBW, WA2USJ, WA4UJT, WA6RZW, WB3LHI
W8KSE 80 (<=1 Hz):
AA6LK, AA7OO, AA8K, AB1IX, AB2WB, AB4RS, AF9A, K1GGI, K2PM, K3JQ, K4BSD, K4COD, K4PO, K5BTK, K5CM, K5XL, K6APW, K6BZZ, K6GKB, KB0UAZ, KB4ZVM, KC8IMB, KD2BD, KD5MMM, KD7UT, KG9NZ, KK5J, KX0O, N2GL, N3FG, N4AU, N5BF, N5DM, N5LBZ, N7AIG, N7EP, N9CYL, VE2IQ, VE3OAT, VE3ZRK, W0FNQ, W0HBK, W3GXT, W3JW, W3SA, W4JLE, W4UK, W5DZ, W5EMC, W6BM, W6IHG, W6OQI, W7KPZ, W8BL, W8DPK, W9ZB, WA1ABI, WA2DVU, WA4FJC, WA5DJJ, WA6RZW, WA6VPL, WO7V, XQ6FOD
W8KSE 80 (>1 to <=5 Hz):
K0ANS, KR7C, KU4PY, N5JOA, N6SD, NO5K, W2FD, WB6BNQ, WZ4CW
W8KSE 80 (>5 to <=10 Hz):
AG2M, K5RKS, K7II
W8KSE 80 (>10 Hz):
K4OL, K7HIL, KG0HY, KM6QX, N8OB, VE2AZX, W2LB, W3FAY, W5PDB, W6SFH, W7KBW, W9TJ, WA2USJ, WA4UJT, WB3LHI
W6OQI 80 (<=1 Hz):
AA6LK, AA7OO, AA8K, AB1IX, AB2WB, AB4RS, AF9A, K0ANS, K3JQ, K4COD, K5BTK, K5CM, K5XL, K6BZZ, K6GKB, K6IQL, K6OQK, K6PZB, KB4ZVM, KD2BD, KD5MMM, KD7UT, KK5J, KM6QX, KX0O, N2GL, N3FG, N4AU, N5BF, N5DM, N5LBZ, N7AIG, N7EP, N8OB, N9CYL, NO5K, VE2IQ, VE3OAT, W0FNQ, W0HBK, W2FD, W3GXT, W3JW, W3SA, W4JLE, W4UK, W5DZ, W5EMC, W5PDB, W6BM, W6IHG, W6OQI, W7KPZ, W8BL, W8DPK, W9TJ, W9ZB, WA1ABI, WA2DVU, WA4FJC, WA5DJJ, WA6VPL, WB6BNQ, WO7V, XQ6FOD
W6OQI 80 (>1 to <=5 Hz):
K2PM, K4BSD, K4PO, K6APW, KB0UAZ, KC8IMB, KR7C, KU4PY, N6SD, WZ4CW
W6OQI 80 (>5 to <=10 Hz):
AG2M, K5RKS, K7II, N5JOA, WA6RZW
W6OQI 80 (>10 Hz):
K4OL, K7HIL, KG0HY, W2LB, W3FAY, W6SFH, W7KBW, WB3LHI
K5CM 40 (<=1 Hz):
AA6LK, AA7OO, AA8K, AB1IX, AB2WB, AB4RS, AG2M, K1GGI, K3JQ, K4COD, K5BTK, K5CM, K5XL, K6APW, K6BZZ, K6OQK, K7HIL, KB0UAZ, KB4ZVM, KC8IMB, KD5MMM, KG9NZ, KM6QX, KU4PY, KX0O, N2GL, N3FG, N5DM, N6SD, N7AIG, N7EP, VE2IQ, VE3OAT, VE3ZRK, W0HBK, W2FD, W3JW, W4JLE, W4UK, W5PDB, W6BM, W6IHG, W7KPZ, W8BL, W8DPK, W9TJ, WA1ABI, WA2DVU, WB6BNQ, WO7V, XQ6FOD
K5CM 40 (>1 to <=5 Hz):
K4BSD, K5RKS, KR7C, N6VMO, N8OB, W3GXT, W6OQI
K5CM 40 (>5 to <=10 Hz):
K7II, W3FAY, W3SA
K5CM 40 (>10 Hz):
K2PM, K4OL, K4PO, K6GKB, K6PZB, KD7UT, N4AU, N5BF, N5JOA, NO5K, VE2AZX, W6SFH, W7KBW, W9ZB, WA2USJ, WA4FJC, WA5DJJ, WA6RZW, WA6VPL, WA8OFU, WB3LHI
W8KSE 40 (<=1 Hz):
AA6LK, AA8K, AB2WB, AB4RS, AG2M, K0ANS, K1GGI, K3JQ, K4BSD, K4COD, K5CM, K5XL, K6APW, K6BZZ, K7HIL, KB4ZVM, KC8IMB, KD5MMM, KD7UT, KM6QX, N2GL, N3FG, N4AU, N5DM, N6SD, N7AIG, N7EP, N9CYL, VE2IQ, VE3OAT, W0FNQ, W3JW, W4JLE, W5DZ, W5PDB, W6BM, W6IHG, W7KPZ, W8BL, W8DPK, W9TJ, WA1ABI, WA2DVU, WB6BNQ, WO7V
W8KSE 40 (>1 to <=5 Hz):
AA7OO, K5RKS, K6GKB, KB0UAZ, KR7C, N8OB, W2FD, W3GXT, W4UK, W9ZB, WA5DJJ, XQ6FOD
W8KSE 40 (>5 to <=10 Hz):
K7II, N6VMO, NO5K, W0HBK, W2LB
W8KSE 40 (>10 Hz):
AB1IX, K2PM, K4OL, K4PO, K6PZB, KU4PY, KX0O, N5BF, W3SA, W5EMC, W6SFH, W7KBW, WA6RZW, WA6VPL, WB3LHI
W6OQI 40 (<=1 Hz):
AA6LK, AA8K, AB1IX, AB2WB, AB4RS, AG2M, K0ANS, K1GGI, K3JQ, K4BSD, K4COD, K4PO, K5CM, K5XL, K6APW, K6BZZ, K6GKB, K6OQK, K7HIL, KB4ZVM, KC8IMB, KD7UT, KG9NZ, KM6QX, KX0O, N3FG, N4AU, N5BF, N5DM, N6SD, N7AIG, N7EP, N8OB, N9CYL, NO5K, VE2IQ, VE3OAT, VE3ZRK, W0FNQ, W3JW, W4JLE, W4UK, W5DZ, W5EMC, W5PDB, W6BM, W6IHG, W6OQI, W7KPZ, W8BL, W8DPK, W9TJ, WA1ABI, WA2DVU, WA4FJC, WB6BNQ, WO7V, XQ6FOD
W6OQI 40 (>1 to <=5 Hz):
AA7OO, K5RKS, KB0UAZ, KD5MMM, KR7C, N2GL, W2FD
W6OQI 40 (>5 to <=10 Hz):
N6VMO, W3FAY
W6OQI 40 (>10 Hz):
K2PM, K4OL, K7II, KU4PY, N5JOA, W2LB, W3GXT, W3SA, W6SFH, W7KBW, W9ZB, WA2USJ, WA4UJT, WA5DJJ, WA6RZW, WA6VPL, WB3LHI
Result Details (n=96):
| Call | QTH | Area | Method/Soapbox | |||||||||||||
| AA6LK | CA | W6 |
| Method: Same setup as last time (HP Z3801 reference, Marconi 2019 HF synth, HP 3325A LF synth, HP 54601A o'scope, FT-847 in AM mode 400Hz filter, 5BTV antenna, Vista laptop running SpecLab, DigiPan for spotting, EZGPIB controlling Prologix USB-GPIB to set up and interrogate instruments, GPSCon for monitoring Z3801); I tried a different method for manually tracking the test signal, so we'll see how that works. Soapbox: Highly variable signals this time; W6OQI_40M was a mere "smudge" on Speclab but managed to read him on the scope; K5CM_80M had much spreading; W8KSE_80M very weak, much spreading, but peaked enough times for a solid measurement; W6OQI_80M very strong signal. Thanks again to the gang at FMT Central for a job well done. 73, L | ||||||||||||
| AA7OO | AZ | W7 |
| Method: Antenna: Long Wire Dipole
Radio: ICOM IC-7000
Time Standard: GPS Thunderbolt GPS Disciplined Clock
VFO Standard: Motorola R2600: externally clocked from Thunderbolt.
