Blog errors

I am not sure if this is as a result of my brain bleed or just poor typing skills but I am finding errors in my blog entries after posting. Usually I spot them and correct them within a few minutes, but you may spot uncorrected mistakes if you read the blog entries soon after publication. The most common error is putting "o" where a "p" should be. These are adjacent on the keyboard.

Please accept my apologies if you spot mistakes, but please tell me so I can make corrections.

Hans Summers kit: Ultimate 3 beacon

Today I unpacked this kit which I've had a couple of months. I have been waiting until I feel a bit better (less wobbly and clumsy) but now feel well enough to start the build.

Ultimate 3 beacon kit - received from Japan

I'll build the TX low pass filter for 10m first as this looks "do-able". The other parts may have to wait a few weeks. I want the kit building but want to do it when I am fit enough. The big issue will be boxing it. My brain bleed makes drilling cases a nightmare for me.

I was surprised to find no enclosed instructions. Guess one is meant to look on the net. Only unpacked the LPF module so far.  Being very careful.

WSPR-X v0.3 r3058

Today I downloaded the latest WSPR software onto the new Win 8.1 PC. At first I could not understand why it refused to TX. Doh! Then I remembered to input VOX, the callsign, grid and audio interface details! All now seems to be working but no Es spots  yet.

WSPR-X running WSPR2 on Win 8.1 PC

An advantage of the later software is the waterfall is in real time (it moves DURING the 2 minute time slot so activity is instantly visible rather than having to wait 2 minutes to see. It also supports the slower, but even more sensitive, 15 minute version WSPR-15 as long as the TX stability is good enough. I tried this on LF before but my LO drift was too poor (old PC and old QTH).

Bottom FT817ND on 10m WSPR-2

I shall stick with this latest version today to see how it performs. I expect the RX sensitivity is unchanged unless it uses improved algorithms for decoding.

6m (now 10m) WSPR

I started out today on 6m - 2 spots from local G4IKZ (18km)  - but now QSYed down to 10m in the hope of Es and maybe some F2 propagation. Sunspot count today is 112 (good) and 20-30MHz propagation forecast is "good" so decent DX prospects on 10m today N-S. I see FR1GZ has already been seen in Holland. As luck would have it, no spots yet either sent or received on 10m WSPR as of 0930z! To be fair, it is still very early.

UKAC contests

Next Tuesday is the next 2m UK activity contest.  The following Tuesday, July 8th, it is the next 70cm activity contest. I missed the last session as we had visitors. These Tuesday evening sessions are well supported and well worth coming on for if only to work a few squares and to give others some points. Even my modest power and just one session has given me a respectable place in the overall scoring.

In the last sessions I used 5W pep to either a 3el on 2m or 5el on 70cms. Even with this very modest station (FT817ND) DX out to around 200km seems to be workable, more with a lift. I am lucky to live on top of an East Anglian "hill". The take-off must be pretty good and I am blessed (for now) with a quiet noise floor on all bands.

Non radio day

Today we went on a day return by train to London to be with our son Tim, his wife Jo and our grandchildren. Tim met us and took us back to Kings Cross. Booking in advance and with Senior Rail Cards if works out cheaper than driving. At present I cannot drive because of my brain bleed last year.  It was good to spend time in their home again after so long.

With the grandchildren in London today

Totally by accident, we sat next to Nick G4IKZ on the train back from London. I'd not seen Nick since work days over 6 years ago. Many years ago we worked together in several Cambridge companies. Nick is one of the brightest minds I've had the privilege to know. There are few better RF engineers. We compared notes on 6m WSPR of course. He confirmed his 6m antenna is a horizontal Moxon.

Being late back, I decided not to turn the rigs on tonight.

6m - no Es today?

I was late getting on to 6m today, not turning the rig on until around 0940z. At around 1300z everything was disconnected because of nearby storms until mid-afternoon.  Apparently I missed some early Es to HB9. Here I have not seen any sign of Es all day on 6m.

All I have seen here are locals and GDX on 6m. There is still time for some Es, but I would be surprised to see any.

UPDATE 2042z:  Still no 6m Es here today. Going QRT within the hour.

UPDATE 2054z:  G8EPA (61km) has been regularly spotted here this evening at up to -15dB S/N on WSPR. When Doppler is " against" him (-3Hz), he has been as low as -27dB S/N. There is definite evidence of planes on his signal (up to 4 traces in single 2 min slots) but at this range I expect to be able to copy by pure tropo in the absence of planes. 

UPDATE 2105z:  Now QRT on all bands and antennas disconnected.

SSB and AM on CB legal from June 27th in UK

The excellent Southgate News page reports that SSB and AM is now legal on UK CB from June 27th 2014.

I have only briefly operated on CB many years ago and was very disappointed.  I suppose 12W pep of SSB will greatly increase the DX potential on CB. AM is also legal.

We need to watch out for more reports of TVI and hi-fi breakthrough as FM, especially at 4W legal limit, is rarely a problem whereas SSB and AM make such issues more probable. Of course,  some CBers like to use (illegal) add-on amplifiers making matters worse.

I don't think this move will encourage me onto CB any time soon, but it may result in lower cost 10m rigs.

UPDATE 2015z:  Nevada are now selling the President Lincoln 2  (3rd improved version of this model) covering 10m only (as sold - but expandable illegally to cover CB bands) with a £10 discount.

6m - after the storms

I reconnected the V2000 vertical antenna and rigs just before 1500z today as the storms have passed through and gone for now.

No Es seen yet but G8EPA (61km) is my most distant WSPR spotter in this session. Doppler/drift was low at -1Hz so this is probably direct tropo and not (necessarily) involving planes but I cannot be sure. In the other direction I can check his traces on my WSPR software. With WSPRnet I can see Doppler (or drift) on  my signal but cannot tell if the software at the far end is trying to cope with multiple traces as commonly seen with airplanes.

G0OQK (98km) has been spotted a couple of times this late afternoon at around -21dB S/N.

Solar decline

There is little doubt now that we have passed the solar peak and we are now on the way to the minimum. This is still years away mind you. This graph (located at http://www.solen.info/solar/images/solar.png) illustrates this well. As I said before, it is too early to say just how poor HF conditions will get.

http://www.solen.info/solar/images/solar.png