Poor MPs - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday, the Daily Mirror reported that an MP (UK Member of Parliament) was having to "count the pennies" on a salary of £90k a year and needed a pay rise! I think this MP is so sad and pathetic. Does he live on the same planet as me? Many struggle to get by on a very very small amount of money. Please, if the Mirror quoted you correctly, get a life.

Sunspots and 10m - Sun July 19th 2015

Sunspot number is slightly up at 52 (K=1) but 10m propagation remains "poor".  Es is the main hope on 10m and 6m.

No super DX yet on 10m or 6m Es

As yet, I have not seen any evidence of really long distance Es propagation on either 10m or 6m WSPR. My best DX is still several spots on 6m from 4X1RF (3519km), but I am still elusively looking for transatlantic stations on either of these bands by Es.  I suspect lack of activity is a real issue on 6m WSPR and other modes might be better.

6m Es - CN8LI

I see that CN8LI (2113km) in Morocco, was spotted strongly at 1002z on 6m WSPR. I think he was there earlier but not decoding. Perhaps he has only recently turned the rig on and it is still stabilising?

UPDATE 1250z:   Spots were (and still are) being exchanged with CN8LI strongly on 6m WSPR all morning and lunchtime.On 10m WSPR it has been pretty quiet for several hours with just spots by local G4IKZ (18km).

UPDATE 1512z:  CN8LI and I are still exchanging 6m WSPR spots and I am also spotting CT1PT  (1685km) at intermediate range. A reminder that my ERP is about 1W. I use a V2000 (vertical omni) fed via a run of lossy UR58 coax.

UPDATE 1715z:   CN8LI and I are still exchanging WSPR spots.  He has been spotted, and has been spotting me, most of the day. Recent reports of CN8LI have been very strong.

UPDATE 1919z:  CN8LI (2113km) has spotted me on 6m 14 times today at up +5dB, that is up to now.  It is possible there will be yet more spots. I have spotted him 31 times so far today on 6m WSPR. His ERP is higher than mine, I believe, by at least 10dB.

Lincoln President Mk2

I have owned this rig for several months now but it hardly get used as I prefer, because of my poor voice, to run my WSPR beacon on 10m.  It certainly works well with my last QSO being a W8 on SSB.

In the picture, the small WSPR beacon is far left with the Lincoln  with green illumination on the left of the FT817s and to the right of the WSPR beacon.

Sunspots and 10m - Sat July 18th 2015

Sunspot number is 40 today (K=1) and 10m is predicted to remain "poor". Our best hope is that Es propagation livens things up a bit on 10m WSPR.  No Es seen yet on 6m WSPR.

Early Es on 10m

There was early Es on 10m today with spots from CT, EA1 and LB9 before 0936z.  Still no "exotic" Es DX seen here yet on 10m WSPR. 6m WSPR has been quiet, so far.

UPDATE 1252z:   GM, I and D spotted by Es in addition to the above on 10m WSPR today so far.  Nothing by Es on 10m WSPR since much earlier today.

6m WSPR Es

Since returning home from a week on the Isle of Wight with our younger son and family I have been on 10m and 6m WSPR this evening for about one hour.  Spots exchanged on 6m WSPR with F1VMV (947km) and so far just G4IKZ (18km) spotting me on 10m.

UPDATE 2041z:   G0OQK (98km) is now spotting me.

Sunspots and 10m - July 17th 2015

Sunspot number has climbed back to 55 (K=2) but 10m propagation is still "poor". Don't expect wonderful F2 conditions on 10m.

UK thunder and lightning

Storms are currently moving up from Hampshire into East Anglia over night. Better stay off the air until these are well out of the way.