Stellar WSPR

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

The Radio Whisperer

PDF file of Nuts and Volts Magazine's article by George Steber. PDF article here: http://www.kc4zvw.org/files/wspr-receiver.pdf 

Whispering Around the World

 A very interesting and informative article about WSPR from the creator of WSPR Joe Taylor. PDF article here:  http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/WSPR_QST_Nov_2010.pdf

WSPR 2.0 Software Details

WSPR 2.0 implements a protocol designed for probing potential propagation paths with low-power transmissions.  Normal transmissions carry a station's callsign, Maidenhead grid locator, and transmitter power in dBm.  The program can decode signals with S/N as low as -28 dB in a 2500 Hz bandwidth.  Stations with internet access can automatically upload their reception reports to a central database called WSPRnet.org, which includes a mapping facility.  To see a live version of a map , click here.

WSPR 2.0 introduces a number of new features including a  user-friendly setup screen with drop-down selection of audio devices and rig-control parameters, support for compound callsigns, fine selection of the fractional time for transmitting, and a Tune button.  A new Advanced setup screen offers optional CW identification and tools for frequency calibration and automated frequency corrections for your radio.  Full details are presented in the WSPR 2.0 User's Guide, which you will need to read in order to use the new features.  For the first time, a binary installation package is made available for Ubuntu Linux (versions 8.10 and later), Debian 5.03, and other Debian-based 32-bit Linux distributions.

WSPR 2.11 is a beta release that includes two major enhancements:

• Support for software-defined receivers and transceivers that use complex (I-Q) sampling, such as the popular SoftRock kits.
• FMT, a package of command-line programs designed for use in the ARRL Frequency Measuring Test and similar frequency-measuring tasks.