DK0WCY is no ordinary beacon. You can find it on 30 and 80m, where it transmits, in addition to identification, data on propagation conditions. If you don't have packet or internet (e.g. on vacation, for which you don't bring complete equipment), but you have KV RX and control CW, you will definitely appreciate the information that this beacon in northern Germany broadcasts.
I decode the DK0WCY broadcast at home with the CW Get program. S-meter of my device with a short wire antenna in average conditions is around S7, only in the case of a very strong fault the signal drops to the level of S1-S2.
You will read in the article
Site DK0WCY
QTH DK0WCY is Scheggerot, southeast of Flensburg, locator JO44VQ. Responsible operator is Ulrich Müller, DK4VW, concession holder and QSL manager is Emil Johannsen, DK4LI. The lighthouse also has its own Internet booth: http://www.dk0wcy.de.
How does the beacon work?
You may have asked yourself, "How does it actually work?". Data from across the Atlantic comes over the network to Marburg. Since the format of the messages is constant, it is enough to select only the necessary information from them, or edit them manually. They are then sent via modem to Scheggerot, where, according to them, the program will edit the broadcast text. Data from the magnetometer are evaluated on the spot using an A/D converter and a PC. The biggest difficulty comes from predicting the Aurors. In the beginning, DK2ZF (or XYL) entered them manually after a telephone message. Today, the building where DK0WCY is located has twin 11-element antennas directed to the north. The IC-245E is tuned to 144.412 MHz, which is the frequency of the SK4MPI beacon (JP70NJ, QRB 711 km). NF signal from TCVR evaluates the PC, if it successfully finds SK4MPI signals in it, then the software edits the broadcast text.
DK0WCY beacon parameters
| DK0WCY 80m: | 3579 kHz, power 30W, ant: dipole |
| QRV on 80m: | 7-8 UTC and 15-18 UTC (in summer: -1) |
| DK0WCY 30m: | 10144 kHz, power 30W, ant: dipole |
| QRV on 30m: | 24 hours |
| Normal text: | DK0WCY BEACON ———— (bearing) |
| Notice on AUROR: | DKOWCY BEACON ………… AURORA (dots) DKOWCY BEACON ………… STRONG AURORA (dots) |
| Information broadcast every 5 min.: | INFO 04 DEC 15 UTC KIEL K 3 3 = << NEXT EXPECTED KIEL K 6 6 >> = FORECASTS 04 DEC SUNACT ACTIVE MAGFIELD MAJOR STORM EXPECTED = 03 DEC R 11 11 FLUX 73 73 BOULDER A 7 7 = 03 DEC KIEL A 10 10 AR |
| Date, time: | current date, end time of the 3-hour measurement period |
| KIEL to: | logaritmický geomagnetický index meraný NA QTH DK0WCY |
| R: | relative sunspot number (SSN) |
| FLUX: | intensity of radio noise of the Sun at a wavelength of 10 cm measured in Penticton (VE) |
| BOULDER A: | linear averaged (for 24h) geomagnetic index measured in Boulder (USA) |
| KEEL A: | linear averaged (for 24h) geomagnetic index measured in Kiel (Germany) |
| SUNACT: | solar activity verbally indicating the probability of occurrence of solar eruptions (FLARES) |
| SUNACT quiet: | less than 50% chance of class C (small solar flares) |
| SUNACT eruptive: | more than 50% chance of class C (small solar flares) |
| SUNACT active: | expected class M (moderate solar flares) |
| SUNACT major flares expected: | expected class X (large solar flares) |
| SUNACT proton flares expected: | expected proton eruptions, probability >50% |
| SUNACT warning condition: | expected increase in activity |
| SUNACT nil: | ending the warning |
| MAGFIELD: | characterizes the state of the megentic field of the Earth |
| MAGFIELD quiet: | peaceful |
| MAGFIELD active condx expected: | K>4, A>20, expected activity |
| MAGFIELD minor storm expected: | K>5, A>30, minor storm expected |
| MAGFIELD major storm expected: | K>6, A>50, expected strong magnetic storm |
| MAGFIELD north magstorm exp.: | K>7, A>100, expected very strong magnetic storm |
| MAGFIELD magstorm in progress: | K>4, A>30, ongoing magnetic storm |
| MAGFIELD warning condition: | warning of increased magnetic activity |
| MAGFIELD nil: | end of warning |
| NA | Not Aviable - data is not available |