10m FT8 is becoming very popular and this receiver allows 10m FT8 reception without tying up the main rig. It is simple, very low cost and works really well.
I could probably convert it into a full FT8 transceiver!
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .
At various times of the solar cycle our largest HF allocation enjoys most propagation modes. At all parts of the solar cycle it experiences Es openings in spring and summer. It is often open when people desert it. This is where FT8 could prove useful in the quieter years.
It is also good for local chats. At one time modified CB rigs were very popular. With these and a CB vertical ranges of about 30km locally were common.
At the moment, it is a great DX band. It is usually better in the daytime, although when it is really good, it is often open for DX in the evenings.
It is wide enough for all modes. Even digital TV has been tried above 29 MHz.
It remains my favourite HF band.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/10m-operation .
In general, the whole preparation for the coronation feels very low key. I am old enough to remember the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II!! I guess we were still getting over WW2 and this was a bit of light relief.
I remember going to watch the coronation on a neighbour's tiny TV screen in black and white. We did not have a TV until 1957 and that was just one channel and back and white. At the time we thought it was amazing. Before then, we used to watch a snowy TV picture whilst sitting on the floor a a local radio/TV shop. At that time we were about 150km from the nearest TV transmitter.
Quite a good multi-band antenna is the end-fed via a 9:1 balun. At the end of the wire it presents a high impedance and the 9:1 balun drops the impedance to a low SWR, certainly less than 3:1 that can be tuned via the auto-ATU in many modern rigs. On many radios an ATU will not be needed at all. With QRP, RF on the coax is not usually an issue. With high power, more care or a counterpoise may be needed.
At the moment I am using an end-fed antenna. I have not found a counterpoise necessary.
Commercial versions are available (e.g. from Moonraker), although many make their own.
Thus comes to me as an email on Saturdays. It is a precis of amateur radio news and very good it is. There are links to the originating articles.
See https://hamweekly.com/ .
This next week, I hope to restart my QRP tests on 40.680 MHz FT8. I have been off for a few weeks.
The Es season is just getting under way. This season, I may try WSPR sometime probably in the WSPR window at 40.680 MHz (DF 1400-1600 Hz).
It would be good if lots of countries came on 8m FT8 or WSPR this season, ideally TX, but RX if nothing else.
I am convinced that just 10mW ERP WSPR will be copied across Europe on 8m at times. In the UK anybody would be able to TX 10mW ERP WSPR in the 8m ISM band without a licence as long as the technical requirements and IR2030 are met. This is not the Amateur Radio Service. It is an experiment under ISM rules.
Just would like to put on record how amazing the tiny 20-10m QDX digital transceiver is from QRP Labs.
It works extremely well on TX and, as I have found out in the last day, works extremely well on RX down to at least 40m. It will probably go even lower!
If you have no other rig, this tiny transceiver is a real winner. It can be used with WSJT-X on all modes I think. So far, I have used FT8 and WSPR. It is nominally a 5W rig, but my QRP signal is daily copied all over the world.
It is incredible how something this tiny works so very well.
It is intriguing to see how low I can RX on my tiny 20-10m QDX transceiver. At the moment I am on 40m FT8 RX with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground, which seems to work better at 40m than my end-fed 10m antenna. It would probably work on TX too but the low pass filter is probably ineffective.
Nothing has appeared on PSKreporter, although I can see many stations locally on my screen. Perhaps there is a delay or a reset is needed?
UPDATE 1310z: WSJT-X reset. Still no PSKreporter spots on 40m FT8 RX. Just looked on the "all bands" view and I can see my 40m RX spots - odd.
Just a reminder that OFCOM updates the information it holds every week. There is also a list of its publications. See the OFCOM website.
This is mid-May in Ohio USA. It is one of the biggest amateur radio gatherings in the world. It is often the place where major manufacturers announce new products, even if they are still some way off. I have never been. Let's hope Yaesu do not miss the boat again, or I fear curtains.
See https://hamvention.org/ .
