PA3CLQ's Leuke Linken Nr. 464
I need help getting Reverse Beacon Network to work.
I go to:
http://www.reversebeacon.net/main.php
and then I send CQ WA0GOZ WA0GOZ and the spot never shows up.
I search by callsign and it says “This filter returned no spot”.
I’ve tried it on 40M and 17M with 100W to my wire antenna.
I don’t know if I’m doing things right, but I need help please.
Will someone give me step by step instructions on what I’m supposed to do or how to set up?
Google isn’t helping me.
I’m using IE on a WinXP Pro machine.
I tried retrieving the spot on a Win7 Pro machine to no avail.
I’m on this group using digest mode, so I would appreciate direct reply’s.
Thanks and 73 Henry WA0GOZ
Try 3 CQ's then ur call.
One CQ
might not be enough to get noticed..
CQ CQ CQ DE WA0GOZ WA0GOZ CQ
Joe WB9SBD
When I'm working a contest I also have telnet running with a cluster that supports CW Skimmer.
I see my CQs spotted often.
IMO it's not the number of CQs.
In fact CQs are not even necessary.
Example, I just sent "Test Test de W2NRA W2NRA" with 1 watt into a wire antenna and got a post on the second call.
Often, when running stations, I'll just sent "WES de W2NRA" and get spotted.
Just be sure to include your call once or twice and follow up with additional calls after 15 seconds or so.
73, Art, W2NRA
It could be the conditions but when I call CQ I use the following...
CQ CQ CQ DE AF5AF AF5AF AF5AF K or PSE K
I may take a few calls before the spotters pick you up.
I
usually notice my spot on the SKCC Skimmer before either the Reverse Beacon or
Reverse Beacon on Graph sites...
Rocky Weeks, AF5AF
The
following link should take you directly to RBN for your callsign:
http://www.reversebeacon.net/dxsd1/dxsd1.php?f=0&c=wa0goz&t=dx
It
shows some spots of your call between 0230-0245z on 40m on Jun 24.
73, Drew AF2Z
You must have the "DE" in there.
I think the software uses DE to determine if there is a callsign following.
Sometimes I go too fast for my own good and screw up the DE (send DI or BE) and then RBN does not pick me up.
I've also noticed if you hash up the first callsign, it does not pick up from the 2nd or 3rd one, so it looks like it only listens for the first callsign after DE, so you have to get that 100% correct.
If
you're sending straight key and your spacing is a bit off, it will pick up
incorrectly - I often come up as ZS6S since I tend to exaggerate the space
between S and V ever so slightly.
Stephen ZS6SVJ
From
the FWIW department...
UNLESS I am actually looking for a QSO, I use "TEST TEST TEST DE AC2C AC2C
AC2C <AR>"
As I understand the skimming algorithm, it looks for either CQ or TEST, then a
DE, and a callsign - must be copied at least twice as exactly the same.
If you are sending via SK, cootie, or bug be very careful to get the timing as good as possible.
I
usually use a key and paddle when TESTing for RB reports.
Ron, AC2C
What I'd like to know is what is the dB in relation to?
I'm all
over the board sometimes.
Roger Meadows
It's the SNR in dB.
For example... An SNR of 5 dB 5 dB = signal level / noise level Signal level = 5 dB x noise level
You're received signal is 5 dB over the noise level.
I would assume local ambient noise level.
I wonder if all RBN sites use a common antenna?
Mark K3MSB
Mark,
Anyone can post spots to the RBN; In the past on my flex I've run 4 slices (aka
rcvrs) running cwskimmer posting to the RBN.
The only "problem" with doing that is if I'm also working CW, the
fact that I've keyed the rig causes the SNR to way too high til the rcvr
recovers..
So what should be a signal reporting at say 12db may be reported to the RBN at
78db..
-jim NM1W 13718S
It's your signal power in relation to noise power at the reporting
receiver.
That's when dBm units are nicer than Watts because, like slide rules, you just add and subtract to multiply and divide.
If he
measures your signal at -80 dBm and measures noise power when no signal is
present at -100 dBm, then the S/N ratio in -80 dBm - (-100 dBm) = 20 dB.
73, Mike ab3ap
RBN dB refers to SNR, signal to noise ratio.
73, Drew AF2Z
I wonder if all RBN sites use a common antenna?
Mark K3MSB
No there is no standard for RBN sites.
Some use “real” antennas but most use broadband small (normally active) antennas so that one antenna/feedline can be used for all bands 160m thru 6m.
You can not compare your signal between different RBN sites for anything meaningful.
The way I look at it, if an RBN is reporting me then I know that a human in that area with a simple station should be able to hear/work me.