PC: Dell D820
Software: Spectrum Labs
Analysis: Statistical Analyst of SpecLab Data
All equipment was running for 10 days, thunderbolt and R2600 were temp stable.
Calibration of entire setup compared with WWV 5M & 10M.
Real Time solution was done using SpecLab filters. This result was compared with post data analysis which agreed close enough. Soapbox: All stations were copied and analysed in Real Time. Fat fingers lost some .wav file capture and did only partial post analyse for those two 40M runs. 40M K5CM was 30db above noise, analysed in real time, and post analysis. W8KSE was 20db above noise, analysed in real time, lost .wav file. W6OQI was 10 db noise by 10db. real time analysis, lost .wav file. 80M K5CM 45db above noise, real time analysis, post data analysis. W8KSE 40db above noise, real time analysis, post data analysis. W6OQI 50db above noise, real time analysis, post data analysis. Last year all 8 runs were copied. This year they seemed to be a few db better. An un-tuned long wire dipole worked well as a "receive" antenna. All went smooth except loosing two wav files. For the past two FMTs the scheduled time seems to be just right. Past years the earlier times were extremely difficult. I did see in my statical analysis on 80M what looked like patterned noise grouped about every hz at and below the noise floor. Didn't see this on 40M. Look forward to the next FMT. | ||||||||||||
| AA8K | MI | W8 |
| Method: I used Open HPSDR, Flex-Radio's PowerSDR, Thunderbolt GPSDO, and Spectrum Lab. I offset the HPSDR frequency about 500 Hz to make a tone with the HPSDR BFO, used PowerSDR to make a wave file. I played the wave file back and ran Spectrum Lab, noting the offset from the HPSDR frequency. I used a TAPR TADD-2 connected to the GPSDO as a marker generator to check for DDS tuning word and sound card errors. Antenna: ground-mounted vertical 10 meters high. Soapbox: Signal levels, all measured on the same vertical antenna: K5CM 40 meter near noise floor, W8KSE 40 meter -102 dBm, W6OQI 40 meter -74 dBm, WWV 2.5 MHz -82 dBm, WWV 5 MHz -58 dBm, WWV 10 MHz -89 dBm, K5CM 80 meter -82 dBm, W8KSE 80 meter -93 dBm, W6OQI 80 meter -108 dBm. Took a while to find K5CM's 40 meter transmission, just caught the end. | ||||||||||||
| AB1IX | CT | W1 |
| Method: Racal 1772 RX with attenuated HP 3336B rear panel output injected into 1st LO and then adjusted to zero beat. Disciplined with HP Z3801A which was unfortunately out of lock and not in holdover either. No idea if my results are at all valid. Soapbox: K5CM well heard on 40m, where other stations were in the noise. 80m copy was hampered by strong local QRM, apparently including a station that was either tuning up or radiating its own test signal a couple hundred Hz away from W6OQI. Many thanks for this... you guys have done a great job once again. | ||||||||||||
| AB2WB | NY | W2 |
| Method: Equipment: ICOM 706MKIIG with 80-meter doublet connected to Dell Inspirion 531 (Windows Vista) by means of a SignaLink USB sound card-radio interface. All equipment was warmed up for 5 hours prior to the test. The transceiver display was calibrated just before the test using WWV as described by N0AX (QST November 2006). The test signals were zero-beat and recorded using Spectrum Lab software (Ver. 2.76 b8). Soapbox: Heard all of the stations on both bands, though very weak in some cases. Found later that I need a longer warm up time to sufficiently stabilize the equipment. I forgot to change the antenna tuner when we switched bands, so 80m was weaker for me. Had a great time and greatly appreciate all of the effort put into making these tests possible. Look forward to the next one. | ||||||||||||
| AB4RS | VA | W4 |
| Method: Delta reference using a Trimble Thunderbolt as a reference, driving a HP 3336C to inject the known reference frequency. Used Yaesu FT-897d to tune the RF, sampled and processed audio signals using SpectrumLab. Soapbox: Enjoyable as always. Could barely pull W8KSE 40m signal out of the noise. Mr. Doppler was out tonight, with the W8KSE 80 signal exhibiting a very discernable slide in frequency of 0.25 Hz during the course of the transmission. | ||||||||||||
| AF9A | IN | W9 |
| Method: HPSDR Mercury, 10MHz OCXO calibrated to 15MHz WWV. Soapbox: 80M signals were good, especially K5CM at 30dB above the noise. On 40M all three stations were in the noise at this QTH. Thanks! | ||||||||||||
| AG2M | NY | W2 |
| Method: 20+ yr old Yaesu FT-840, using Spectran to spot FMT signal to somewhat higher precision and accuracy? Used correction factor based on WWV, CHU, W1AW references. These new measurements are result of additional number crunching hopefully improved accuracy. I have no illusion that my equipment/method yielded precision >1Hz Soapbox: Adequate signal/noise reception on all (darn there goes that excuse). Was great fun and many thanks for efforts of K5CM, W8KSE, W6OQI. | ||||||||||||
| K0ANS | CO | W0 |
| Method: Yaesu FT-817 with TCXO, homebrew audio adapter to Apple iMac running cocoaModem 2.0. Recorded the deviation from WWV on 5 MHz before the test and adjusted the measured results accordingly. Soapbox: I foolishly began with a vertical antenna and couldn't hear K5CM at all on 40m. I guess Oklahoma is too close to Colorado. Dipoles worked fine for the rest of the test. | ||||||||||||
| K1GGI | MA | W1 |
| Method: Heterodyne with hf oscillator calibrated against gps, measure beat note with SpectrumLab. Soapbox: No copy on 80m from W6OQI, adequate copy on the others. W8KSE on 40 was quite broad, several Hz. Thanks to all for a well-run test. | ||||||||||||
| K2PM | PA | W3 |
| Method: FT102 w/dig. VFO calibrated to shop rubidium std. Used flat audio out. Tuned to the 2 nearest 10 hz "Zero Crosses". Counted each and averaged for "HZ". Soapbox: Discovered about 10 minutes before test that radio didn't work on 40! Murphy apparently. Heard all 3 stations on 40 on the 930, but it wasn't prepared to measure frequency. Found out about this in library morning of the 8th. Can't wait 'till next one. Will be better prepared! Thanks to all whose efforts made this possible. 73 de Pete | ||||||||||||
| K3JQ | MD | W3 |
| Method: HP3586B Selective Level Meter locked to Trimble GPS Disciplined Oscillator. The HP3586B’s audio output was connected to LINE IN of sound card on computer running Spectrum Lab for spectral analysis. Antenna was station Carolina Windom 80 Short at 60 feet. Tuned in signal to nearest Hz using HP3586B’s frequency counter, switched in the 3586’s 20 Hz filter, read the signal’s audio frequency using Spectrum Lab’s peak finding function. Used Spectrum Lab’s complex FFT with parameters to give 20 mHz bin resolution. This gives a sample time of about 47 seconds which tends to average out short time fluctuations. There was still some slow variation which I attributed to slowly changing Doppler Shift. Reported frequencies are the simple average of the high and low readings. I did not calibrate the Spectrum Lab/sound card setup and no correction was made for any deviation of the 3586's BFO offset from 1850 Hz. | ||||||||||||
| K4BSD | AL | W4 |
| Method: IC-7000 receive, TS-530S into dummy load for zero beat source, Spec Lab for visual comparison of two siganls. Soapbox: Heavy QRM on 40. All three stations in S5 to S8 range Zero QRM on 80. Signals S7 to S9. | ||||||||||||
| K4COD | GA | W4 |
| Method: Flex 1500 radio with a Radio Works Super Loop 80 antenna. Spectrum Labs software for frequency measurement. Soapbox: The Flex radio has a tuning error that varies by about 80 millihertz as it's tuned from one freq to another. But I decided to live with it this time. In all other respects, the Flex Radio is a natural for this event. Enjoyed the event. Thanks to those that coordinated and ran this FMT. | ||||||||||||
| K4OL | GA | W4 |
| Method: Frequency Counter. Set counter to read CW offset Freq then adjusted main tuning to readout correct offset freq. Read RX freq from main dial. My readout only goes to 2 places so I have to extrapolate the last digit. | ||||||||||||
| K4PO | AL | W4 |
| Method: Crude at best, IC-756 ProII using signalink USB with SPECTRAN. Calibration relies on WWV with no dopler correction. | ||||||||||||
| K5BTK | MS | W5 |
| Method: FT-1000mp with standard crystal oscillator using Spectrum Lab. Soapbox: K5CM's signal was virtually non-existant on 40m. I heard no trace of the other two stations on 40m. On 80m, K5CM had a stout signal, W8KSE was fairly strong, and W6OQI was pretty weak - but strong enough for a QSO. | ||||||||||||
| K5CM | OK | W5 |
| Method: FMT TX: A HP Z3801 GPS frequency source clocks a HP-3336B. A 10 db transistor amp follows and drives a 12BY7 / pair 6146. Then to the final amplifier running 300 to 400 watts out. There are no mixers or any device in the chain of amplifiers that might impact the accuracy of the GPS frequency source. As a reality check, I periodically log the frequency source against WWV and other GPS referenced sources.
FMT RX: HP-z3801 is the reference. An FT-1000d is use in AM mode along with a HP-3336b for low side injection. Audio is feed directly to SL. Soapbox: I was surprised that 40 meters had already gone long and was skipping over anyone closer than 700 miles to the TX station. Although I gave priority to Txing it was more like a Fire drill to do both this time. | ||||||||||||
| K5RKS | OK | W5 |
| Method: I do not have any special test equipment. I used K1JT software.
Primary rig was ICOM 756Pro3 whose audio was being monitered by the sound card in my computer.
