Going QRT on 6m and 10m WSPR

After a totally useless afternoon and evening on 6m WSPR, I am going QRT. I am going QRT on 10m  as well. Plenty of activity on 10m, but 6m was yet again a total dead loss.

10m USA spots of my 500mW WSPR beacon

I  am being spotted by lots of USA stations on 10m today. Th first was K4RCG (5995km) at 1316z. Today looks like a typically good day on 10m WSPR at this time in the solar cycle. As I have said before, in a few years time we'll look back on these days with envy, hardly believing them possible! At the time of writing this (1452z) the 10m band is "humming" nicely with plentiful USA stations spotting me.

UPDATE 1815z:  The last USA station to spot my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was WB1FIG (5304km) at 1734z. This was probably the last spot by a USA station on 10m today. Official sunset in Cambridge today was at 1646z. The days are lengthening again by more than 3minutes a day.

Australia again on 10m WSPR with 500mW

VK6XT (14719km) was spotting my 10m QRP WPR beacon this morning at 1138z. As well as this report, there were quite a few new reporters active this morning from Asia and Europe. Conditions do seem good on 10m. ET/G8DYK (5931km) is again spotting me on 10m WSPR in Africa.

I am slightly tempted to try 6m again in the hope of getting some winter Es-F2 or TEP. Probably will be a waste of time?

At the present time I am also RX and TX on 630m using the earth-electrodes, but only spotting, and being spotted, by the same old stations!

Sunspots Feb 1st 2015 and 10m

Sunspot number today is a respectable 153 and 10m propagation is expected to be "good".

Another G1KQH bargain

This came in from Steve, G1KQH, today. It is often cheaper to buy the completed, built modules from China than to buy the parts in the UK! What is the world coming to?

I bought 5 LM317s on PCB with heatsinks for a fiver:

 

 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-x-LM317-Adjustable-Voltage-Regulator-Step-down-Power-Supply-Buck-Module-Board-/221577652687?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Test_Measurement_Equipment_ET&hash=item33970ea9cf

 

Why bother building it any longer, that used to be half the fun! The heatsinks would of cost a Quid each over here, never mind the LM317 and the PCB with connectors..

 

Happy days 

 

73 Steve G1KQH

http://www.g1kqh.talktalk.net/

Not amateur radio - new blog

Today I started a new blog to keep a record of our visits to churches in East Anglia. We hope to visit quite a few through the year.Although the new blog is public it is primarily a record for our own use, so any inappropriate comments will be removed.

At one time we planned a full website on this subject when we retired but a blog seems more appropriate

See http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/ .

10m USA WSPR spots

The first spot of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was by KC1AWS (5308km) at 1250z.

UPDATE 2225z:   The last USA spot of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was KC1AWS at 1836z. I went QRT on 10m WSPR a little later, so it is just possible there might have been others later, but unlikely.

Sunspots and 10m - Jan 31st 2015

Sunspot number today was 193 (high) and 10m propagation was forecast to be "good".

How do they make a profit?

On eBay I have just seen a complete LM386 amplifier kit on a PCB for $2 with free shipping.  G1KQH has spotted Pixie transceiver kits for £5 with free shipping.  How do they make any money?

472kHz - same stations again?

I am beginning to get tired of 472kHz WSPR as the same stations are being spotted and are spotting me. It is some time since new stations have been spotted or have been spotting me.

Starting tomorrow, I think I may try a totally new band for me on WSPR. Unsure which band to try as yet. I'll stay on 472kHz overnight in case some new stations appear.

On 10m WSPR it is a similar story, although I find watching the changing conditions of interest and the DX is real DX.  The little WSPR-AXE-CW WSPR 10m beacon is also so tiny. I find it amazing that something so small and just 500mW can be heard all over the world.