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Interactive visualisation of pskreporter logs using python

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As promised in my previous post , here is a fun little code snippet to visualise logs obtained from pskreporter. Obviously the first step is to obtain logs from pskreporter, using the URL shown below. Needless to say, you have to replace my callsign (VK6JN) with yours. https://pskreporter.info/cgi-bin/pskdata.pl?callsign=VK6JN After unzipping the downloaded zip file, we obtain a psk_data.csv file that contains all the information we need. In the following gist, I demonstrate a simple code to visualise those data in an interactive world map that can be viewed in a web browser. Replace the appropriate fields (callsign, locator etc.), run the python code and you shall obtain a web interface with the reports as shown in Fig.1, where the paths have been colour coded with the reported SNR. Clicking on the pins, you will also get the callsign of the RX station. This code can be modified to analyse WSPR logs as well. Fig.1. A screenshot of the resulting webpage. Hope this is helpful ! 73, V...

Testing an Aliexpress 5.6m telescopic HF vertical antenna

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I've been searching for an easy to deploy HF vertical for quite some time. Although I have a SOTABEAMS 20/40 linked dipole, it is cumbersome to deploy, with the end result being almost always a rat's nest of wires. My MFJ1899T loaded vertical, although convenient, is after all a compromise antenna. My search led me to this antenna , something that costs about 50AUD, shipping included. For such a low price, one cannot be wrong ! I promptly purchased it and left it in my car boot. On January 27th 2025 evening, I finally decided to test it. I loaded my car with QDX and FT817ND along with a few accessories, and drove to South Perth foreshore. The location is perfect to test a vertical antenna, and also has the same gridsquare as my QTH. Also proximity to Swan river may improve the performance of a vertical antenna. From "touchdown" to key up, it took me about 10 minutes, of which a substantial amount of time was spent fixing a broken Anderson power pole contact. I chose 2...