Secondary rig was TS450. I used it to listen to the FMT so I could have an audible indication of what was going on. Soapbox: Signals on 40m were marginal. K5CM's 40m signal was weak here even though he is not too far from my Oklahoma City QTH. On 40meters W6OQI's signal was loudest. Signals on 80m were much stronger. K5CM was a rock crusher on 80m. 80m signals were QRMed by some type of Frequency Shift Keying signal which was about the same strength as the FMT signal. I looked at the results in the "FMT.ALL" file from the K1JT measurement run and manually removed lines that appeared bogus. It looked to me like the offending lines were measuring the QRM rather than the FMT station. This is my first attempt at the FMT. It was a learning experience. One thing I learned is that I have to listen to the FMT on my primary rig (hearing the same audio that I'm feeding to the soundcard) and tighten up on the receive bandpass so the K1JT software is not "seeing" audio from QRMing stations. I ran with a 2.4Khz bandpass and this is way too wide to allow the K1JT software to "lock in" to the FMT station in the face of "real world" QRM. My method of listening to the FMT with a separate rig/antenna will be consigned to the scrap bin in future FMTs. | ||||||||||||
| K5XL | TX | W5 |
| Method: FT-1000MP with TCXO calibrated/compared against 10Mhz Rubidium oscillator. Tuned sigs about 100 hz below in USB and measured audio tone using SpecLab. Added VFO freq to audio tone freq and adjusted for receiver error. Soapbox: All sigs were fair except W6OQI on 80M & K5CM on 40M which were a bit weak. Doppler appeared to be as bad as usual. Thanks for the FMT! | ||||||||||||
| K6APW | CA | W6 |
| Method: Ten-Tec Argo V calibrated to WWV. Beat receiver output and digital audio signal generator through audio hybrid combiner. Calculate final frequencies. Soapbox: Very poor signals on 40M. | ||||||||||||
| K6BZZ | AZ | W7 |
| Method: Thunderbolt GPSDO disciplining Flex 1500 and HP-3336B. Spectrum Lab. Windows 7. Attic antennas. Soapbox: Thanks to everyone involved in running the test. Everything was right on time. Very enjoyable. | ||||||||||||
| K6GKB | CA | W6 |
| Method: ICOM IC-775DSP
CW+ and CW- using ears to establish same tone. Soapbox: 80M much harder than 40M | ||||||||||||
| K6IQL | KS | W0 |
| Method: Audio Beat Method. Home-brew DDS clocked by Rb standard used to create approx 510 Hz beat with unknown in receiver audio. Beat freq measured using Spectrum Lab. Receiver - Collins 75A4 in AM mode, 800 Hz IF filter. DDS on low side of unknown. DDS EXACT output frequency and beat frequency added to get unknown frequency. Soapbox: Good fun as always. Half of the fun is the setup and calibration work. Propagation and interference very bad as others have noted. No luck at all on 40 M. Thanks again to the test stations for a fun evening. Looking forward the next one. - john | ||||||||||||
| K6OQK | CA | W6 |
| Method: I use the 15625 Hz I.F. output of a HP-3586B to feed one side of a scope and a GPS locked HP-3336A to feed the other side producing a 1:1 Lissajou. I also feed the 15625 Hz I.F. into my laptop running Spectrum Lab. For more details see: http://www.k5cm.com/k6OQK%20FMT%20NEW.htm Burt, K6OQK Soapbox: Connie's signal on 40-Meters was weak but relatively free of Doppler. 80-Meters had so much Doppler that even the noise floor had Doppler! Marv is only about 8 miles away, but with a mountain in between us. His 80-Meter signal had a lot of skywave and but his 40-Meter signal was pretty clean with very little skywave. I was not able to hear W8KSE on either band. Thanks to everyone for making another great FMT. | ||||||||||||
| K6PZB | CA | W6 |
| Method: IC 706MKIIG OCXO Soapbox: My first one and was fun | ||||||||||||
| K7HIL | AZ | W7 |
| Method: IC7800 ref to GPSDO, HP3325A ref signal ref to GPSDO, Krohn-hite audio filter, Spectrum Labs SW.
Recorded all Audio on PC, used HP3325A as "truth". Soapbox: Made a major error. Set the output of the HP335A ref signal too high which interfered with the FTM signal under test. Got major stair-steps in aduio tone and hence the Spectrum Labs SW. Garbage in-Garbage out. | ||||||||||||
| K7II | WA | W7 |
| Method: TS-440S, FLUKE 179 FREQ METER, PI AG-51 AUDIO OSCILLATOR, AN/USM-281 O-SCOPE, 40M 80M 160M DIPOLES.
CALIBRATE RECEIVER AGAINST WWV ON 2.5MHZ. 5MHZ, 10MHZ AND 15MHZ Soapbox: Good test. The amount of time for each phase was just right. The last time I did a FMT was as CT2AT in the late 60's | ||||||||||||
| KB0UAZ | MN | W0 |
| Method: Equipment: 5BTV, FT-817, Softrock RX Ensemble II (as signal generator), Fldigi, Audacity. Method: Use WWV to calibrate sound card clock (using AM and measuring 1sec pulses). Calibrate SR osc. by beating against WWV carriers on 2.5Mhz, 5Mhz, 10Mhz. Set SR to nominal frequency of FMT and use Fldigi (verified with Audacity) to measure difference between SR freq and received freq. Use FT-817 on LSB to record OTA signal and then switch to the SR w/o changing the VFO. Soapbox: 40m signals were barely above my noise floor. At times I could see them in the waterfall, but not hear them. The 80m signals were much stronger. I didn't think to just use the SR directly until after the test. | ||||||||||||
| KB4ZVM | SC | W4 |
