I have installed a QuickSilver QS1R SDR (Software Defined Radio) receiver working with CW Skimmer Server .
The SDR gives me my own private DX Cluster working from a 20m high vertical antenna which covers 3.0-30MHz.
The antenna also feeds my Perseus SDR receiver through a multicoupler along with going into the RAS 8×2 receive antenna matrix which currently feeds 8 receive antennas in any combination to two operating positions.
The QS1R SDR scans up to 7 entire Amateur Bands simultaneously i.e. it has 7 independent separate receivers built in, and feeds the call signs of all stations heard to the private DX Cluster.
In addition, all this is fed into the reverse beacon network – this is still experimental from my side.
The benefit of this is that I receive only spots of stations actually heard at my location rather than being heard by somebody else in a different location.
I consider this an extremely powerful addition to my station.
It is possible to connect to the regular DX Cluster simultaneously and the spots from both sources will simply mix.
I had some initial problems getting the QS1R to work consistently, the manufacturer advised that my problems stemmed from using a power supply with low current ratings. The QS1R community was also very helpful.
This problem, once diagnosed, was easily solved, I simply borrowed 5V DC from the computer power supply – red/black wires through a 5A fuse – and everything works beautifully.
DX spots are sent to Win-Test on the local computer which in turn transmits the spots to all computers on the network.
You may connect to my Skimmer Server by pointing your Telnet Client to:
IP : 88.149.2.8
Port: 7300
no password needed. This will give you an idea of what is being heard here at TF4M. (no guarantee that this will be operational at all times..)
It remains to be seen if this technology will be used extensively at my station, there are many ethical aspects of using these tools, especially in contesting, but it is incredibly impressive to watch the spots flow by the thousands.