Some weeks ago, these were my aims. Some have been achieved.
Done
Since 0915z, I have been on 10m QRP FT8 with the QDX transceiver. Poor conditions? At 0928z, just 2 stations spotted and just one local has spotted me so far.
UPDATE 1208z: 15 stations have spotted my 10m QRP FT8 today.
Solar flux is 150 and the SSN 136. A=21 and K=3. Conditions seem poor.
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| Stations spotting my QRP FT8 on 15m today |
I believe they bask in the sun, but they cannot be that common. They are most often seen on heathlands and woodlands. They are the only venomous snake in the UK. They are also known as vipers. Their venom is rarely harmful to humans although medical treatment is advised. The photo is attributed to Benny Trapp on Wikipedia.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipera_berus .
See https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/reptiles/adder .
The following has been notified to me. As this is an automatic email, it is advisable to check it is on and the information is correct.
Sunday April 30th - Ripon Radio Rally, Ripon, HG4 2PT. Contact https://www.g4sjm.co.uk/contact-us .
On Saturday week, our new King Charles III is crowned. At the moment things feel very muted. For example, John Lewis in Cambridge, a major department store nationally, has nothing for the coronation, that I could see, on display. I guess they are worried about excess stock on their hands in hard times. This small display was at the back of a pub in Ely yesterday.
Personally, I think (just) I am in favour of a symbolic monarchy as long as it is considerably slimmed down.
The Cambridge club (CDARC) is launching a scheme like a mini WAB scheme called "Worked all Cambridge (or is it Cambridgeshire?)". The object is to work stations in all the Ordnance Survey 10km squares in the county. For example, I am in TL56 square. I think it runs for a year, but as I do not have details yet, I have no idea how many squares there are. I can imagine some in the Fens are quite hard. What a fun scheme for a club.
Shortly, I intend to try 10m QRP FT8 with the tiny QDX transceiver.
UPDATE 1110z: 80 reports of my QRP 10m FT8 TX. Now RX only. Panic at first when my SWR bridge showed no power and a high SWR. It turned out it was the lead to the SWR bridge, not the QDX! Stations across the planet spotted on 10m FT8 RX.
UPDATE 1248z: 220 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX.
UPDATE 1319z: Briefly on 10m QRP FT8 TX with 13 stations spotting me in the last.15 minutes. Now back on 10m FT8 RX only with 261 stations spotted so far today.
UPDATE 1544z: 376 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX. 106 stations have spotted my QRP 10m FT8 today. I am operating as a beacon and not really after QSOs.
Correspondence with OFCOM in the UK has convinced me that anyone may TX with a WSPR, FT8 or QRSS beacon in the ISM segment of 40.66 - 40.70 MHz without the need for any licence as long as the technical requirements and IR2030 are met. In the UK this means 10mW ERP.
This is NOT the Amateur Radio Service.
Today, on 10m WSPR many stations (with a quiet noise floor) would have copied me with 5mW ERP, so I am convinced that at 8m, such signals could be widely copied. In Australia we know that 5mW of 8m WSPR has spanned 5000km.
What I am advocating is stations check the ISM rules in their country and set up a network of 8m WSPR beacons. If possible, randomise frequencies to avoid interference and stick within the WSPR window 40.680 MHz + DF 1400-1600 Hz. This will give us all maximum chances of being copied on 8m.
In the UK, callsigns for ISM beacons are optional, but I suggest something that WSPRnet can report and QTH locators are essential. This is an experiment and the more people taking part the better.
Judging by the results on 10m WSPR, the Es season has arrived. I must give 8m another go and 4m. As the season gets underway we can expect widespread openings from the UK to Europe and similar distances in North America. On 8m, the main issue will be too few people monitoring.
You can just browse it, download the lot or just the bits that take your fancy. As I always say, I am sure my projects may be improved, so treat these as starting points.
At some point, I must update it as there have been a few changes of late.
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| Behind King's Cambridge |
Just before breakfast, I turned on my 500mW W5OLF 10m WSPR beacon. At 0836z, no spots received.