| Method: I used an Icom 706 (original) with a random wire antenna (about 90 feet) and an SGC-230 autotuner interfaced with a Pentium 4 computer via a SignaLink USB external sound card, and CI-V control via an RS-232 serial connection. I turned the equipment on about 12 hours before the test to allow it to stabilize thermally. I used K1JT's WSPR/FMT software for the first time. Soapbox: I really enjoyed trying the WSPR/FMT software. It had a fairly steep learning curve for me, and I hope my results will be in the ballpark! There was a lot of QRM on both bands, and the 40 meter signals were especially weak. W8KSE on 40 meters was far down in the noise, and I am most doubtful of my results with that signal. All three stations were 599 on 80 meters. As usual, I enjoyed this greatly, and I continue to learn a lot. I am already looking forward to the next FMT. Many thanks to the transmitting stations. | ||||||||||||
| KC8IMB | OH | W8 |
| Method: Yaesu FT-950 cal to WWV 5MHz. Using MicroHam USB III interface with FLDigi in Freq. Analysis mode. 160M full wave loop. Soapbox: Thankfully propagation was favorable and I heard all stations on both bands. My first time with the FMT so hope it's not too embarrassing! Thanks to K5CM, W8KSE and W6OQI for putting those precise sigs on the air. 73! Zack - KC8IMB Pike County Ohio | ||||||||||||
| KD2BD | NJ | W2 |
| Method: All homebrew equipment including a quadrature phasing direct conversion receiver, WWVB referenced frequency standard, frequency counter, and H-field loop antennas. Method involved phase locking the receiver's LO to the frequency of the unknown carrier minus a 1 kHz offset. The carrier's frequency is determined by measuring the frequency of the receiver's LO over a 10 second integration period while factoring in the 1 kHz offset, and taking an average of all the readings taken. Full details are available at:
http://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/fmt-methodology.html Soapbox: The Kp-index was ZERO! WOW! Signals were strong and stable, with the exception of W6OQI, who flirted with the noise level. I saw very few phase inversions during fades. K5CM had the strongest signal, but suffered the greatest amount of FM (0.275 Hz) over the measurement period. | ||||||||||||
| KD5MMM | TX | W5 |
| Method: FT847, speclab, CHU for reference Soapbox: tough to hear K5CM on 40, all others heard fine. tnx to all, 73. | ||||||||||||
| KD7UT | NV | W7 |
| Method: Kenwood TS-430S to listen and spot then dialed in using a 10meg standard to an HP 89410A signal analyzer Soapbox: Busy band. Glad the VE6's signed off at the top of the hour. Had tough time finding k5cm's 40m signal on the 89410. I had it set for 25Hz span! This was my first time trying this and it was fun! Many thanks to all who put it on. 73 Roger KD7UT near Carson City, NV. | ||||||||||||
| KG0HY | NE | W0 |
| Method: Receiver WinRadio G313, calibrated to WWV and CHU. Antennas, 100 feet long off center feed dipole, also a 16 feet vertical. Used a Heathkit oscilloscope, for zero-beat. Soapbox: Did not hear any of the 40 meter stations. 80 meters was fair to bad. | ||||||||||||
| KG9NZ | NY | W2 |
| Method: SDR-IQ calibrated to WWV, Fldigi program in frequency analysis mode. | ||||||||||||
| KK5J | OK | W5 |
| Method: HP SLM with indoor antenna Soapbox: Unable to hear anything on 40 meters. Close QSO nearby was not helpful. W8KSE freq on 80 meters is a best guess. The shorter keydown didnt allow for an accurate lock on the freq and I may have pick up extraneous signal. I really enjoy these FMTs and would like to thank all of those who make this event possible including K5CM, W8KSE, and W6OQI. Looking forward to the next one. | ||||||||||||
| KM6QX | CA | W6 |
| Method: Flex-1500 fed by OCF dipole. Flex set for 0 Hz IF and 600 Hz pitch CWU mode. VFO/DDS offset corrections were made: -0.006 to -0.048 Hz. Ext. Ref. was 10 MHz TBolt GPSDO. 600 Hz frequency analyzed with Spectrum Lab calibrated for Flex-1500’s CODEC A/D sample rate error. System accuracy verified against local AM HD radio station carrier to be <0.1 mHz. Best guesses were based on consistent frequency peaks, not strongest. Soapbox: 80 meter frequencies were buried in neighborhood QRM consisting of a S9 signal at 3.579 435 MHz with harmonics ± every 60 Hz, probably caused by a microcontroller clocked by a common 3.5795 MHz TV colorburst crystal. Hopefully, future FMTs will avoid this "colorburst zone" of the 80 meter band | ||||||||||||
| KR7C | CO | W0 |
| Method: K3 with external Thunderbolt GPSDO frequency reference. Zero beat using Spot function of the K3. | ||||||||||||
| KU4PY | AL | W4 |
| Method: Spec Lab, Commander and computer sound card. Averaged two reference time bases (WWV)to use for measurement. Soapbox: 40m was like pulling teeth and not nearly as much fun. All 80m signals in AL were s9+. | ||||||||||||
| KX0O | MO | W0 |
| Method: Flex-5000a disciplined with Fury GPSDO to spectrumlab. Back calculated DDS FTW to account for DDS offset from VFO. Soapbox: My first official FMT. Lots of fun... last minute antenna install after change of QTH. W8KSE on 40m was a stab in the dark... never got a signal...reporting the frequency of a faint brief CW signal near testing frequency. 40m was sketchy in MO. 80m was rock solid. Thanks for playing. | ||||||||||||
| N2GL | OR | W7 |
