WSPR or Weak Signal Propagation

[turkeydance]

any opinions?
did it work for you?
thanks for all who have responded
to my questions about Ham, CB, MURS/FRS/GMRS, etc.

bottom line: looking for super-simple communication.
Ham was too much. CB was borderline. MURS looks good.

as i understand it, WSPR is broadcast without reply.
sort of like low-power AM/FM, but better range than FM.

please let me know.
and thanks.

 

[backwoodsshooter]

any opinions?
did it work for you?
thanks for all who have responded
to my questions about Ham, CB, MURS/FRS/GMRS, etc.

bottom line: looking for super-simple communication.
Ham was too much. CB was borderline. MURS looks good.

as i understand it, WSPR is broadcast without reply.
sort of like low-power AM/FM, but better range than FM.

please let me know.
and thanks.

Curious how you came to the conclusion ham radio is too much.

Expensive? Can be, can be cheap also

Licensing? Actually really simple. Study up and find a test center. It’s 10$

Rigs? I had my first radio given to me. Still have it. It’s a nuthin fancy 2m rig with an antenna that should have been recycled a decade ago. I’ve had expensive rigs like a kenwood TS-2000 and a few in between

Antennas? Well if you homebrew that ain’t that expensive. Space might become an issue

 

[noway2]

as i understand it, WSPR is broadcast without reply.
sort of like low-power AM/FM, but better range than FM.

WSPR, weak signal propagation reporter isn’t really a communication protocol but more of a propagation beacon. It operates on certain frequencies that stations transmit and listen on. When receiving stations pick up your call sign, they report it into a centralized web server that tracks where the originating signal propagated from and to. Generally, the signal is transmitted with very low power. The WSPR tool set is available as part of the WSJT-X package written by Joe Taylor (weak signal Joe Taylor) along with other programs like JT65 and FT8 which are weak signal contact programs, but not for communicating real information.

 

[turkeydance]

1. thanks noway. i'm exploring options. so far, MURS is at the top of the list.
2. Ham radio is too much because of the range of users. one's a 94-year old, and one just turned 7.
the FRS/GMRS has been the best so far, everyone "gets it", and it is cheap enough for all.

 

[noway2]

@turkeydance you're welcome. Happy to help. If you haven’t looked into it, you might also consider the licensed spectrum, where you pay a fee to buy the use of a slot of spectrum. We have a set at work for emergencies. A lot of commercial entities do this and use HT (walk-in talkies) and you can even put up a repeater.