2013 optical tests over the horizon

Before my 2013 stroke I enjoyed 481THz optical tests over the horizon. What surprised me at first was that, even when absolutely nothing was visible in the sky, clear signals could be decoded on a PC as long as the aim was correct. My tripod and aiming left a lot to be desired!  If I was fit enough to repeat these tests I think a much better tripod would be called for allowing better repeatability.

PC operating systems

The world of home computing is dominated by MS Windows and Apple Mac (to a lesser extent), whereas I understand Linux is used by the most powerful computers in the world.  

I mostly use a Chromebook that runs Chrome OS (using it now) and am so pleased with this OS.  It is fast and does almost everything I do. They also tend to be less expensive. The Chromebook has been used for years now.

A friend of mine did an external drive with a version of Linux, but I have resisted changing my Windows PC to Linux, for now at least.

I am  definitely not a PC expert, so tend to remain with what I know!

10m 2.5W FT8 (Friday)

 Today I am on 10m 2.5W FT8. Apart from a very brief period on TX (1 local spot) I am RX only.

UPDATE  1106z:  Just 4 spots so far with the best A71MM (5184km) in Qatar. Disappointing so far. I must check that nothing is wrong.

UPDATE 1143z:  Plugging the antenna into the IC-705  revealed lots of stations, I plugged the antenna back into the QDX-M and immediately spotted 67 stations!  I wonder if the coax plug is intermittent?

UPDATE 1337z:  Re-soldered the plug and again lots of stations copied on the IC-705 but remarkably few on the QDX-M, which is very odd. Looks like there is something amiss with the QDX-M. It also seems to be running somewhat warm, which I would not have expected RX only on the QDX-M. Has anyone seen anything similar?

Sunspots - Friday March 13th

 Solar flux is 121 and the SSN 116. A=8 and K=4.

RX mostly

Maybe it is as a result of having got 10m QRP SSB way back, that I seem to get as much pleasure from RX nowadays as TX.  I know everyone is different and this is a good thing. 

70cm FT8 (Thursday)

It never fails to amaze me how good 70cm FT8 is. Last evening was the 70cm activity contest. After having a couple of contacts (10W to a 144MHz big-wheel omni antenna) I was RX only .  

It never fails to amaze me how far away some stations were. Even my low ERP was spotted at 327km!! The map shows the stations spotted here.

10m 2.5W FT8 (Thursday)

I am on 10m 2.5W FT8 although I shall probably be mainly on RX.

UPDATE  1623z:  645 stations spotted as far as Japan and South Africa.

Questions

For years the Iranians have been considered the pariah state of the Middle East. 

I am not naturally a politician, but I have severe doubts that the USA and Israel will do any good and it looks like they are doing real harm. 

There are other examples of asymmetric wars such as Russia and Ukraine. This one has lasted 4 years already.

President Trump is saying the war will soon be over yet Iran still has loads of fast small gunboats which could cause havoc in the region to say nothing of the hacking harm they could do across the planet. My own view is the USA is entering its biggest crisis in nearly 100 years.

Sunspots - Thursday March 12th

 Solar flux is 123 and the SSN 120. A=9 and K=2.

Archetypal Cambridge

The photo is archetypal Cambridge with bikes and posters. It shows the university church Great St Mary’s, which is about 200m from King’s College Chapel. The Senate House, where many degrees are given out, is behind.

10m 200mW WSPR (Wednesday)

 My beacon was turned on at about 0615z.

UPDATE 1622z:  7 stations have spotted me with (yet again) spots by DP0GVN (13685km) down in Antarctica. See table.

Special Lunch

On Monday our son had a special birthday so we treated him to a nice lunch in Cambridge.

RGO-One QRP HF transceiver

This was found on the internet the other day. 

It looks a very handsome rig, although I do not think it was ever mass produced. 

I have never seen it for sale.

Sunspots - Wednesday March 11th

Solar flux is 127 and the SSN 71. A=14 and K=3.

The windmill next door

This is the windmill right next door with the sails turning this morning. This was taken from the lounge window. They only have the sails turning occasionally. 

Electric cars - are we still waiting for a breakthrough?

It seems to me that we are still waiting for that breakthrough moment similar to that which moved us all from CRTs to LED displays or moved cameras to digital. 

In the case of cars it would be range and cost. Almost exclusively electric cars need batteries with lithium and have limited range. Imagine if we could charge at home infrequently and have huge ranges at a price people could afford.

There has been a lot of excitement about Donut batteries who claim to have produced a solid-state battery with some remarkable figures. If true, this could be the start of a revolution. I believe the Chinese company BYD has also released an electric car that does not use lithium batteries.

If we really could buy cars that no longer need petrol or diesel with similar ranges we would be free of the stranglehold of the oil market. 

It is coming, but just how soon?

10m 200mW WSPR (Tuesday)

My beacon was turned on at about 0815z.

UPDATE 1905z:   Spotted by 18 stations. See table.

UPDATE 2150z:   In the end my tiny beacon was spotted by 22 stations. QRT.

Kings College Chapel, Cambridge, UK

 

This was King's College Chapel in the afternoon sunshine yesterday.

It was nice to see visitors enjoying themselves.

King's Parade is a popular part of the city.

Sunspots - Tuesday March 10th

 Solar flux is 128 and the SSN 72. A=7 and K=2.

Google Nonsense?

Every day, I get a report about visits to this blog. 

In my view, they are total rubbish. Already today, I am supposed to have had more than ten times the number of visits I used to see in a whole day! 

I have no idea how this is obtained, but it feels wrong. Flattering if true, but highly unlikely!