| Method: GPSDO locked SLM. Spectrum Lab, all calibrated in a loop to the GPSDO. Found signal sidetone on wide BW with triggered scope with IF cursors and counter during CW intro then switched in 20 Hz BW for run and averaged 15 - 20 SL readings, subtracted average from CAL signal sidetone recorded earlier and subtracted that from SLM dial reading to get results. We'll see.... Soapbox: Good signals all around, little fading and Doppler. Thanks for a good run. | ||||||||||||
| N3FG | PA | W3 |
| Method: IC-7200, Spectran, WWV for calibration. Let rig warm up all day. Set IC-7200 to CW mode, added 700, subtracted the audio frequency, and applied a calibration factor. Soapbox: Many thanks for a first class event. Signals were good except for W8KSE on 40M and W6OQI on 80M. W8KSE was noisey and W6OQI had QRN, but both were measurable. | ||||||||||||
| N4AU | AL | W4 |
| Method: Kenwood TS570 synced with CHU and SpecLab with Excel spreadsheet. Soapbox: 40M signals very weak, especially K5CM here. 80M signals pretty good but doppler on all signals, including my CHU cal frequency. Made a guess on Connie's 40M signal. | ||||||||||||
| N5BF | CA | W6 |
| Method: TS-680 with Signlink SL-1 to fldigi on MacBook Pro. Gap DX-IV antenna
Calibrated soundcard in fldigi WWV mode @ 5 MHz. Used -31 ppm but decided afterward that -31 ppm was better. Measured 1000 Hz tones, so the 0.003 Hz difference was neglected. Measured WWV @ 5 MHz before and after test. 2/3 Hz difference. Used "before" value on 40 and "after" value on 80. Expect 1/3 to 1/2 Hz error as a result. W8KSE not copyable but seen in waterfall with 0.3 Hz uncertainty. W6OQI is 2.5 km away. 599+30 on 40 and 599+55 on 80. Uncertainty in his measurement is all from WWV measurement. Measured WWV carrier with radio set on 4999.00. 40 meter with radio set on 7054.00 and 80 meters on 3578.00. Soapbox: Noticed colorburst QRM at 3579.545 and had mild 3580 QSO interference from K6IFF and K6STN. All was wiped out by the W6OQI signal. I just downloaded fldigi this afternoon so I don't have a lot of experience picking the sweet spots out of the WWV fading channel, but did notice on 10 MHz (during per second tick calibration) that WWVH is several microseconds further away than WWV! | ||||||||||||
| N5DM | TX | W5 |
| Method: Kenwood TS-480S with Digipan v2.0 Soapbox: K5CM/W6OQI 40m sigs very weak in STX. Doppler minimal on both bands. Thanks to all participants. | ||||||||||||
| N5JOA | FL | W4 |
| Method: Direct Frequency Measurement using SDR-IQ and SpectraVue Software. Soapbox: Did not hear W8KSE on 40 meters. | ||||||||||||
| N5LBZ | MS | W5 |
| Method: I am using Joe Taylor's FMT software calibrated against my HP3325A function Generator which is locked to my GPSDO. The results are compared to the results obtained from Spectrum Lab. Soapbox: Last night was a total bust on 40. I heard nothing on 40 from all three FMT stations. 80M however, was the opposite with all stations having an S9 or better signal. | ||||||||||||
| N6SD | CA | W6 |
| Method: K3 with an external 10 MHz reference oscillator and P3 panadaptor and an HP 5316A counter with an external 10MHz reference oscillator. While in CW mode I tuned the K3 for a reading of 600 HZ on the counter from the audio output. The correct frequency was then displayed on the K3. Soapbox: After a warmup period I checked this method using the strong 10 MHz WWV signal and found the displayed signal to be 1 HZ high which is normal when using the K3 with an external reference oscillator. This method worked for the first 4 freqencies but then my reference oscillator for the counter failed due to overheating so the last two readings were done using the P3 to center the frequency. This is my 3rd attempt at this but it won't be my last. | ||||||||||||
| N6VMO | CA | W6 |
| Method: Flex-1500 and a Trimble Thunderbolt GPSDO | ||||||||||||
| N7AIG | AZ | W7 |
| Method: Elecraft K3 USB Heterodyned against Agilent 33522A Function Generator feeding a random wire at 40 dBm, locked to PRS-10 Rb clock under discipline to Thunderbolt GPS. Soapbox: K5CM - Wide dispersion 40/80 but strong signal, SNR 54 dB on 40, 45 dB on 80. W8KSE - QSB, low dispersion 40/80, SNR 30-40 both bands. W6OQI - very week, lots of QSB, low dispersion on 40, SNR 20-30 dB. But on 80 very good signal, low dispersion SNR 45-55 dB | ||||||||||||
| N7EP | AZ | W7 |
| Method: ICOM IC-706MKIIG, WWV, CHU, Vista PC and Spectrum Lab Software. 42 foot vertical. Soapbox: This is the most difficult FMT I have entered. Doppler ruled. Most Spectrum lab recording show multiple traces and I don't have a clue which one was the correct frequency. All my measurements were moving in frequency, some higher and some lower and a couple that had dual traces moving toward each other? Some were very weak and noisy and if they were strong they had multiple traces. The 40 M signal from W6OQI was in the weakest, almost non-existent. I couldn't copy the CW but could hear the FMT format. I was very lucky to receive all 6 signals. I don't have precision equipment for the FMT, but even if I did I doubt that I would have done any better. I'm amazed at those who curately measure frequency in the presence of doppler. | ||||||||||||
| N8OB | OH | W8 |
| Method: TS-2000, Spectrum Labs software Soapbox: I heard all the stations but wasn't sure of W8KSE on 80M | ||||||||||||
| N9CYL | WI | W9 |
| Method: IC-746PRO w/HSO.
