Several weeks ago I was contacted by Gernot Frauscher in Germany about a WSPR transmitter he developed. You can take a look at his webpage here. The basics are these:

• It will cover the bands 80, 40, 30. 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m
• TX power is 1W
• It will TX continuously. 2min on each band, so the repeat interval will be 16min for each frequency.
• The beacon is set to GPS timing and location mode, so one need only connect everything and turn it on. It will get timing and locator from GPS.

When I came to Uganda I not only wanted to work SSB phone, but I am very interested in QRP and QRSS. A beacon seemed a great idea and I am delighted to have been contacted by Gernot.  As our correspondence grew, we developed a plan whereby Gernot would supply his WSPR transmitter and I would put it on the air using my license and call sign here in Uganda. He is part of a team that is going to be installing a network at a university in Mbarara, a city about 3 hours south and west of Masaka. Alexander Wuerflinger, an advance team member is scheduled to visit Uganda the week of March 5 and is bringing Gernot's WSPR transmitter with him. I will supply the antenna, a battery, and power supply. Should have everything on the air in a few days.

WSPR is a fascinating mode. Take a look at the Weak Signal Propagation Reporter Network if you want a deeper explanation. You can also checkout G4ILO's blog here. The cool things about Gernot's transmitter are that it runs independently of a PC and that it is a multi-band unit. With a simple car battery as backup power, this propagation beacon should run uninterrupted from Southwest Uganda!

It is a wonderful and generous act on the part of Gernot and his friends who are coming to work here in Uganda. Stand by for official notification that we are on the air.