Since early March fuel prices have dropped considerably. Have retail prices followed suit? NO!!!
Whilst I can understand retailers trying to claw back losses suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic, I hope retailers follow suit and drop their prices too.
It seems to me that consumers are being taken for a ride - well actually not as the fuel is too expensive!!
For about 45 minutes (it is now 0901z) I have been on 10m WSPR TX with the 500mW W5OLF beacon. Just local G4KPX (14km) currently spotting me.
UPDATE 1304z: Still just G4KPX (14km) spotting me. So far, Richard has spotted me 123 times today.
It is now 0857z. I have been on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 TX. No spots on RX or TX.
UPDATE 0941z: Currently RX only. As far as I know the following countries have granted limited access to TX on 8m:
Yesterday, I was spotted by 15 stations on 10m WSPR TX when running 500mW. The Es season really has started.
This is my usual reminder that I have a G3XBM video channel which has more data on many of my projects. Many of these videos are years old, certainly before my 2013 stroke.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/other-amateur-radio/video-channel .
It is the only medieval wonder in England. It truly is a splendid piece of architecture, built way before our times with lots of tools and machines.
Recently, the vehicle shed has been redone. There are plenty of old vehicles in here!
The photo shows me volunteering at the museum cafe yesterday.
For about an hour, I have been on 10m WSPR QRP TX with 500mW from my W5OLF beacon. Already, there have been 9 unique people spotting me. The Es season is underway!
UPDATE 1130z: 12 unique stations have spotted me so far. Definitely mostly, if not all, Es.
Since my 2013 stroke, I have been unable to do much building work. For serious experimenters there is a lot of choice.
These modules could form the heart of many projects and are well worth a look.
My QRP signal has now been copied in 4 countries (UK, Eire, Portugal and Croatia). With the Es season upon us now, I should reach Slovenia OK. If I am copied further, that would be an unexpected bonus.
Earlier today (around 0650z) my 40.680MHz FT8 gear was turned on. This was spotted by EI9KP (649km). It is now on RX only (no spots).
My rig is a widebanded FT817ND and the antenna a low wire dipole.
UPDATE 1232z: S59F (1205km) spotted on 8m FT8 RX. Definitely Es.
UPDATE 1527z: EI9KP has copied me more than once today and at times very strongly Currently QRT (TX cooling!), but will be back on FT8 TX shortly on 40.680 MHz USB dial.
The following rallies have been notified to me. As always, it is worth checking with organisers to ensure that the information is correct and the rallies are taking place.
Sunday May 1st - Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre (not sure of the name). Contact 07956 654481
Monday May 2nd - Dartmoor Radio Rally, Yelverton, Devon. Contact 2E0RPH@gmail.com.
The next milestone will be the swifts arriving. They are usually a common sight and sound by mid-May. Will they be here next month?
There are some swallows around, but I suspect there must be far fewer this year.
See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swallow/ .
Yet again, I am on 10m WSPR TX with the W5OLF beacon. So far just local G4KPX (14km) spotting me.
UPDATE 1033z: Just local spots still. I think even Richard has given up!
My 8m TX experiments are continuing today with FT8 transmissions on 40.680 MHz USB dial regularly.
UPDATE 0903z: Sadly no spots given or received so far. Currently on RX, but expect to be on 8m FT8 TX again at 0930z.
UPDATE 1030z: Still no spots.
UPDATE 1702z: FT8 exchange with 9A2Y (1567km).
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/80m-feter-transceiver .
As my 10m antenna is again available, I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. So far just 1 spot by TA4/G8SCU (3010km).
UPDATE 1617z: Just 3 unique stations spotting me all day. Nothing further than the TA4 above.
At about 0742z, I turned on 8m FT8 TX QRP at 40.680 MHz USB dial.
UPDATE 1035z: No spots so far today. RX only now.
UPDATE 1620z: Despite further TX periods, no spots TX or RX all day.
At 0852z, I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. Nobody has yet spotted me.
UPDATE 1902z: 5 unique stations spotted me today with the furthermost FR1GZ (9724km).
At 0845z, i went on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 TX.
UPDATE 1857z: Disappointing. No spots today on RX or TX.
