From 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 je Scheggerot, juhovýchodne od Flensburg-u, lokátor JO44VQ. Zodpovedným operátorom je Ulrich Müller, DK4VW, držiteľom koncesie a QSL manažérom je Emil Johannsen, DK4LI. Maják má aj vlastnú Internetovú stánku: http://www.dk0wcy.de.
How does the beacon work?
Možno ste si položili otázku: „Ako to vlastne funguje?“. Údaje z druhej strany Atlantiku prichádzajú po sieti do Marburgu. Keďže formát správ je konštantný, stačí z nich vybrať len potrebné informácie, prípadne manuálne ich upraviť. Následne sa modemom posielajú do Scheggerotu, kde podľa nich program upraví vysielaný text. Údaje z magnetometra pomocou A/D prevodníka a PC sú vyhodnocované priamo na mieste. Najväčšie ťažkosti spôsobuje predpovedanie Auror-y. V začiatkoch ich DK2ZF (prípadne XYL) po telefonickej správe zadával manuálne. Dnes je na objekte, v ktorom je DK0WCY umiestnené je dvojča z 11-elementových antén nasmerované na sever. IC-245E je naladená na 144,412 MHz, čo je frekvencia majáka SK4MPI (JP70NJ, QRB 711km). NF signál z TCVR vyhodnocuje PC, ak v ňom úspešne nájde signály SK4MPI, potom software upraví vysielaný 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 |