MFJ MFJ-890 User Manual

MFJ-890 Owner's Manual DX Beacon Monitor

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the MFJ-890 DX Beacon Monitor. This beacon monitor enables you to track the 18 NCDXF/IARU beacon transmissions that make up the International Beacon Network. Tracking these beacons is very useful because it allows you to know how the propagation is around the world, and what transmitting frequency is the best. Once the MFJ-890 is synched, an LED will light to tell you which beacon is being heard.

The MFJ-890 has a built-in time signal receiver for synchronization. This provides a very precise timing to track the beacon transmissions. It automatically performs daily synchronization to correct and adjust any timing error. The firmware works with signals from WWVB (United States), MSF (Great Britain), DCF 77 (Germany), and JJY (Japan) transmitters; however, the proper time signal receiver must be installed to use signals other than WWVB. In this manual, only the USA transmitter WWVB will be referenced.

The International Beacon System

The International Beacon Network is a worldwide network of high-frequency radio beacons on 14.100, 18.110, 21.150, 24.930, and 28.200 MHz. There are currently 18 beacons located around the world transmitting continuously. The purpose of these beacons is to allow one to know how the propagation is in different parts of the world, and at what frequency it is best.

The beacons’ transmit sequence starts on the hour and runs continuously in three-minute cycles. A transmission consists of the callsign of the beacon, sent at 22 words per minute, followed by four one-second dashes. The callsign and the first dash are sent at 100 watts, while the remaining dashes are sent at 10 watts, 1 watt and 0.1 watts, respectively. The four power levels of dashes allow the listener to know how the propagation is in that section of the world. The more dashes that are heard, the better the propagation.

Each of the 18 beacons has a specific time and frequency at which they transmit. This allows the user to know which beacon is being heard. The first beacon to transmit on the hour is the United Nations beacon, 4U1UN on 14.100 MHz. Once its transmission is complete, the Canada beacon, VE8AT, transmits on the same frequency. This sequence continues throughout all the beacons and then repeats itself.

When the MFJ-890 is synched and on the 14.100 MHz frequency, tune your radio to 14.100 MHz. You can see which beacon is transmitting by looking to see which LED is lit on the MFJ-890. You will then notice the LED light at the next transmitting beacon, and cycle throughout all of them.

IMPORTANT: If the MFJ-890 does not sync, allow the unit to sync

overnight. The WWVB signal is the best at 0600 UTC (12:00 am CT).

MFJ-890 Owner's Manual DX Beacon Monitor

Once a beacon has transmitted on the 14.100 frequency, it steps up to the next frequency and repeats the transmission on the same beacon. This process continues until the beacon has transmitted throughout all 5 frequencies. It then pauses for 130 seconds and starts over again at 14.100 MHz. Each transmission is 10 seconds long on each band.

You can follow a particular beacon throughout all of its frequencies by simply changing the frequency of your radio up to the next frequency after the beacon has transmitted. If you have a radio with preset buttons on it, this is very easy. Program all five frequencies into the preset buttons on your radio and change the frequency immediately after the beacon has transmitted. This is useful if you want to talk to one particular part of the world and you want to know what is the best transmitting frequency. For each frequency transmission, listen to the four power level dashes. The more dashes you hear, the better that frequency is for transmitting.

The table located in Appendix A gives the exact minute and second of the start of the first transmission within the hour for each beacon on each frequency. This table shows the allotted time at which the beacon should transmit. If a beacon is not heard it usually means that the propagation in that area is very poor. However, sometimes a beacon may not transmit on certain frequencies, or it may not be transmitting at all. To view the latest beacon scheduling and availability, go online to

http://www.ncdxf.org/beacon

and check out the most

recent postings.

The 18 beacons are strategically located to give even coverage around the world. The current locations of the beacons are shown in the table in Appendix B. These locations are subject to change, so to get the most up-to-date locations visit

http://www.ncdxf.org/beacon

For a more comprehensive explanation of the International Beacon Network, see the October and November 1994, and September 1997 issues of QST magazine. Also see the January 1999, September and December 2001, and January 2002 issues of Practical Wireless (of Great Britain). These articles spawned the idea for this unit.

MFJ-890 Owner's Manual DX Beacon Monitor

Front Panel

MFJ DX BEACON MONITOR

BAND (MHz)

SYNC

MANUAL

SYNC

21.150

18.110 24.930

14.100 28.200

United Nations

4U1UN

Canada

VE8AT

United States

W6WX

Hawaii

KH6WO

New Zealand

ZL6B

6 Australia VK6RBP

Japan

JA2IGY

Russia

RR9O

Hong Kong

VR2B

Sri Lanka

4S7B

South Africa

ZS6DN

Kenya

5Z4B

Israel

4X6TU

Finland

OH2B

Argentina

LU4AA

Madeira

CS3B

Peru

OA4B

Venezuela

YV5B

ATOMIC

SYNC

MFJ ENTERPRISES, INC.

STARKVILLE, MS USA

MFJ-890

POWER 12 VDC

Atomic Clock Receiver

Built-In

• Power: The Power jack accepts a 2.1 mm coaxial plug with positive center

and negative sleeve. This unit requires 12 volts DC. An optional power supply, the MFJ-1315, is available from MFJ Enterprises, Inc. This unit uses a minimum of 4 mA during standby and a maximum of 10 mA during synchronization. A 9-volt backup battery can be connected inside the unit.

WARNING: Do not apply voltages greater than 18 volts to this unit,

or permanent damage to the unit may result.

• Manual Sync Button: Press to reset the slot LED to the beginning of the 3-

minute cycle. It is disabled when the unit is already synched, or in the process of synchronization when it was synched before the process started.

• Atomic Sync Button: Press to perform synchronization of the MFJ-890

with the local time signal such as WWVB.

• Band Switch: Selects the DX band of 14.100, 18.110, 21.150, 24.930 or

28.200 MHz.

• Slot LEDs: There are 18 red slot LEDs representing the 18 DX beacons

around the world. Only one slot LED is lit at a given time indicating the current beacon at the selected band.

MFJ-890 Owner's Manual DX Beacon Monitor

• Sync LED: A green LED indicates the synchronization status. It blinks

during synchronization, remains lit when synchronized, or off when it is not synchronized.

Interior Components

These components are located inside the unit. To access them, remove the front panel by removing the four corner screws. Do not remove the four inner screws.

• Battery: This unit uses a 9-volt battery as backup in case of power loss.

Alkaline batteries are recommended. Make sure the battery is not in contact with any electronic components.

• Jumpers: There are six jumpers inside the unit. Jumpers JMP1 to JMP3

select the time zone. Jumpers JMP4 to JMP6 enable and disable the power saving feature.

Operation

Configure jumpers JMP1, JMP2 and JMP3 to select your time zone (or country). The factory default time zone (indicated by *) is USA Central. The MFJ-890 performs a daily synchronization for 10 minutes at 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. local time. The standard time signal receiver is for USA use only. The proper time signal receiver must be installed in order for use in United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. Currently only 60 kHz receivers are available.

JMP1

JMP2

JMP3

Time Zone

Transmitter

LLL

USA Pacific

WWVB, 60 kHz

LLH

USA Mountain

WWVB, 60 kHz

LHL

USA Central *

WWVB, 60 kHz

LHH

USA Eastern

WWVB, 60 kHz

HLL

United Kingdom

MSF, 60 kHz

HLH

Germany

DCF77, 77.5 kHz

HHL

Japan

JJY, 40 kHz

HHH

Reserved

“Reserved” is defaulted to USA Central.

+ 7 hidden pages