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Almost fourteen years ago, Vince Pinto introduced me to this hobby. The original "XMGR" was a hybrid of my amateur callsign, KA1MGR. The "X" stood for experimental...and it continues to signify why I enjoy this so much.
Low Frequency Experimental Beacon, XMGR operates 24 hours a day/7 days a week on 184.900khz from Helena, Alabama (Near Birmingham). The beacon can transmit in both CW, BPSK, WOLF, and QRSS. QRSS is also known as Slow Speed CW, where standard Morse is transmitted at the speed of 0.4WPM. WOLF is the newest weak signal mode, and last year allowed XMGR to be copied at a distance of 1,874 miles! QRSS is received using a computer program such as Spectran, EzGram, or others. Please look in our QRSS section for resources where you can download this program. QRSS is a very easy mode, allowing you to detect signals buried up to -27db below the noise floor.WOLF software can also be downloaded from this site. XMGR was copied succesfully in 11 states and Canada during the 2000 season. This included a record reception of 1,874 miles over land, which is the 2nd longest path ever covered by a lowfer beacon. The transmitter is a design by Lyle Koehler, K0LR, and can be found on his web site. LF Synthesized Transmitter This operation is authorized for experimental purposes only under FCC Part 15 rules. In July of 2000, we erected the flattop vertical antenna pictured above. The transmitter is mounted at the base of a 40 foot wire vertical, which has a non-radiating 70 foot flattop. This section helps to draw current to the top of the vertical section and to reduce loading coil losses. It is very similar to antennas used by Non-Directional Beacons (NDB) operating in the LF range. The vertical is mounted above an elevated counterpoise that has a radius of 80 feet. There are 64 radials, all of them stapled under the boards of our extensive backyard deck. Ground losses are less than 20 ohms. Currently, measured antenna current is about 250ma with 1 watt input.
© 2001 Les Rayburn, N1LF & Others. |