A couple of things for SKCC’ers and RBN given our normal freqs… RBN’s use skimmers and skimmers have to decode your cw, if you have a poor fist or a swing to your bug then you’re likely not going to be decoded.
Some skimmers are setup to skip the portion of the band that skcc normally uses.
Some skimmers are setup to look for CQ’s only, some aren’t.
If you’re looking at the RBN site then you’re only seeing what the RBN arbitrator accepts.
After a while you will notice your reports being better/worse from some RBN’s than others and you’ll learn how to use the info.
No there is no repository of RBN’s that give station details like radio, antenna, etc.
73, Tim K9TM
That's a bit disconcerting as the listed SNR value is then relative to individual receive antenna gain, receiver noise floor etc.
Mark K3MSB
The first thing I look for on RBN is how many hits I'm getting.
Even so, if there are lots of hits, even during a WES, it doesn't mean there will be a lot of action.
But if
I don't get a lot of RBN reports on a particular band I probably won't waste
too much time CQing there.
I also look at the geographic areas where I'm being reported.
If you
click on the options you can bring up a map of the receiving stations.
Anyhow, for the SNR figure: it's about as useful as an RST.
73, Drew AF2Z
what is
nice about the SN number is, whan comparing two different anytennas. cq on
one.. move a few KC then cq on the other and you have a true DB difference on
how the two antennas are being heard at each station, if you get 8 db stronger
at K9XYZ, well then that antenna is 8 db stronger.
Joe WB9SBD
Good point, Joe.
But you
should probably do at least several comparisons because of course the SNR can
vary over short times spans.
For really comprehensive antenna testing though you can't beat WSPRnet.
I even wrote some scripts to switch antennas on my rig periodically at known
times, then logged literally thousands of WSPR signal reports over several days
and compiled them all into a spreadsheet.
Can't
do better than that for comparing antennas.
73, Drew AF2Z
I will try to find the Map option next time.
I have always (since before I was a Novice in 1961) related the number in a US or Canadian call to a general location, but in my view, the shift to whatever number you want in a callsign, is a RECENT development :D
The RBN receiver info on grid square and ITU and CQ zone is not very helpful to me.
CW is Real Radio 73, John...K8JD
DXMaps.com is another good option for displaying RBN (and normal) spots.
RBN spots have green callsigns vs normal spots which are black.
You can
also filter to show just your call to get a view of where you're being heard.
6 Meter RBN node since 2010
73 Paul N6EV #3358S
Another kink in the RBN net is the receiving stations do not list the location and callsign numbers don't relate to what area of the USA they are in, anymore, so I have to look them up in QRZ to see where I am being heard :D
73, John...K8JD
While at reversebeacon.net use the “nodes” button and there is location information for each node… grid square, dxcc, continent, ITU zone, cq zone, first appeared, last seen…
Some of the packetclusters do the lookup and add a state when they take RBN spots and put them on packet cluster.
This is problematic for situations like mine where I have an RBN K9TM-4 and the packetcluster coder dutifully (but incorrectly strips off the -4) looks up K9TM and sees OH and reports my spots as being from OH.
So to fix this, they hard coded me in with an over-ride to be FL. Which works until I turn on my K9TM RBN from Ohio and then the packet cluster software isn’t smart enough to figure out the difference between K9TM and K9TM-4 and it says both are in FL… (or both are in OH) duh!
Callsign numbers haven’t related to where in the USA people are for pretty much my entire ham radio career dating back to 1976.
I laugh every time someone works me and says a “9” in “8” land, why aren’t you signing /8. Because my license doesn’t say /8, it just says K9TM and Ohio.
73, Tim K9TM
Select the RBN map option: it shows the QRZ.com locations of the receiving stations.
No
need to look them up.
73, Drew AF2Z
I guess I haven't spent enough time reading the info on using the RBN, I just jump on there for a few minutes to see If I am getting to the receivers on a few bands. :D
CW is Real Radio 73, John...K8JD
DREW
WHEN I LOOK UP MY CALL ON RBN, THERE IS NO MAP SELECTION OR BUTTON. HOW DOES THAT WORK?
73,
BENNY K5KV
Go
to your RBN lookup here:
http://www.reversebeacon.net/dxsd1/dxsd1.php?f=0&c=k5kv&t=dx
At
the top right of the page you should see "options: show/hide".
Click on "show/hide" then under "map (beta version)" you
will see options to display the map, with or without grayline.
The map
is a little glitchy at times so you might have to disable it and re-enable
occasionally.
But it
works well mostly.
73, Drew AF2Z
http://www.reversebeacon.net/srch.php
Editor
73, from the town at the rivers "De Bergsche Maas" and "De Dongen" Geertruidenberg (800+ years city rights) at: 51.702211N 4.853854E
Editor Jan Pieter Oelp PA3CLQ
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