Buoy Ahoy !! the ZL1SLX WSPR Beacon

An ocean going marine buoy containing a GPS and QRP-Labs Ultimate3S based transmitter. This project is intended to drift in the Pacific Ocean at the mercy of the tides, currents and wind directions while sending its position, battery voltage and temperature information via HF radio telemetry in WSPR and JT9 modes.

It transmits once per hour on the 30 meter Amateur Radio band. The receiver ‘dial frequency’ required to decode the digital signals is 10.138700 MHz USB (the normal 30m band WSPR frequency). The WSPR trail is near the top of the WSPR waterfall segment, and the JT9 signal is found about 150 Hz higher on the waterfall.

00:00 UTC 14 May 2016 – departed New Zealand at RF74BS on board yacht Windflower
21:00 UTC 17 May 2016 – released at RG93SQ and free drifting in the Pacific Ocean

Update at 00:00 UTC 29 October 2016 – the present position after 164 days in the ocean is RG68HG direct line change over the last 24 hours: 25 km drift at 160 degrees, average speed 1.04 km/hr direct line change from the launch point at RG93SQ: 868 km at 305 degrees, average speed 0.22 km/hr (apparent speed is slow due to doing loops following the wind patterns more than the ocean currents)

-Ron W6WO