Semi sked 7MHz

This evening, I shall try again to work a local who is on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. Currently he is working in Glasgow but camping on Arran.

I have an S8 noise floor on 7MHz and am limited to 5W pep maximum. Although WSPR  On 7MHz at 2W WSPR is pretty easy, it is much harder work on SSB.

10m WSPR this morning - good Es

Whilst cutting the rear lawn today, I have been on 10m WSPR. There is still plenty of Es around on 10m.

10m WSPR this morning

Cutting the grass is still challenging: I still get very giddy when on my feet, but stamina is slowly improving. It may be a while before doing the lawns becomes "easy" again.  Still, the fact I can do it at all is something that might not have been possible: the worst outcomes of my brain bleed would have been horrendous, possibly leaving me paralysed, deaf or blind. Overall. I was lucky.

Rear lawn

Sunspot count today is 102 (good) but with blackouts and 20-30MHz forecast is "good", so surprised not to have seen any F2 propagation (yet) on 10m. Es so far is all from N.Europe including Scandinavia.  Nothing yet seen here from S.Europe.

UPDATE 1600z:  The Es opening today seems to have favoured N.Europe and Scandinavia with no S.Europeans seen here all day.. The 20-30MHz propagation forecast is now only "fair". As yet, no F2 openings seen here today on 10m. In past years I have noticed more Es to Scandinavia and N. Europe in the later part of the season. There must be some good reason for this, but I don't know why this is.

Ultimate 3 kit - offers of help

Our community in Amateur Radio is truly wonderful.

Already, I have had three kind and generous offers to build and test my Ultimate-3 beacon kit, which is currently beyond my building skills because of my brain injury. I still hope to build this myself, but may wait a few more months until I'm less wobbly and clumsy.

This is not the first time I have been touched by the genuine kindness of others. It restores one's faith in humankind: there are some truly kind people around. Thank you all.

Sometimes we hear about all the bad things in this world. Believe me, the world has very many kind and caring people in it.

40m WSPR

Having (unsuccessfully) tried to work a station on the Isle of Arran (Scotland) on 40m SSB, I went on to WSPR and was rewarded with the following in a single 2 minute transmission at 2W to my low (for 40m) end-fed Par antenna.

WSPR really is a great mode. I remember back earlier in the year on 40m when my second spot (on this antenna) was by a VK.

CN8LI - 6m WSPR

So far (it is now 1425z)  CN8LI (2113km) and I have exchanged WSPR spots all morning since I first went on 6m. We have exchanged spots 14 times already. Es conditions between us are perfect. My TX is on about 16% of the time only.

Unless the storms get a lot closer - currently most are north of Norwich  - I shall stick with 6m all day. I can hear thunder, but it is very distant and moving further away currently.

UPDATE 1530z: The "pipe" to CN8LI has been disconnected since lunchtime. I wonder if it will come back at teatime? Es often has a second peak at teatime.

http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en

No storms?

According to the lightning map, the nearest storm is over Boston in Lincolnshire some 90 miles away. There are no very recent strikes. I'll keep an eye on which way it is moving, but things here look benign, for now.

Will leave the gear on 6m for the time being unless things change. That storm map is a very useful guide to what is brewing up and heading this way.

UPDATE 1255z: Can hear distant thunder, although nearest storm is now Attleborough, Norfolk some 60 miles east of this location.

10m, then 6m WSPR

After a brief outing on 10m WSPR, I've returned to 6m WSPR since 0900z. 10m was in good shape with lots of Es about from right across Europe.

Unique 10m WSPR spots early today (repeats not shown)

6m is good too with CN8LI (2113km) already in the logs early this morning along with local G4IKZ (18km).

UPDATE 0938z: CN8LI spotted for 3rd time already.  He is getting stronger  at+7dB S/N just like a local! He is also spotting me.

6m spots to 0942z today

UPDATE 1150z:  CN8LI and I have exchanged WSPR spots twelve times already. Amazing.

Closed down station - thunder storms close

As there is thunder/lightning around, I have decided to disconnect antennas and switch off the rigs. The storms are getting closer according to http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en .  As much as I'd like to continue to monitor on 6m, I think to go QRT is the right decision tonight. There will be plenty of other times to monitor 6m and 10m.

UPDATE 2110z:  The worst of the storms missed us.  However, there is a lot of storm activity around still, so the rigs and antennas will remain off tonight.   Meanwhile I am watching Brazil getting beaten by Holland. Current score Brazil 0  Holland 2. Unless Brazil create some magic, they are doomed.

UPDATE 2207z: Would not like to be in the Brazilian national football team this evening.

6m - first Es WSPR today

At 1204z, the first 6m Es today was spotted here with  HB9TJM (764km) being spotted at -15dB S/N on WSPR.  A little later and he was spotting my 1W ERP at around -17dB S/N on WSPR.  No doubt there will be other 6m Es openings later. 6m Es is less common than Es on 10m. In turn 2m Es is far less common than 6m Es: the higher you go, the less frequent it gets. 10m is the easiest Es band (in my opinion) and you get F2 openings more frequently, especially N-S, than on 6m,where F2 openings are rare.

HB9TJM claims to be running 10W, which, if correct, is quite high power for 6m WSPR.  A more common power is 5W or less.

UPDATE 1427z:   CN8LI (2113km) has been spotted twice so far (by 1745z this was 4 times) on 6m this afternoon at 1340z and 1348z. On both occasions he was very strong indeed on WSPR.

The first 3 spots of CN8LI today on 6m WSPR

UPDATE 1440z:  G4IKZ (18km) must have his horizontal Moxon in just the right position as he has been giving me excellent reports all day. No further Es seen here since CN8LI earlier.

Ultimate 3 beacon - still unable to build it

I am still far too clumsy to build this kit. This morning I was going to start on the LPF but I am still far too wobbly and clumsy to do it. Before my brain bleed this would have been a piece of cake, but today it is too much for me. Damn. I shall wait another month to see if I feel better. Blogging and WSPR I can manage. Talking in contests is hard work, but I can just about manage it for short periods.

Maybe I have to conclude it is too much for me and call on the help to build and test the unit so kindly offered? I did check the full pack and the GPS module is definitely not there but a surplus relay board is. I shall have to contact Hans Summers and return the unwanted PCB and request the GPS module that I paid for but that has not been delivered. It is some months since the bits came. I resisted opening the package until I thought I could build it. I photographed the opening and was very careful.

On reflection, I wonder how much they would have charged to build and test the unit for me?

I hate being unable to do this sort of thing: it feels like I am past it. Please no.