Just to remind you that I have a main website and video channel that have more information about my projects. As I always advise, treat my projects as starting points. You can probably improve most of the things I have done!
For most "one off" projects, my own view is a PCB is a waste of time. Me Pads and Me Squares or similar can make very neat solutions.
You can also find a link to the free PDF G3XBM Project Scrapbook there as well.
Overall, have fun.
As someone once said, "the journey is better than the destination". This reminds me of our younger son as a child. He always wanted to get to wherever we were going, but as soon as he got there he wanted to come home!
See www.g3xbm.co.uk .
My 10m 500mW beacon was turned at about 1330z. Time was set using an atomic sync'ed clock.
UPDATE 1403z: No spots.
UPDATE 1438z: Just local G4KPX (14km) has spotted me.
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| Spots on my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon today |
This was going to be last night, but I was too exhausted. Maybe this evening?
6m is sometimes called "the magic band" as it can open when least expected to incredible distances. In early July I have often copied Japan on 6m. This is a very long way for a VHF band. There have been some even further distances covered. With the Es season a few watts (or less) can work DX to at least 1500km.
My 481 THz test software and lead are my priority. When I did the optical tests way back more than 10 years ago PCs had separate mic and headphone jacks. All my PCs now have combined jacks!
So, I have to interface my optical RX and the PC in a new way. With soldering skills very hard these days, this requires some thought. Years ago I would just have bought a new jack socket (with mic input) and just changed the plug! I think years ago I just used a lead with standard 3.5mm plugs at each end.
I may put the 10m WSPR beacon on too.
UPDATE 1038z: 10m WSPR beacon is ON and my audio setup (interface from 481 THz RX to the PC) is working with Spectran. At G1KQH's suggestion I used a USB sound card I already had and it worked first time. Thanks for the suggestion Steve.
UPDATE 1144z: No 10m WSPR spots of my 500mW beacon. I suspect things are very disturbed. I checked all was well on another RX.
Solar flux is 135 and the SSN 86. A=66 and K=3. Things seem pretty disturbed.
See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/robin/ .
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| QRP 10m FT8 spots of me today |
Endings do not work for me. When things end, I can find things hard. As I get older, and friends around me die, it is sometimes harder to make sense of things. Many years ago some things were very important to me whereas now they are less so. Impulses that were strong long ago are less so now.
As I have said many times, most religions seem to be too Earth-centred for me. I still think it must be great to have a strong faith, but I cannot be true to myself. As a youth I tried to be "saved", but never was.
My philosophy has been to be as honest and open as I can be and kind to others. I am not perfect, but I know this.
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| 80m FT8 spots of my QRP using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground |
Later, I may try calling into the CDARC (Cambridge) 80m net.
UPDATE 1000z: I tried to go on the CDARC 80m net, but heard nobody. Noise level was S9, so I QSYed to 10m FT8 instead on the FT-710 at QRP level. Plenty of spots on TX and RX.
Last evening and overnight I was on 160m QRP FT8 using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. Even my XYL cannot see it!
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| 6 hours 160m FT8 TX at 3W using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground |
For about 2.5 years I have owned and used a Chromebook rather than a Windows PC. When I first got it, I wondered whether I had made the right decision. It uses Chrome OS rather than Windows 10 or 11.
It was the right decision, definitely.
It starts very fast, does updates painlessly in the background, and does everything I need for my lounge PC. I have not found anything I want to do with it that I cannot do. Also, it was far less expensive than a Windows PC and came with a 3 year "at home" warranty. It is pretty rugged too. It runs Linux apps too, although I have never needed to. It can also be used as a touch screen tablet.
I have been extremely pleased with it. Next year I shall probably buy another one!
Just might try 80m FT8 TX this evening after dark when 10m is no good. It means matching the FT-710 to the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground and setting WSJT-X for use with the FT-710. For the last few days I have been using the QDX.
UPDATE 1606z: As 10m does not exactly look great, I might swap to 80m FT8 quite soon.
