The quiet problem with WSPR.

I accidentally pressed the 'Stats' button on the WSPRnet site this morning.

What this reveals in hard statistics is what we already know: WSPR transmitters are outstripping receivers, and by some distance.

This problem is clearly linked to the availability of transmitters such as WSPRlite and similar products.

Until about early 2016, TX and RX were pretty much equal.  But not since.

WSPRlite has allowed plethora new possibilities, not least the ability to operate on USB-level powers for long periods in remote field settings.  Previously, this was effectively impossible for most of us.

But the big gap between transmitter and receiver numbers - the commencement of which is clearly linked to the onset of WSPRlite availability - needs a solution.

The best answer, it seems to me, would be to have a WSPR-dedicated transceiver that operates on USB-level power that can be deployed in the field.  It could either log spots internally for later upload to the database, or have some form of WiFi connection, perhaps via a neighbouring mobile phone with WiFi relay functions.  In all cases, a reasonable clock accuracy is needed, which could easily and cheaply be acheived via a GPS shield, or simply via the internet, which is usually more than good enough.

Altogether, I have to say I'm surprised nobody has yet come up with something like this.  Attached to a small solar PV or wind turbine, it could also solve the enormous bias in the deployment locations of WSPR stations, which are almost exclusively restricted to developed nations.

I wonder if anyone will pick up the opportunity these problems offer?