Ten-Tec and Alpha Amplifiers merge (RF Concepts)

Apparently Alpha Amplifiers and Ten-Tec have merged creating a multi-million-dollar company with products that span QRP transceivers to full-legal-limit amplifiers.

Alpha Amplifiers has been building amplifiers since the early 1970s. Alpha Amplifiers are considered "the finest line of linear amplifiers in the world" (their words). Ten-Tec started in 1968 and mainly design and make transceivers. Both are world famous.

Sounds to me like the merger was needed to keep both companies afloat? Of course I may be totally wrong and both companies may be financially secure.

But, times are hard for manufacturers in the amateur radio world. This will become even more critical when the Chinese start really addressing the amateur market. Up to now, the Chinese have been "playing around in the wings".

QRP rigs

See http://www.vanyi.net/homemade/homebrew-hf-ssb-transceivers/ .

This page has a nice collection of links to a range of (mainly) homebrew QRP transceivers for various bands. Well worth a visit and good browse.

Amateur balloons

This is a branch of amateur radio with a very dedicated following. Amateurs launch small balloons with lightweight payloads which are tracked with telemetry on the 70cm band.  Some fall back to earth quickly, whereas others manage to cover vast distances.  Some payloads include small cameras.

See the Southgate News Page and
http://www.kf4l.org/pigs/qrp_radio_and_balloon_held_hosta.html  and
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/students-space-probe-snaps-isle-of-wight-from-above-57443.asp

Recovery is by no means assured so ballooners have to be prepared to lose the lightweight payloads, so they tend to be low in cost as well as light in weight. It has become a sub-set of the hobby with very keen people making some quite amazing payloads. Another group enjoy tracking the ballonns.

Recently, a balloon went all the way from the UK to Japan.

Chinese transceivers - a wake-up call?

The English manual for the  KN-Q10 QRP radio kit from China is now available. See http://www.qsl.net/bd6cr/knq10manual.pdf .

It seems like more and more of these kits/rigs are starting to appear from China at very competitive prices. Most seem (to my eyes) to be immature (amateur looking) designs and it could be a few years yet before we see real competition to the likes of Yaesu and Icom. Up to now these Chinese radios look like "back shed" designs unlike the mature, professional jobs from Japan.

But mature Chinese designs are coming!  Be in no doubt.  When it happens big-time it will be a bombshell to the Japanese manufacturers: expect real price competition, leading to offshore, lower cost, assembly by Yaesu and Icom. Expect to see the FT817 back at £350 (or less) next year or the year after.

[Incidentally, every blog and Facebook entry seems to need at least one correction. I am assuming this is not my keyboard but because of my stroke. I am not a good typist and have to look at the keyboard, more so now than I recall in the past. I keep putting the letter "i" where it should be "u" and missing out the odd letter. I also seem to have lots of "n" letters where they should not be. My apologies if you see errors.]

Back on the air (10m and 2m)

10m WSPR (so far this morning) is just EU stations via Es. My only report, so far, is from SM6WZI  (1007km) who has spotted my 2W several times. I have spotted, several more stations too.

On 2m, GB3NGI (N.Ireland beacon) is currently just above the noise keying away at around 530km by tropo.

UPDATE 0924z:   4X1RF has just spotted me on 10m WSPR. Sunspot count 161 (good) but 20-30MHz conditions described only as "fair".

UPDATE 1105z:  4X1RF has spotted me 8 times so far today. Still no DX from further east though (well not here).

UPDATE 1150z: CX2ABP (11127km)  just spotted. 10m opening to South America.

UPDATE 1450z:  CX2ABP spotted 5 times now. Opening to South America looks reasonable this afternoon. But no South American has spotted me yet today.

UPDATE 1712z:  CX2ABP (5W) has been spotted by me several times today, but I guess my lower power (2W ish) is enough to put my signal in "the crud" of Monte Video as he has not spotted me once yet. Maybe later? Also, no other South Americans seen here.

UPDATE 1815z:  CX2ABP has spotted my 2W for the first time today at 1812z. It was a long time coming! Reports differed by around 3dB which is right for the power difference.