Spectrum Lab software.
Cushcraft R7 on 40M, shortened 80M dipole. Soapbox: Could not copy K5CM on 40. W8KSE and W6OQI very weak on 40 ( | ||||||||||||
| NO5K | TX | W5 |
| Method: Inverted-V G5RV, Home made Tuner, FLEX 1500, Spectrum Lab and Fast Dual-Core. Soapbox: Signals were all good on each band at my QTH, QSB and Doppler seemed unusually excessive. High line noise did not help either. Just read the average, no recording or post processing. Thanks for putting the Test on. | ||||||||||||
| VE2AZX | QC | VE |
| Method: Receiver set in AM mode. LO is a Marconi 2019A (GPS Controlled) whose freq. is varied until I get approx 1 KHz beat tone as seen on my audio spectrum analyzer. LO level was - 70 dBm, mixed with rx sig with a hybrid combiner. Spectrum lab used to analyze the recorded beat tone offline. Soapbox: Lots of QSB on both bands. On 80m, many signals around the frequency of interest made it difficult to identify K5CM/W8KSE. Could not hear W6OQI and W8KSE on 40m. Jacques VE2AZX web: ve2azx.net | ||||||||||||
| VE2IQ | ON | VE |
| Method: Averaged callup, keydown, handoff interval estimates. Dipole to TS-850 with 500-Hz CW filter, audio measured by soundcard using FFT. Corrected audio for known TS-850 offsets. Soapbox: Tnx for another FB FMT - condx good, no QRM. Estimates during callup, keydown, handoff periods agreed to within 0.1 Hz: I know that doesn't mean much but makes me feel better | ||||||||||||
| VE3OAT | ON | VE |
| Method: Still using my old Spectracom WWVB-disciplined oscillator and decade dividers to provide 1 kHz frequency markers, then SpectrumLab software to measure the difference between target signal and nearest marker. Soapbox: Thanks to all involved for running these tests. W8KSE was pretty weak on 40 m. Hope that none of us suffered too badly from the intrigues of Mr Murphy and Dr Doppler. Good luck to all! | ||||||||||||
| VE3ZRK | ON | VE |
| Method: .Receiver-FT817, Rohde & Schwarz SMY01 generator, HP Z3801A GPS frequency standard. Soapbox: Assisted by: David Green, VE3TLY, Ian Jeffrey VE3IGJ and Ralph Cameron VE3BBM | ||||||||||||
| W0FNQ | KS | W0 |
| Method: MOBO receiver with SDR Widget, OCF dipole @ 25 feet, Powersdr and SpectrumLab, GPS disciplined oscillator al la VE2ZAZ. Soapbox: 40 meter results are a WAG -- The horrendous QRN put all the sigs near the noise threshold -- I was not sure whether the sigs I am reporting are even the right signals, but seem to follow the timestamp. Could not receive K5CM on 40; thought I heard him on 7055719. | ||||||||||||
| W0HBK | IA | W0 |
| Method: Yaesu FT-920 TCXO Direct Frequency Measurement Method Soapbox: Poor propagation and QRM on 40M made all measurements difficult. | ||||||||||||
| W2FD | PA | W3 |
| Method: ICOM 706 MKII/Measure difference in frequency between ~ 600 Hz. output audio and 600 Hz. sidetone for dial calibration of ICOM 706 and CW test measurements. Soapbox: Thanks again to Connie, Mike, Marvin and those ARRL guys responsible for making the tests possible. All stations were heard but conditions in general were very noisy. A lot more guessing than measurements to get the final numbers. | ||||||||||||
| W2LB | NY | W2 |
| Method: Yaesu FT-747GX transceiver was used applying offset correction when comparing to 5 MHz WWV signal. Soapbox: Signals on 40 meters were S2 to S3, 80 meters were S9. Next FMT I'll try a different approach to frequency measurements. Thanks to all the transmitting stations. | ||||||||||||
| W3FAY | MD | W3 |
| Method: Kenwood TS-2000. Zero beat heterodyne between received signal tone and transceiver's sidetone and note frequency readout. | ||||||||||||
| W3GXT | MD | W3 |
| Method: ICOM 7000 Transceiver, Long wire antenna and Spectrum Lab. Soapbox: Very good conditions but a cw signal come up on W6OQI 40 meter signal a few seconds after he started transmitting and qrm'ed the whole length of the transmission. I wish there were tests more often during the year. Over all, a lot of fun. Thanks guys. | ||||||||||||
| W3JW | VA | W4 |
| Method: Icom 7800 locked to Thunderbolt GPSDO
into Spectrum Lab software Soapbox: All signals were good readable into SE VA except for W8KSE on 40M which was skipping over me (he was still weak readable)--- Group question; are the higher sunspot conditions helping us or hindering us with respect to overall accuracy? Tnx to the "transmit team" for a gud FMT! | ||||||||||||
| W3SA | NC | W4 |
| Method: Kenwood TS590s with TCXO using FMT software of WSPR 2.11.