In the UK, we call soccer "football". I am definitely an armchair fan! The last time I went to a match in person was 3 years ago with my son and grandson at Cambridge United. Watching on the TV is not the same, but some matches are very expensive.
Today, I have split loyalties: Plymouth Argyle used to be my local team. If they win today they have a better chance of promotion to the next league up. Cambridge United are struggling at the bottom of the table and face relegation. Last time I looked, Plymouth were 3:1 up.
Wrexham Town, who are a non-league team, could be promoted into the Football League if they win tonight.
UPDATE 1600z: Plymouth Argyle won 3:1.
My plans for next week are currently as follows:
On the trees, the leaves are a fresh green, whereas later they look tired. Blossom is ephemeral. In a few days it will be gone until next spring and so the cycle goes on.
The photo shows spring in our garden.
My tiny QRP QDX transceiver was turned on at 0830z. So far, just a local spotting me. On RX, I suspect a pirate as the only station spotted so far is in South America where it is still dark and the time is all wrong.
In the last day, 222 stations have spotted my 10m FT8 QRP from all over the world.
UPDATE 0841z: A few more stations coming through on RX.
UPDATE 1000z: Sorry, the South American was last night, not this morning as I was looking at the last 12 hours, so was probably genuine. So far this morning, 10 stations have spotted my QRP 10m FT8.
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| Stations spotting my 10m FT8 QRP today |
It would be good to do some more experiments in the future, if my health allows.
The whole painting reminds me of Bosch. It was whitewashed out by the "thought police" and rediscovered in the 1800s. Attached is a small part of the painting in detail.
The following have been notified to me. It is advisable to check first for accuracy before going far.
Saturday April 22nd - Moray Firth ARS (no location or postcode given). Contact mfars.secretary@gmail.com .
Sunday April 23rd - North ARS Blackpool, FY2 9AA. Contact dwilson@btinternet.com .
Just a reminder that OFCOM updates its data every week. See the OFCOM website for details.
Certainly here in the UK and probably many (or all?) countries people seem to have licence free access to the 40.66-40.70 MHz ISM band as long as any national conditions are met. In the UK this means 10mW ERP maximum and full compliance with IR2030. Interference must be accepted and not caused. We know from Australia that 5mW 8m WSPR has been received at 5000km, so much of Europe could be spanned on 8m WSPR by anyone.
This is NOT the Amateur Radio Service!
This probably means any ISM band may be used licence free as long as national law is followed, although I have not asked OFCOM specifically about other ISM bands. Remember OFCOM only covers the UK. You have to either be sure of the legality in your country or seek legal advice if you are unsure.
My tiny QDX was turned on just before 0700z and already at 0721z 12 stations have spotted me.
UPDATE 0905z: 35 stations have spotted me with the furthermost 5Z4VJ (6858km) in Kenya and 53 stations spotted here.
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| Stations spotting my 10m FT8 QRP today |
Later, I hope to be on 10m QRP FT8 with the tiny QDX transceiver.
Last night I wanted to try my FT-710 in the UKAC on 4m, but totally forgot!!
As an experiment just now I asked Chat GPT4 about my son, who is a professional jazz pianist. I tried about 7 times. The answers were all correct in parts, but every one was totally wrong on when and where he was born and many other details.
My worry is people will believe that AI always is factually correct, when it isn't.
Yes, I am sure a great deal of good can come from AI, but also it could result in a lot of incorrect data being assumed as correct.
At the moment, Chat GPT4 gets about 3/10 from me and "must try harder".
Artificial intelligence (AI) is coming, but it still has some way to go. I wonder what AI will be capable of in 10 or 20 years' time.
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| Stations spotting my 10m QRP FT8 late today |
Every day I get "The Knowledge " by email. It is a few minutes read summary of the news from various sources. It is free and produced by the makers of "The Week". As far as I can tell it is neutral, neither left or right politically. I find it excellent, especially if you have not too much time.
Today there was a piece about AI. Be afraid, be very afraid.