UPDATE 2030z  :  I4ZTO spotted me. Es propagation must be responsible for this strong (-7dB S/N) spot of my 2W at 2018z.

Non-radio day

For the first time since my stroke last September I ventured out of the county (Newmarket and Bury-St-Edmunds, Suffolk excepted), with my wife, to visit my son and family who live near Canterbury, Kent.

So today was a non-radio day:  no WSPR,  no 2m or 70cm beacon monitoring, no 472kHz. Yesterday the antennas were taking quite a battering from the wind.  I shall be on-air again Monday AM.

With the grandchildren in Kent today

As I cannot drive (currently, as a result of the stroke) we did a day return by train. It was seamless and travel in both directions was fast. We had from 12-4pm with our son and family and about the same time in travel on fast trains, especially in Kent.  It was a lovely day out.

Now we have done it once we may well do it again. Being a Sunday, parking at Cambridge station was easy and cheap. Our son picked us up at Canterbury West station. There were no delays because of engineering works.

Booking in advance, via http://www.thetrainline.com/, and using our Seniour Railcards, the fares were reasonable too.

10m - closing down

After a distinctly average day (so far at least) I am closing the 10m station down shorty. A brief opening to South America (PY2RN, Brazil) was the only highlight.  Others included 4X1RF and 4X1DA, Europeans on Es and local Gs.

On 2m the GB3NGI Northern Ireland beacon was present before lunch but was inaudible this evening in wet and windy conditions. I think this beacon is marginal: sometimes it is above the noise and other times just below.

What does my stroke feel like - inside?

People who see me say, "you do look well" and similar.  I have then to explain how I feel on the inside.

Outwardly I do look pretty good: I have put back lost weight, got colour back in my cheeks and am looking more and more like my "old" self.  Inside it is (still) a very different story. The best way to describe how I feel is by saying I feel wobbly all the time when walking - like I have had 8 pints of beer -  always giddy and unsteady when on the move. Any physical exertion, like a tiny bit of gardening, leaves me shattered and in need of a sit-down and rest. I also feel near constant, low level, nausea in my stomach and gut.

Overall, I am making progress but this is too slow: I desperately want to be "normal" again . At present, it seems 3 steps forwards and 2 backwards. I should be off the stomach (via peg) liquid feed by June/July and already the amount through the peg is vastly reduced compared with when I first came out of hospital. I think my giddiness and sickness/nausea are slowly improving. I am eating more by mouth.

So, I may look OK but inside I still feel rough at the moment. Normality is a way off yet still, sadly. Thankfully I sleep very well: when I drop off it is (usually) a long and good quality sleep. Sleep is the only time in the day I feel properly OK. The rest of the time is still a struggle.

Amateur radio remains a Godsend. I tend to use WSPR as I don't have to speak and can monitor progress from the lounge if I want. I am also enjoying beacon hunting on 2m and 70cm with the new small beam. Using SSB in the 2m UKAC last Tuesday evening was a struggle, as is speaking on the local Monday 2m FM net. My voice is still poor and I get breathless. I have appreciated visits from friends and the help of Andrew G6ALB with antennas.

The days are long and I miss not driving currently. With hard work, things will get back to normal again. I have no limb paralysis, hearing and sight are fine, my intellect is intact, so really I have a lot to be grateful for compared with many. The fact I have a good prospect of a full recovery keeps me going.

10m- only average today?

So far today it has been the usual reports from 4X1RF, a few Europeans and a local copying me, all on WSPR.  Just now PY2RN has spotted me so may be conditions will open to South America this afternoon and even North America later?

Sunspot count is 123 and the 20-30MHz forecast is "good".  Up to now conditions seem very average. Earlier there was a ZS1 and a VK6 coming through on JT65, although not worked, on 10m.

10m coming to life - late

After a pretty quiet day on the 10m band,  I have just exchanged strong WSPR reports with PY2RN (Brazil). It looks like the band has suddenly woken up. This is 10m and this sort of thing does happen. Judging by the drift I'd say TEP mode.

UPDATE 2050z:   Only decent DX has been PY2RN.  Several recent spots from GM4WJA (624km) in mid-Scotland, an odd distance really and I am still unsure of the mode as too close (?) for F layer and too regular for Es?