Not ham radio......

See http://qss2.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/spre-2m-anyone.html .

http://search.savills.com/content/assets/properties/gbetrsexs140087/EXS140087_02_gal.JPG

There is a house on the market (Landmark) in Salcombe, Devon, the seaside town where I was brought up as a child, that is likely to be sold to the highest bidder and the site redeveloped purely for greed and a quick profit.

The house was the home of author Paul Gallico and is in the "Arts and Crafts" style. It is a rare gem. Ideally, it should be a listed building. Locals are being priced out of their own town by those with "loads of money" but very little sense.  The lovely home is on the market for £1.95M - far too much for me!

Please, write to English Heritage to see if the building can be listed to stop redevelopment of the home and site.   Write to customers@english-heritage.org.uk .

10m - a repeat of yesterday?

Conditions on 10m today seem to be similar to those yesterday. FR1GZ (9724km) and I have exchanged spots several times, mainly this morning, and KD6RF (7526km) was spotted at 1436z. TJ3TS (5478km) has spotted me a few times. F2 conditions appear good on 10m again.

Sunspot count today is 92 (gradually dropping) and 20-30MHz propagation is "normal". We have already had excellent F2 propagation on 10m today. I am convinced that the USA is coming in by F2 or F2 backscatter and not multi-hop Es.

DK6UG is spotting me by Es (I think) or F2 backscatter perhaps. Also, probably Es, GM4WJA (624km) is spotting me.

WB8ELK/01 (6872km) is spotting me now.

10m transatlantic - yet again

Surely, these 10m openings - there yet again today - must be F2 and not multi-hop Es? Already spotted are K3NAL (5930km) and KZ8C (6290km).

FR1GZ (9724km) on Reunion Is, Indian Ocean, has also been spotted here several times and TJ3TS (5478km) in Cameroon is spotting me too.

It seems to me we are experiencing decent F2 propagation on 10m, and it is only mid-September. Maybe it is WSPR being so sensitive that openings that would have been missed in the past are now being noticed?

UPDATE 1639z:  10m has been open to the USA all afternoon on WSPR. This must be F2 rather than Es as it is almost predictable.

UPDATE 1845z:  I went QRT on 10m just before teatime as I needed the PC for something else. When closing, the band was still wide open to the USA.

UPDATE 2210z:  I returned to 10m WSPR at 1912z. The last USA station to spot me was AF5ES at 2008z. CX2ABP (11127km) was spotted here at 1944z.

10m WSPR - plentiful Es today

OH, OK, LB9, EC, DK ) seen via Es on 10m already today and maybe 4X is by multi-hop Es? WSPR showing there are still lots of Es openings on the band.

Sunspots

Sunspot count is 120 today and 20-30MHz propagation is expected to be "good".  Already 10m has been open to Australia so good F2 propagation is already evidence of this. Conditions E-W should continue to improve in the coming months even though, on average, sunspot numbers are now falling. Of late, 10m has been better than might be expected.

Nanowaves in Finland

My own red LED and IR experiments have had to stop as my brain bleed last year has left me (for now) too clumsy. People are still active though. In the Cambridge, UK area there are both IR and visible red beacons GB3CAM active from RAF Wyton. See http://www.earf.co.uk/light_beacon.htm .

This was posted on the UKnanowaves Yahoo Group:

Greetings you light headed fellows :)

 .

 Darker times are coming and the sun is going down earlier and earlier here in Finland.

 I've been designing an IR based repeater/beacon. When not in repeater use, it transmits FSK441 and CW. It has 6 of 850nm RX heads 0, 60, 120, 240, and 300 degree directions. This enables some selectivity by choosing best RX head by SNR from the received signals. It scans through all of the RX:s and if it detects an signal, it will switch to the best SNR (this is done by MCU).

 The TX is basically 10 IR leds transmitting simultaneously in all directions (they are spread over circular 360 degree form with 36 degree increments).

 I have 6 credit card size fresnel lenses that I was thought using in front of the six BPW34. I thought that a little off-focuse would make the system less prone about the direction of the signals. What worries me is the sun. This system will be installed relatively high and it is certain that the sun will be focused to the photodiodes time to time. 

 Using a small IR filter in front of the BPW34 probably isn't the the best idea, because all of the energy from the sun is already focused to a relatively small area. Probably the best idea is to use the same sized IR filter than the primary antenna - the fresnel is. I've heard that exposed colour film would do a good job in this? Any experience?

Why I put two subjects under one message is that I just wanted to let you know what I'm doing, hi.  And all the ideas will be taken in!

73 de Janne OH1SDR

PS. This repeater will have THz input and 70cm output and vice versa.

VK5MR (16144km) on 10m WSPR

Having stayed on 10m WSPR overnight I caught an opening to Australia this morning. VK5MR (16144km) was spotted at 0912z today.  I know others e.g. G0LRD, have regularly spotted Australians but I tend to be still on MF early mornings, but not today.

10m WSPR - a good start today

4X1RF has spotted me 4 times already (still only 0722z) and DK0SC was spotting me during the very early hours. I assume DK was Es but 4X may be F2?

UPDATE 0935z: I have now been spotted 11 times already in Israel on 10m WSPR today between 0614 and now.

UPDATE 1015z: LB9YE (1533km) spotted by Es at 1002z. 4X1RF has now spotted me 12 times already today by multi-hop Es or F2, not sure which.

UPDATE 1123z:  Looking at the 13 spots of my 10m signal this morning monitored by 4X1RF there appears to be a slow QSB on the signal with peak levels separated by 90-120 minutes. I shall continue to look for this but there is a pattern. WSPR is ideal for seeing this sort of phenomenon.

Now South America too on 10m WSPR

After loads and loads of spots (both ways) with USA stations on 10m WSPR this afternoon, I now see PT2WWV (8873km), in Brasilia, is being spotted on the band, 8 times so far. 10m has been in excellent shape again. I shall leave WSPR running all this evening and maybe through the night again.  PT2WWV has been spotted at up to 0dB S/N i.e.very strong indeed. He is running 5W.

By the way, 4X1RF (3519km) has spotted me 25 times today. There is also GDX about: G3RCE (185km) spotted several times this afternoon.  Even at 1826z I am still being spotted in the USA.  Incredible 10m conditions again.

UPDATE 1930z:  N2OTO and PT2WWV still both pounding in here.

UPDATE 2010z:   PT2WWV still coming through here. Spotted 18 times today so far and it may continue for longer .N2OTO coming through here,

UPDATE 2110z:  Just locals since 2010z. Is that it for the "real DX"  today? An hour gone since the last DX.

UPDATE 2112z:  I spoke too soon as N2OTO has just been spotted. The opening to the USA is still going on and on...

10m WSPR USA - too many now

The 10m band is so wide open to the USA today on WSPR that I have now lost count of all the stations spotted and spotting me. It feels more like mid-winter conditions. I wonder how conditions have been on 6m? It would not completely surprise me to hear 6m was open to the USA briefly today.