40m Pixie

This afternoon, I'll be giving my 40m Pixie another outing on 7.023MHz. I'll take a look on the Reverse Beacon Network to see if I was noticed if I fail to make any 2-way QSOs.

I really need to check my junk box for 7.030MHz crystals as this would be a more useful QRP frequency. When fitter, I need to put it in a box!

UPDATE 1956z:  In the end I did not try the 40m Pixie today.

Sunspots and 10m - March 4th 2015

Sunspot number has slipped again and stands at just 38 today. 10m propagation is expected to be "fair".

Already 4X1RF (3519km) has spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon 5 times since breakfast, but only G4IKZ (18km) otherwise. I wonder if the 10m band will open to the USA this afternoon?

UKAC - 2m SSB tonight

Just 5 QSOs this evening on 2m SSB (5W pep) with best DX 204km to G7RAU on the Isle of Wight. As my antenna would still not rotate (bolts too tight) I decided to use the halo again, which is fed with lossy RG58 coax. I am very tempted to swap the rotatable antenna for stacked big wheels with low loss feed coax. Being omni would help in these contests as if I can work over 200km with the halo and lossy cable I'd be at least one S point better on stacked big wheels and a low loss cable. I could have worked far more if I stayed on longer but after an hour my very poor voice told me to stop. There were several workable stations in IO92 square. I worked none of these this evening.

Stations worked tonight with 5W + halo on 144MHz SSB.

G3XKR (IO70) spots me on 472kHz

Kingsbridge Estuary, S. Devon

G3XKR (347km) in North Devon has spotted me again on 472kHz WSPR when I was using 5mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna". He has copied me before and I have reached much further, but it is good to get spotted in my "old" county.

Years ago my very first amateur radio activity was in the South Hams area of Devon. I was active on 160m AM and CW. My first ever 2m reception was of G3VEH in Cornwall.  Did the sun really always shine back then?

UK Activity Contests

Every Tuesday evening the RSGB organises a VHF/UHF activity contest.  I have just in time submitted my entry for the low power section of last Tuesday evenings 50MHz contest. With just 3 QSOs logged there is no way on this earth that I'll be anywhere but near the bottom! Having a V2000 omni vertical antenna, 5W, and a stroke damaged voice is no way to enter a 50MHz, UK based, contest! The V2000 and even 2.5W is great in the Es season (I work most that is around), but it is far from ideal working inter-G on 6m SSB.

Tonight is the 144MHz (2m) March leg of the UKAC. My small 3el beam should turn again now (manually) so I'll see how long my voice holds out. 45 minutes to 60 minutes is usually my limit. Last week I was on very little time. My best DX seems to be around 200km with 5W on 2m in "normal" conditions.

At this time of the year there are fewer portable stations active but activity (SSB and CW) is usually very high so this is a good opportunity to work some new squares. People have been very friendly. If in the UK or nearby join the fun 2000-2230z on 2m.  I usually go QRT by 2100z because of the strain on my voice.

Just checked where I sit in the Jan 2015 AL section of the 50MHz UKAC. You guessed? Bottom! Well someone has to be!

USA on 10m - March 3rd 2015

Well, 10m has opened to the USA today. KB4SC (6560km) was the first to spot my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon at 1418z today. I see there are a few other USA stations in the log who are spotting me since then.

Apart from the USA stations, only 4X1RF has spotted me and locals, certainly no "super-DX".

UPDATE 1840z:   Still plenty of USA stations spotting my 10m 500mW WSPR.

UPDATE 1922z:   It looks like K9AN (6505km) was the last to spot me on 10m WSPR tonight at 1846z. At least 10m did open to the USA for my little 500mW WSPR beacon today, unlike yesterday.

Sunspots and 10m

Sunspot number today is 65. 10m propagation is expected to be "fair".

472kHz WSPR - very quiet this evening?

I have been on 472kHz for the last 30 minutes or so but activity seems very low. So far I have spotted no-one and no-one has spotted me.Usually I can be assured of activity on 472kHz WSPR. There are between 36 and 44 active stations according to WSPRnet but no-one is actually being copied!

Even my 40m Pixie failed to get any RBN reports this evening. What with no USA stations copying me on 10m, this has been a very disappointing day radio-wise.  Tomorrow may be totally different, such is the nature of our delightful hobby.

The most cheerful thing was the return of our two red legged partridges! They may not be the same ones, but to see two was great.

UPDATE 2200z:  I spoke too soon! 472kHz WSPR reports received from G4SMD (250km) and G3THQ (88m) and I am spotting PA0A (417km).

In the last 2 weeks my 5mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" has been copied by 23 unique stations with best DX spot F1AFJ (607km).

Unique 472kHz spots on earth-electrode "antenna" in last 2 weeks.

No 10m USA spots again?

Despite 10m conditions forecast to be "fair", it looks like this will be the second day in a row when not a single USA or Canadian station will have spotted my 500mW WSPR beacon.  It really does look as if conditions are on the change. This afternoon just 4X1RF and G4IKZ spotting me this afternoon.

Birds at this QTH

When we first moved to our bungalow (19 months ago) we saw 2 red legged partridges regularly in the road and in the garden.  Then we saw 3 for one day.  After that (for the last 6 months) there has been just 1. Now, today, we have just seen 2 again. I hope it is a male and a female and they stop around and have young!  The red legged partridge is an introduced species, but it is the commonest partridge with 82000 territories. It is a very good looking bird. The ones locally seem quite content.   See red legged partridge RSPB page .

View from shack window

Yesterday, there were a couple of mallard ducks in the close. Overall though we see fewer bird species than at the old QTH despite putting out plenty to attract them. I would have thought with an orchard next door, the windmill, allotments and fields close by, we'd see lots. Starlings do roost on the windmill sails and there are fewer starlings around nowadays.

From the shack window I get an excellent view of the birds in our garden.