The door in the top middle led to Oliver Cromwell's HQ at one time.
At the moment (0946z), I am on 10m WSPR TX at 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. 2 unique stations spotting me so far with the furthermost TA4/G8SCU (3010km).
After a period on 8m FT8 TX on 40.680MHz USB dial, I am now on RX. No spots. It is now 0950z.
At the moment I have been spotted in 3 countries despite my QRP and low wire dipole. During the Es season, I hope to increase this. Es openings can be very strong.
UPDATE 2030z: QRT.
The chances (in the UK) of being hit by a direct lightning strike are (thankfully) low, but not nil. Many years ago a work colleague in a very ordinary house was struck and he had a lot of damage.
More common issues are power surges of the mains supply when lightning and thunder are nearby.
Perhaps I am paranoid, but if there is a threat of lightning nearby I unplug PSUs from their sockets and disconnect all antennas. If a power surge is around my gear is not going to experience it!
Unless you have a very good grounding systems, it is very unlikely your gear will survive a direct hit.
Now, I am no expert on lightning protection, so please make your own judgements on this by reading expert opinion. DO NOT rely on me!!
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/other-amateur-radio/lightning-maps .
Starting at 0841z, I was on TX for a period on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8. Now I am RX only. No spots given or received.
UPDATE 2022z: After I got home I went on 8m FT8 TX. My signal was copied in Southern Portugal for my best DX so far at 1808km. This is probably Es. Now QRT.
My gear, the 500mW W5OLF TX beacon, was turned on about 0840z. So far, 3 spots from OE3XOE (1233km).
UPDATE 1737z: 8 unique stations have spotted me today.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/antennas/70cm-4el-yagi .
Lavenham is a village in Suffolk, UK. It was the 14th richest place in England in the late Middle Ages as a result of the wool trade. It has lots of timber framed properties.
As my 10m antenna is available, I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from my W5OLF beacon. So far, just spots from local G4KPX (14km).
UPDATE 1630z: 6 unique stations in 3 continents have spotted me today on 10m WSPR.
UPDATE 2100z: QRT.
My experiments on 8m carry on today. Yesterday EI9KP (649km) spotted me again. Whilst at home I shall go on FT8 TX but when out I shall be monitoring 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 RX.
The 10m antenna is available, as I'm using a different antenna for my 8m experiments. So, I shall be on 10m WSPR TX again using 500mW from the W5OLF beacon.
UPDATE 0755z: TX beacon now turned on. Just the usual locals spots from G4KPX (14km).
UPDATE 1901z: So far today - I may remain on for a short while - 6 stations have spotted my 500mW WSPR with the furthermost PY1EME (9453km).
UPDATE 2028z: QRT.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10m-lesser-chirpy.
Sometimes I wonder if I dreamt something.
Recently I tried to re-find a website I had seen. I Googled it many times using words that I thought would find it. I was unsuccessful, and was beginning to think I had just dreamed it. Then I found it - I had not been dreaming after all.
All this has me wondering: what is reality? Certainly the boundaries between dreams and reality seem less clear.
Later today I expect to continue my 8m experiments. As the TX loses power when warm, I have been on FT8 TX for a period, then RX, then QRT as the rig cools and then back to TX.
Although I miss some of the DX others are seeing, it is interesting to see what a simple QRP station can achieve on 8m. My estimate is that I'm some 10dB at least down on the better stations, which can make a lot of difference on weaker signals.
UPDATE 0753z: After a brief TX period (no spots), I am currently on FT8 RX on 40.680 MHz USB dial (no spots). We are about to go shopping.
Swifts are also meant to be getting rarer, but we seemed to have similar numbers here to previous years. I have yet to see a single swallow here, which is very late. In the past, they were common by now.
My son, who has been wild camping, has seen and heard several cuckoos, but no swallows. Times, they are a changing...
See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swallow/ .
As far as I am aware the following rallies are happening, but it is always worth confirming with the organisers before travelling any distance. All are on Sunday April 24th.
Cambridge repeater Group Rally, Foxton near Cambridge. rally2022@cambridgerepeaters.net
Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association, Norbeck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool. dwilson@btinternet.com
Andover Radio Club Spring Boot Sale Wildhem Villlage Hall (just north of Andover) arac@arac.org.uk .
