Quadcopter drones controlled by wi-fi

On my other blog I mentioned the latest small drones produced by Parrot.

The prices don't seem to have fallen as I had expected. See http://www.pixmania.co.uk/high-tech-gadgets/parrot-ar-drone-2-0-elite-edition-sand/21869578-a.html?ectrans=1&ef_id=U2AUYQAABW1F-nsq%3A20140515154655%3As&gclid=CMvR8aajrr4CFckBwwod_CsA5A&merch=1&srcid=11270 as an example. Prices seem to be £230 upwards.

For me, this is still far too expensive to consider, even though being able to "drive" it from an iPad is fun, as are the on-board cameras which look forwards and downwards. It is like being a real pilot. I saw one in use at a BBQ a few years ago and it was great fun. Even that one got lodged in a tree as I recall.

At those sorts of prices, I'd be far too worried about it getting stuck on a roof or in a tree and that would ruin the fun. Also, apart from the very latest lightweight designs, you'd have to be very careful near people, pets and vehicles.

On the Argos website quadcopters are available for around £55, but I've got no idea about the functionality of these.

Lightning and solar activity

Dr Steve Collins of Sheffield University has pointed me to this fascinating link on the BBC website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27406358 .   It shows  how solar activity and lightning are linked, possibly allowing a means of predicting future lightning activity.

6m WSPR

As it is the Es season, I have moved up to 6m WSPR, but so far only G4IKZ is spotting me at 18km.  I think Nick uses a 6m horizontal Moxon antenna yet, despite cross polarisation (I am using a V2000 tri-band vertical) he is giving me +4 to +7dB S/N.  I am hopeful of some Es and GDX later. As of 1540z 20 spots from G4IKZ, but nothing else seen. I have spotted no-one, near or far.

With the same antenna and feeder I have worked all over Europe, N Africa and even into the USA with real 6m QRP SSB or CW. With 1W ERP WSPR I should be able to reach all of these areas and more given WSPR activity and good Es conditions.

10m - less good today?

Yesterday 4X1RF had spotted me 14 times by this time whereas today he spotted me just once.It may be that he is concentrating on 6m instead or an indication of less good 10m propagation on 10m?  There is no other real DX around, at least not with me, so I think 10m propagation is poorer than on Wednesday.

Yesterday 4X1RF was spotting CN8LI at a distance of 3860km on 6m - a very good distance, probably multi-hop Es or even F2.

I may QSY to 6m later to pick up any Es around on that band. In previous years I've managed CN8LI on 6m with an ERP of around 1W..

10m long-path to Australia? Not here!

After monitoring 10m WSPR last evening/night for long-path propagation to Australia, I drew a blank. After the 10m band died to the USA mid-evening, only Europeans by Es and GDX copied here. No ZLs and no VKs copied. Others with better antennas may have been luckier. 4X1RF was spotting me at 0658z.

With a sunspot count of 162 and 20-30MHz forecast to be "normal" propagation today is anyone's guess!

Will 10m open long-path to Australia tonight?

I am carefully checking 10m WSPR this evening to see if the long-path to Australia (over the Pacific) opens, especially seeing how the band has been open to the USA and Canada for hours now.  My WSPR is running overnight, but if the band is to be open long-path I suspect it will be very soon. As I write this it is 2207z.

 UPDATE 2217z:   All quiet on 10m with my last USA spot at 2126z, nearly an hour ago. Being a band of surprises, anything can happen!

Optical article in June RadCom

June's RSGB RadCom carries my article, "Over the Horizon at 481THz" describing my non line-of-sight optical experiments last year. My poor health (stroke) has prevented me doing more with this in 2014. The article was written last year (2013) before my stroke.  Hopefully, a return to good health (by the autumn?) will allow me to continue this fascinating part of our hobby. At the moment I am just too clumsy.

Testing the optical RX

8.5km "over the horizon" NLOS by clear air scattering (in a cloudless night sky) was very straightforward with simple, low-cost optical gear that could be made for next to nothing.  Unlike microwaves, optical kit is very inexpensive and requires only very basic (audio frequency) test gear to set up. Optical alignment is critical and more stable tripods would have helped. 

What amazed me was that nothing was visible or audible at the RX yet the signal decoded and displayed perfectly with Spectran software on the PC.

If you get this magazine, I hope you enjoy the article.  Please let me have any feedback.

Malawi - 7QNL

See http://www.malawihf.org/

http://www.malawihf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Zomba-Plateau-300x148.jpg

A DXpedition to Malawi is planned for late May/early June. Frequencies are shown on the website above. This is a DXpedition combined with a holiday, so don't expect "high intensity" activity. The callsign is very odd - 7QNL. Malawi prefix is usually 7Q7.

CW, RTTY and SSB activity is planned from 80m - 6m.

10m - USA/Canadian DX

During this afternoon on 10m I have been spotted, and spotted myself, by several different stateside stations (3 and 4 call areas in the USA) with best DX 6505km so far.  Interestingly, I have spotted just one South American station PY2RN (9550km) around 1200z and later.  It is interesting to see such an opening to the USA as we approach summer conditions.

There must be a reasonably good chance of long path propagation to the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia later this evening on 10m.

UPDATE 1720z:   Only European stations by Es on 10m in the last few hours.

UPDATE 1725z:     VE3PLE just spotted. First Canadian for a while on 10m.

UPDATE 1935z:    TI3/AB4AW (8752km) spotted twice in Central America (Costa Rica).

UPDATE 1955z:     In among all the DX, G7FYO copied at 162km with -4Hz Doppler, suggesting aircraft reflection.

UPDATE 2010z:    DX from the USA still very much in evidence on 10m. K3NAL spotted at -16dB S/N.

UPDATE 2126z:   K3NAL just spotted (again).

70cm contest results

Stations worked on 70cm from home with 5W/5el

Last evening I took part in the 70cm UKAC contest for the first 90 minutes, by which time my voice was well past it because of my stroke, so I stopped operating.

I was using 5W (FT817ND) to the little (lowish) 5 el yagi on the pole on the back of the bungalow at home (hand rotated). Conditions appeared flat with no lifts apparent.

Best DX was G8XVJ/P in the Peak District at 181km but I missed out on M0GHZ in IO81 square (he got part of my callsign but then lost me!) at 195km.  I was pleased to work M0CES/P in JO03AE (rare square) at 103km.

All QSOs were SSB.  I did hear PA and DL.  In all it was good fun. A pity my voice was so poor.