I fancy some 472kHz WSPR!

It is ages since I was active on 472kHz, so I might fire up the FT817 and transverter to see if anyone can spot my 5mW ERP or I can spot others. I shall use the earth-electrode "antenna" and go QRT on 6m to free up the FT817.

It is summertime, so noise levels will be higher, making my weak signal harder to copy than in the winter. It will take me about 5 minutes to swap bands and reset everything. The FT817 has to be set to 500mW and split mode so I receive directly on the 472kHz band but TX on the 80m band into the transverter.

If you copy me on 472kHz WSPR please report it.

UPDATE 2009z:  Well, that was a good start! I just switched to MF and received 2 spots by G8HUH in IO81mg (250km) in daylight. I shall now leave 474.2kHz WSPR running overnight to see what else happens. With 5mW (maybe less) ERP I am quite happy with his -26/-27dB S/N reports.

UPDATE 2126z:  So far G8HUH (250km) has spotted me 10 times this evening. I have spotted no-one and no-one else has spotted me, as yet.

UK population now 64.6M - NOT amateur radio

I am NOT a racist and never shall be. In fact I believe the UK should welcome in genuine refugees from war-torn parts of the world. We should make these poor people very welcome. They have suffered too much already and all they want is peace.

However, we are a small island and the UK and not the EU should have the last word on deciding who can live and work here. I am all for the EU as a trading entity without trade barriers, but that is it, unless some individual member states want an ever closer political union. Let them go ahead but don't ask all to follow.  Last year our population grew by 500000. This is the equivalent of a major city.  Such growth is not sustainable thinking of food, water, jobs and housing.

No, enough is enough. We, the UK, should control our borders and we should run our affairs through our elected parliament. I wish David Cameron well in renegotiating our relationship with the EU, although he has a monumental task. What surprises me is why other nations don't share our concerns thinking of their own situations.  Moderate population growth? Yes. Explosive growth over which we have zero control ? No thanks. We need quotas and a points system. The current situation is out of control.

Here's to a new deal in the EU or the UK leaves! As one of the more successful economies, I think the EU needs us more than we need it! This is also why so many want to come here: we are a good meal ticket - good jobs, generous welfare etc..

Swifts - NOT amateur radio

This image is located on the RSPB site and NOT  on this blog. It will be removed if any issues are caused by its inclusion here.

One of the joys of an English summer is the sound of screaming swifts in the air. This is most common in May and June. The swifts are one of the first summer migrants to leave. It always seems a long time until they return again next spring. Usually the first ones arrive here by the end of April. Once, long ago, I found one on the ground. We kept it in a box overnight. The next morning it flew off as if nothing had happened. Swifts spend most of their time on the wing and if they do land on the ground it is not easy to take off again. I found this out much later. It was lovely to handle this scythe like bird.

See http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/s/swift/ .

10m/6m update

Well, so far 6m WSPR here has just been G stations out to just over 100km.

On 10m there was some Es in the form of DJ0ABR (983km). EA8BVP (2986km) has also been spotting me yet again. I am not sure if this is Es or single hop F2 propagation.

UPDATE 1905z:  6m WSPR came to life around teatime with a couple of spots of me by Es (I presume).  Plenty of G spots all day too.

UPDATE 1912z: 10m WSPR is also lively with European stations via Es. EA8BVP has spotted my 10m WSPR beacon 37 times so far today. I think this is F2 propagation, but I am not sure.

Sunspots and 10m - June 25th 2015

Sunspot number has fallen again to just 39 (K=2) and 10m propagation is expected to be "poor" today, so decent long distance F2 propagation is very unlikely on 10m today.

Greece:not off the hook yet? - NOT amateur radio

The last time I checked, the international creditors were still unhappy with the Greek proposals to overcome their debt problems. All sides are working to resolve these issues, but Greece could well have to leave the Euro. Things in Greece are bad now but without the ECB's support Greek banks will run out of money and the situation in Greece will be dire. This is not a good time to be Greek.

10m WSPR - EA8BVP (2986km) spots me yet again!

Over teatime EA8BVP (2986km) was spotting me yet again.  He spots my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon most days and has done so for months now. Since 1808z just been spotted by local G4IKZ (18km) again. I presume this path to the Canary Is is F2 although the time suggests Es. He has spotted me 19 times today. No further DX was copied all day. Although there was at least one S.American active on 10m WSPR, clearly the propagation was not there, at least with my low ERP. Others may have been more successful.

Gardening - NOT amateur radio

This afternoon was fine and dry, so it was a chance to do a bit more gardening.  Because of my 2013 brain bleed, I soon get very exhausted and this was the case today. I managed a couple of plants and dug in some flower bed edging, by which time I was so tired. What has changed is that I soon recover. In the past I would be totally exhausted for hours but within 15 minutes I was out with the hose.

This last few weeks I do seem a little bit better.  Although I still get tired I don't seem to be "done in" totally. Although I still have to take just sips, I do seem to be able to drink more thin liquids. Progress is slow, but I think I can still see progress.

Still life on MF and LF

It is some time since I was active on 137kHz and 472kHz WSPR, but there are still stations active I see. I shall return to 472kHz WSPR in the autumn and may even try some tests from this QTH on 137kHz. I do need a better antenna and earth system though. My earth-electrode "antenna" is remarkable, but I know I should be able to increase my ERP considerably with a loop or loaded long-wire. I managed 250km on WSPR with a loop at the old QTH on 137kHz and a vertical loop with similar loop area should be possible I think. I shall probably need help from locals with erection though in my present state. I might change to a 2m big-wheel stack at the same time?

Weeks since decent F2 spots on 10m here

Although EA8BVP (2986km) seems to spot my 500mW 10m WSPR signal on most days, it is some weeks now since I have been spotted on the band at greater distance. I know my antenna is not brilliant on 10m, but I was expecting more 10m spots from S.Africa and S.Ameríca. I fear many have migrated to lower frequency bands now, which is a pity, or possibly other modes. At the last time I looked there were only 32 active 10m WSPR stations worldwide. A few months ago this was over 100.