Now and for the next few days were are experiencing the Lyrid meteor shower. Such showers often give rise to decent pings off the ionised trails, leading to short-lived, but strong, VHF signals. Things are often best in the early morning, but I am no expert.
During the Es season, you should have no trouble at all working stations 1500km away with it. In the past, it has got far further!
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10m-tenner-qrp-cw .
Yet again, I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. It is now 0815z and, so far, just 37 spots from local G4KPX (14km).
UPDATE 2122z: QRT. 5 stations spotted me today.
These swans are very determined.
For about 1 hour I have been on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8. Sadly nobody spotted me. It is 0800z and I am FT8 RX only on 8m. No RX spots.
UPDATE 1205z: EI9KP (649km) has again spotted me.
UPDATE 2120z: QRT. No other spots, but I feel certain that I will reach Slovenia this Es season.
As my 10m antenna is available, I am on 10m QRP WSPR TX with 500mW from my W5OLF beacon. Just local spots so far by G4KPX (14km).
UPDATE 1611z: Just 2 unique stations spotting me today with the furthemost TA4/G8SCU (3010km). I shall stop on for several hours in case things improve.
UPDATE 1800z: QRT.
After a brief FT8 TX period on 40.680 MHz, I am now on RX only as we are going for a walk. I expect to be on FT8 TX later. So far today, no spots.
UPDATE 1606z: Today has been disappointing. I have been on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 TX several time and RX the rest of the time. I am currently on TX. No spots at all on 8m today.
UPDATE 1805z: QRT. Disappointing with no spots given or received all day.
This was me in 2013 testing my 481 THz optical kit in the garden. I don't think the neighbours were looking. 😁
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/optical-nanowaves/over-the-horizon .
This is the biggest amateur gathering in Europe, so I hope it takes place in person this year. No idea of the dates, although I am sure it will be on the internet somewhere.
UPDATE 1600z: Found it! See https://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.de/
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/other-amateur-radio/shack .
The G3XBM Projects Scrapbook creation is underway.
All being well, I hope to have this available as a free PDF by the end of May. There is quite a bit of work, so if it is a bit late do not be too surprised! At least as a free PDF I can add to it or make corrections easily.
I hope to publicise the link widely and hope it gives you some ideas, as that is its aim. It has been lots of fun on my journey.
Many would prefer a printed book, but this would take much longer and there might be some copyright issues. As a free PDF these issues should be avoided.
As I have said many times, my aim was never to make any money from a book, rather to put my ideas and projects in one place for those that want them.
At the moment I am on 10m WSPR TX using 500mW to the W5OLF beacon. Just spots locally from G4KPX (14 km). It is early!!
UPDATE 0745z: Still just G4KPX (14km) spotting me.
My gear was turned on at 0530z. At the moment I am on 8m FT8 TX at 1W. Being on lower power which seems fine for Es, I hope to be on TX longer. My frequency is still 40.680 MHz USB dial.
UPDATE 0805z: For the first hour I was on 1W FT8 TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial. Sadly nobody spotted me. The power still dropped over time. At the moment I am RX only, but intend to be on full power FT8 TX later.
UPDATE 1337z: Now on full power (for me - whatever the FT817ND manages on 8m!!) FT8 TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial.
UPDATE 1505z: Only one local spot of me today by G0LRD (26km). Disappointing so far.
UPDATE 2000z: RX only now. After my success being copied by EI9KP (649km) on 8m FT8 with just QRP and a low wire dipole yesterday, today was disappointing with just one local spot. As EI9KP copied me strongly, I am pretty sure reports will be exchanged with Borat soon. It is unlikely I shall get outside Europe with my low power and antenna (just a low wire dipole), but I am getting excited about getting 8m FT8 reports via Es soon. I may use WSPR on occasions. Unless told otherwise, I propose to use 40.680 MHz USB dial for FT8 and WSPR and will use the FIRST period to TX on FT8. I know exchanging reports with G3XBM on 8m is not like working ZS stations, but each one will give me great pleasure. FT8 exchanges are totally within my licence terms as long as you can TX legally on 8m. There is nothing at all stopping SWLs without 8m TX permits spotting me. After all, we are exchanging reports and locations, which is all I need to know. My "experiment" is seeing how well QRP and simple low wire dipoles work at 8m.