Equipment calibrated using method outlined by K1JT.
Also have rubidium standard setup for future use with Spectrum Lab. Soapbox: This is my first FMT and was interested in how well the WSPR setup would do. 40m signals were weak and W8KSE at the noise level. The spread of the results indicates poor results for the measurements on 40m. 80m signals both K5CM and W8KSE were S9+ and W6OQI S7+ | ||||||||||||
| W4JLE | SC | W4 |
| Method: Icom 706MKIIG SignaLink interface and FLDIGI in Analysis mode.
Copy frequency in VFO A switch to WWV in VFO B and note error.
Apply correction per MHz to received test frequency. Soapbox: Yea! I heard all 6 stations. I missed being with the top guys last time because I missed a station due to propagation. Now if I just got the math right and wasn't dyslexic in entering the results... Thanks to K5CM, W8KSE and W6OQI for your time and efforts! | ||||||||||||
| W4UK | SC | W4 |
| Method: Flex 5000a with Thunderbolt GPSDO reference and FLDIGI, Soapbox: K5CM peaked 15 dB over S9 on 40 M. All other sigs in the noise.These are my best WAGs. Thanks for the test. Jerry W4UK in EM79 | ||||||||||||
| W5DZ | TX | W5 |
| Method: Kenwood TS-2000, Agilent 53131A counter, WWV at 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz. TS-2000 in CW, measured the frequency of the CW tone. Slight difference at each WWV freq. Used a linear regression to find the correction tone at the test freqs. Used the dial reading + counter reading then - the WWV tone correction. | ||||||||||||
| W5EMC | TX | W5 |
| Method: FTDX5000MP WSJT Soapbox: Last steps of program did not work. Had to average and correct manually. Tuned in late on k5cm while sending cw so just centered in waterfall and added 1500 to dial. Lots of fun. No local Ref used. | ||||||||||||
| W5PDB | OK | W5 |
| Method: Flex 1500 DSB mode with the Filter at 66hz wide, Scope at 10 seconds per sweep with HP 3330B frequency synthesizer reference and sync up with wwv at5 mhz. Homebrew OOREXX script to read flex frequency and accept measurements from the flex scope and calculate result. Soapbox: K5CM W8KSE on 40 very very weak. I may have locked on wrong signal W8KSE on 80 was lost during the test tone. May be within 100 cycles or so. | ||||||||||||
| W6BM | CA | W6 |
| Method: Thunderbolt => 2 HP synthesizers: local oscillator, 455 reference => SP600-JX17 => dual trace scope. Match local 455 to downconverted IF. Soapbox: Very bad band conditions, significant doppler, band noise, and lots of QRM on W8KSE/75m. Don't even know if copied W8KSE/40m. | ||||||||||||
| W6IHG | VA | W4 |
| Method: FT2000 with bad freq drift so using Delta Reference method. HP3336 GPS displined as reference signal. Soapbox: Very weak sigs from w8kse in VA but others good. | ||||||||||||
| W6OQI | CA | W6 |
| Method: HP Z3801 GPSDO to HP 3586B selective level meter, the I. F. output of which feeds a computer running Spectrum Lab.
For transmitting the FMT the same HP Z3801 GPSDO controls the frequency of a HP 3336B signal generator which generates the desired FMT frequency. The output of the signal generator feeds the VFO input of a 60 year old Viking One transmitter used as an intermediate power amplifier. The output of the Viking One transmitter is padded down by a 6 dB pad on the input of an Icom IC-4KL amplifier to give about 500 Watts output for the FMT. Soapbox: HP Z3801 GPSDO to HP 3586B selective level meter, the I. F. output of which feeds a computer running Spectrum Lab. For transmitting the FMT the same HP Z3801 GPSDO controls the frequency of a HP 3336B signal generator which generates the desired FMT frequency. The output of the signal generator feeds the VFO input of a 60 year old Viking One transmitter used as an intermediate power amplifier. The output of the Viking One transmitter is padded down by a 6 dB pad on the input of an Icom IC-4KL amplifier to give about 500 Watts output for the FMT. | ||||||||||||
| W6SFH | CA | W6 |
| Method: HP 83732A signal generator followed by a divide-by-four (low end of HP 83732 is 10 MHz) beat with incoming signal on an SP-600 receiver to obtain approximately 1 kHz audio note. The audio beat note (upper sideband) displayed on a dual trace oscilloscope along with a square wave from an Agilent 33250 function generator. 'Scope triggered with the function generator. Function generator adjusted for stationary display. Incoming frequency calculated from the signal generator frequencies plus observed slip on the oscilloscope. Both signal generators referenced to an HP Z3801A GPS stabilized 10 MHz reference. Soapbox: Local line noise made it impossible to make measurements on 40 meters. I could barely detect the test stations by ear. On 80 meters, K5CM was 459 and W6OQI was 599 so decent measurements could be made. A strong CW station was practically zero-beat with W8KSE so no measurement could be made. I need an audio band pass filter, either passive, active or a PLL for next time. Also need to experiment with better ways of detecting zero beat in the presence of noise. I'll probably start preparing for the next FMT the night before, just like I did for this one! You need to make your entry form accept some sort of entry in the Measured Frequencies for cases where the station could not be copied. | ||||||||||||
| W7KBW | MD | W3 |
| Method: Kenwood TS-90S with dipole / Tuning by ear then tighten up the filters. Then RIT. Icom IC-703 with 5-1300 MHz discone / Tune by ear | ||||||||||||
| W7KPZ | OR | W7 |
| Method: IC-718 w/ CR338 crystal.
Indoor wire antenna.
FLDIGI running on Ubuntu Linux to display signal frequency.
Data hand-collected and best linear fit calculated by hand
to find linear error-correction equation. Soapbox: FLDIGI's waterfall display was invaluable. W8KSE was extremely weak on 80M. Not sure I heard him. | ||||||||||||
| W8BL | NJ | W2 |
| Method: Modified SR-224 (Scientific Radio). HP3362A Synthesizer providing IF frequencies. PTS synthesizer providing LO. SpectrumLab software providing "waterfall" audio frequency display. Soapbox: Signal strength here in NJ bit weak with fading and some QRM. Couldn't get my best fqeuency couters to stay locked (looks like I need to add more filtering) so I took my audio frequency from the waterfall display. Always fun! Thanks to all who make the FMT possible. 73's W8BL | ||||||||||||
| W8DPK | OH | W8 |
| Method: Icom 756Pro3 in CW mode, zero-beat to sidetone oscillator, by ear.
