You want cheering up?

 

This was found earlier. After all this dull and wet weather in the UK we need cheering up!!

10m 200mW WSPR TX (Monday)

My beacon was turned on just before breakfast.

UPDATE 1634z:  44 stations have spotted me including North and South America.

UPDATE 1845z:   55 stations have spotted me.

Sunspots - Monday February 2nd

 Solar flux is 162 and the SSN 97. A=4 and K=2.

AI historical reconstructions

 AI sometimes gets a bad press.  

In the case of historical reconstruction videos some are very good. Occasionally the AI get things very wrong e.g. the reconstruction showing Edinburgh in the 1880s with British Railways engines post 1948!

On the whole I am very impressed.

6m 5W FT8 (Sunday)

 My gear was turned on late morning.

UPDATE  1616z:  Spotted by 24 stations  See map.

10m 200mW WSPR (Sunday)

 My beacon was turned on around breakfast.

UPDATE 2021z:  Spotted by 48 stations including quite a few in the USA. See map by Phil VK7JJ.

6m FT8 yesterday

Yesterday was quite a good day with spots by 49 stations across Europe spotting my 5W to the omni vertical. See map.

Sunspots - Sunday February 1st

 Solar flux is 141 and the SSN 126. A=5 and K=1.

The future of our hobby

For a long time I have expressed my concerns for the future of amateur radio. 

The things that appealed to us years ago no longer appear as the magic they did to us long ago. 

Various suggestions have been made to correct this and get more people into the hobby and retain these. It is very hard to generalise and in some places the hobby is growing. 

It was interesting to read on Amateur Radio Weekly one person's "take" on this.

See https://ke9v.net/2026/01/24/your-fault.html

In my view, despite everything, I expect amateur radio  to be very different in less than 20 years.

6m 5W FT8 (Saturday)

 My IC-705 at 5W to the V2000 omni was turned on late morning.

UPDATE 1525z:  spotted by 11 stations with the best OE6JCG (1256km).