In case of ANY doubts I give my express permission for ANYONE to give me reports by any means e.g. PSKreporter, WSPRnet or email.
It is often interesting to see how others receive you in their part of the world. Also, on the other side of the world, the bands can sound quite different. These days, we can take a peek by listening to various web SDRs.
Also, when local noise levels are very high, it allows us to hear the distant station without the QRN.
Recently, there is a new one in Iceland.
See http://bjarg.utvarp.com/ .
See also http://websdr.org/ for a list.
I was amused some years ago by a photo that our son took when he was performing jazz in the Shard. He sent us a view from sitting on the toilet in the Shard!! Luckily, we only saw the view at night out if the window!
Yet again, I am on 10m WSPR TX with my W5OLF beacon. Several spots by local G4KPX (14km) who I think must have been away over Easter. As yet, no DX. I think Richard goes on 10m WSPR briefly then chooses another band or goes QRT.
After a brief FT8 TX period on 40.680 MHz USB dial (no spots of me) I am again RX only, but will go on TX if there is any sign of Es. On RX, nobody has been spotted so far. I need a decent Es opening!
UPDATE 1415z: My 8m power goes down with time, so I TX for a period, RX FT8 for a period, turn everything off, TX for a period, then RX again. So far today, no spots on RX or TX on 8m. Currently on 40.680 MHz FT8 TX.
UPDATE 1658z: DX at last!! EI9KP (649km) has spotted me strongly on FT8. This is the first time I have been received beyond the local area. I think this was Es. At -5dB on FT8, this is encouraging.
UPDATE 1827z: QRT.
Every few weeks I take a peek at the narrowband transponder of this geosynchronous satellite. This is Easter weekend so a few people may be away with parents etc. This could reduce activity, although with more people on leave I would have expected this to have little overall effect.
With the W5OLF 500mW beacon, I am on 10m WSPR TX. So far today, no spots of me.
UPDATE 1433z: It look like the Es season has definitely arrived with 11 unique stations spotting me, mostly in central Europe.
After a brief period on FT8 TX (1 local spot), I am on FT8 RX now.
UPDATE 1427z: It looks like the Es season has started with strong reception earlier of Borat S50B on 8m FT8. G9PUV was also copied earlier.
UPDATE 1713z: It seems only a matter of time now in the Es season that I exchange reports with S50B.
Once again, I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from my W5OLF beacon. It has been on from about 0900z. So far, just local spots by G4KPX (14km).
Yesterday, I carried out some 8m WSPR TX tests. All were unsuccessful with no sign whatsoever of anyone copying me. I was hoping that somebody would detect something. Alas....
At about 0900z, I went again on 40.680 MHz FT8 TX. Just local spots again. On RX in the last few weeks I have spotted 4 stations.
With my results, with QRP and a low dipole, I think I shall concentrate on 8m FT8 RX until the Es season really gets going. I think with Es I should have some success on TX.
UPDATE 1533z: I tried some WSPR TX tests this afternoon on 8m. Again, no success.
UPDATE 1625z: Another test on 40.680 MHz WSPR at 1600z was also unsuccessful.
At 1500z I shall be doing a WSPR test transmission on 40.680 MHz USB dial. This is NOT the usual 8m WSPR frequency.
UPDATE 1535z : Sadly nobody spotted the WSPR TX test.
I am on 10m WSPR with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon.
UPDATE 1042z: So far today, 2 unique stations have spotted me with the furthermost TA4/G8SCU (3010km).
After a brief TX period on FT8 (one local FT8 spot) and then Q65, I am now on FT8 RX only.
UPDATE 1044z: Nobody spotted on 8m FT8 RX.
If you want an FT8 10m RX, you may want to take a look at my 10FT8R receiver. This is very effective and does not miss much.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .
At the moment I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. So far just G4KPX (14km) spotting me (44 spots by 0940z).
UPDATE 2020z: QRT.
Stations spotting me today