Frequency read directly from radio's display. Submitted readings are the average of several measurements. Could easily zero-beat +/- 1 Hz by ear. Soapbox: My first FMT, thought I'd give it a try with no equipment other than the radio itself. I verified calibration by practicing on WWV just before the FMT began. Signals on 40 were buried in the noise, but 80 was much better. | ||||||||||||
| W9TJ | IL | W9 |
| Method: HP105B, HB WWVB calibrator, HB GPS calibrator, Icom-R75 RX, HB slave to R75, Tech 465 scope and Spectrum Lab. Soapbox: Signals on 40 were absolutely lousy. I had to dig deep in the noise for all and W8KSE was very difficult to identify. 80 was different with all above S9. K5CM and W8KSE bright single line on the spectral display with W6OQI spread over 1/2 cycle but rather tightly grouped and upward drift. My thanks to all for their efforts and my chance to participate. 73 Tom | ||||||||||||
| W9ZB | IN | W9 |
| Method: SDR, Calibrated to WWV and CHU. Soapbox: 40 M was almost dead at this QTH. 80 M was good for K5CM and W8KSE, weaker but usable for W6OQI. | ||||||||||||
| WA1ABI | RI | W1 |
| Method: WJ-8718 Receiver locked to Rb standard, beat note measured with DL4YHF's Spectrum Lab software. Soapbox: Another well run FMT. Propagation was poor but all signals were discernable. Thanks to K5CM, W8KSE, W6OQI and ARRL. | ||||||||||||
| WA2DVU | NJ | W2 |
| Method: HP 3586, 3336,USM425, and dart board. | ||||||||||||
| WA2USJ | NY | W2 |
| |||||||||||||
| WA4FJC | VA | W4 |
| Method: HP 3586B SLM and SpecLab as a tuning aid. Soapbox: Copied K5CM from OK with only a 35 ft length of coax not connected to the antenna switch. Duh. Signals greatly improved after connecting the antenna. Heard absolutely nothing from W8KSE on 40 meters. | ||||||||||||
| WA4UJT | VA | W4 |
| Method: Rec. Kenwood TS440S, Transfer Osc. modified LM15, counters used late model HP 5245L Time base adjusted to HP GPS receiver. I offset osc. by 1000 HZ sero beat to 1KHZ from HP OSC. I make sure I am on high side and subtract 1KHZ from counter reading. I use the AM setting this takes errors from receiver out of the equation. I am also a concert piano tuner, ergo zero beating is my cup of tea. I own Rowe Monitoring and have been measuring radio freq. since 1969 Given good conditions I can take multiple measurements and avg. readings Soapbox: My method works very well. One needs to hear the signal for more time than the two minutes allowed. ARRL comes in like gangbusters. All of the sigmals were in the mud at my location and there was QRMing. Joe Rowe | ||||||||||||
| WA5DJJ | NM | W5 |
| Method: ICOM 756PROIII running K1JT Measurement utilities for WSPR. Antenna
was a Butternut HF2V ground mounted with 16 twenty foot radials. Soapbox: Some signals were very weak. I am still learning how to use this measurement technique. | ||||||||||||
| WA6RZW | CO | W0 |
| Method: I used a digital still camera, digital video camera, an eBay Chinese frequency counter (model F-2700L) a 35 year old Heathkit IM-4110 counter. Both counters have terrible timebases, (unusable for this application). The receiver was a Kenwood TS-570 in CW mode. I used a Yeasu FT-1000 MkV Field as a signal generator. I used a two-part process, recording video only. Part two recreated the original signal using the previous video. The recreated signal was then video recorded and results reported here. Soapbox: This was my first participation in a FMT. I spend my spare time experimenting and tinkering. I especially enjoy building, operating and testing amateur digital television transmitters and stations. It seems natural to keep with the video theme for FMT. | ||||||||||||
| WA6VPL | CA | W6 |
| Method: HP Z3801A GPS receiver (10 MHz output) used to discipline HP 8920A test set. Wilkinson splitter-combiner used to mix antenna and test set RF. Set Icom IC-730 receiver to USB and 2.1 KHz BW. Used Spec Lab application and Sound Blaster Live sound card. Measured difference between marker (test set) and unknown. Soapbox: First time, but not the last; I'm hooked! Learned a lot about my equipment and the Spec Lab software in about a week's time. Made lots of mistakes during the run with setup and recording of data and wav files, but hopefully the skill will improve. | ||||||||||||
| WA8OFU | FL | W4 |
| Method: Ten Tec Argonaut V, FLdigi, trap vertical antenna | ||||||||||||
| WB3LHI | NY | W2 |
| Method: An "Almost All Digital Electronics" freq. standard calibrated to WWV and SpecLab software, and a 2 day warm-up of an Icom-706MKIIG Soapbox: Had a VERY hard time finding the signals. Antenna was a random wire with ant. tuner. Either couldn't receive the signals well or I made a super blunder somewhere. But this was really fun, so I'm looking forward to the next one! | ||||||||||||
| WB6BNQ | CA | W6 |
| Method: ICOM 756proII, Spectrum Lab and a reference signal generator. Soapbox: On 40m K5CM was fair strength but W8KSE and W6OQI were very weak. On 80m K5CM was fair, W8KSE very weak and W6OQI was good strength. Had problems with generator level swamping the transmitting stations causing Spectrum Lab to produce unreliable information. | ||||||||||||
| WO7V | OR | W7 |
| Method: Flex 5000a, external rubidium standard, fldigi software used in frequency analysis mode. Fldigi will write a csv file with about 16 samples per second. I collect data during the entire hour of testing and average 1 minute of key-down results for each fmt run. Dreadfully simple but the method has produced good results in the past. Soapbox: I could hear all six transmissions OK with W8KSE being the weakest on 80 meters but was good enough to make the measurement. This year I put up a 40 meter rotatable dipole which works better than my old loop and all the signals on 40 meters were plenty loud. No qrm this time, and conditions were much better than last years November fmt. As always, great fun and hope to do it again in the future. | ||||||||||||
| WZ4CW | GA | W4 |
| Method: Yaesu FT-897 and insight! Soapbox: Maybe I should get a Flex 1500? Anyway, it's fun to see how close you can get. | ||||||||||||
| XQ6FOD | DX | DX |
| Method: TS-450 radio and Spectrum Lab software. Measured WWV on 5 and 10 MHz before, between and after tests, to calibrate radio and try to assess ionospheric Doppler. Eyeball weighted averaging of waterfall traces, radio drift compensation done by hand calculator. Soapbox: Signals were randomly spread out over 2 to 4 Hz due to Doppler occuring in several thousand km of ionosphere. Also signals were low on 40, and VERY low on 80 meters (barely detectable, CW not copyable on 80). So my stating the measured frequencies to one millihertz of resolution is highly optimistic! |