Sunspots- Sunday October 20th

 Solar flux is 162 and the SSN 101. A=23 and K=1.

QDX and QMX+ issues

 With the "other" Windows 10 PC, everything seems to work on RX, but even though the QDX goes to TX there is no RF being sent. Also, I get a "rig control error" going to TX even though the CAT works and it is "seeing" the QDX. As far as I can see, everything is correctly set and I tried a power cycle on the QDX before starting the PC.  It should not be this hard.

Going back to the SignaLink USB and FT817ND I get no issues at all with the "old" PC. For now, I give up.

8m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

 My 2.5W 8m FT8 is on again. No spots, although I see far more stations are now monitoring the band.

UPDATE 1513z:  G4FKI (60km) and IZ1DYE (973km) spotted on 8m FT8 RX although nobody has spotted my 2.5W yet. The map shows the stations monitoring 8m FT8.

UPDATE 1609z: PJ4MM (7483km) spotted on 8m FT8 RX.

Detecting life in outer space - NOT amateur radio

As far as I know SETI, the search for intelligent life in outer space, has been going for about 60 years without success. 

According to a link in Amateur Radio Weekly there may be another technique. If we find intelligent life "out there" it could/should have a profound effect on life on Earth. 

Excuse the journalism in the link!

AI - NOT amateur radio

This morning I had an email inviting me to try Google’s new AI tool called Gemini. 

It makes some mistakes, but in the main it produces amazing text and images based on the information available in seconds.

In coming years it is likely to get even better. Used for good, it a powerful tool. In the wrong hands it could be very dangerous.

Peak of solar cycle 25

It looks like we are at the peak of this cycle. We have well exceeded the peak expected.

10m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

RX on 10m
FT8 to 0940z

Don't ask me why but WSPR-X works with my older Windows 10 PC, SignaLink USB and the FT817ND. I have yet to try with the QDX.  

Stations all over the planet are being received and (so far) I have been widely spotted with 2.5W FT8 all over Europe. See map showing the stations spotted by 0940z on 10m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1015z: First DX spot of me today by PU4TNT (9086km).

UPDATE 1135z:  77 stations have spotted me today with 2.5W 10m FT8.

Stations spotting me today
on 10m FT8 with 2.5W

10m 500mW WSPR (Saturday)

Shortly, I hope to go on 10m WSPR with my stand-alone QRP 10m WSPR beacon. I cannot try FT8 again until I sort out my PC. Maybe I should try downloading JTDX and see if that works? 

UPDATE 0947z:   I went on briefly.  No spots.

It’s coming - NOT amateur radio

At the moment most leaves are still on the trees, but they are starting to fall. 

The garden looks far more autumnal with it looking “soggy “.

What’s this?

Whilst rummaging through drawers in my shack trying to find a power supply for an unused PC, I came across this TX. I have no recollection of making it, but it looks like an OXO QRP CW transmitter. It must date from the 1990s or early 2000s.