Trophy

Just received this letter from the RSGB. I was somewhat chuffed to be awarded this trophy! It was a total surprise.

Hello Roger,

Good to hear from you in which I hope is improved health.

You were awarded the Wortley-Talbot Trophy which is awarded, annually, for the most outstanding experimental work in amateur radio.  I enclose a photo.

It is, physically ,the largest trophy that we present and for this reason winners usually leave it in the custody of the Society!

Best Wishes  

Graham Coomber, G0NBI

General Manager

Radio Society of Great Britain

VLF amateur experiments

See https://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/vlf-news-2015 .

In Germany there has been discussions about possible VLF amateur transmissions around 1.72kHz (tweek resonances) and even whistler mode with reception in the Southern Hemisphere.

As we move to "quiet sun" conditions maybe more people will be enticed to the VLF, LF and MF bands?

Linears in the UK

I think the RSGB must be getting short of articles for RadCom.

Last month they reviewed a linear that cannot be legally used in the UK because of its high power. There were a couple of critical letters about this in the August RadCom. Why did the RSGB print this review at all? We, in the UK, have a power level of 400W pep on most bands and we should encourage UK amateurs to keep to this. I have rarely used more than 5-10W pep and even 100W sounds like incredibly high power! No, let us have more articles in the spirit of amateur radio. Not everyone is interested in big, overpriced radios, linears, towers and huge HF beams. Just a few watts is enough to span the globe.

Anyone can work the world with 1000W and an HF beam on a tower. You can also video conference world wide for free with Skype!

QRP is a real challenge. High power rigs, big HF beam and linears are more about egos. Personally they do little for me.

All quiet on 6m and 10m WSPR, so far

On both 6m and 10m WSPR I am just being spotted only by G stations with no sign of Es as yet. Of course, things can change very quickly, although at this time yesterday I was being spotted, or had spotted, many Europeans by Es.

UPDATE 1025z:  I was spotted by F5UBP (661km) on 10m WSPR a few minutes back by Es.

UPDATE 1045z:  All quiet still on 6m with WSPR spots exchanged only with G0OQK (98km) so far this morning and no 6m Es seen yet.

UPDATE 1118z:   CN8LI (2113km) was just spotted on 6m WSPR. I think he may have just switched his rig on as there was quite a bit of drift on his signal. I see he has also spotted me on 6m WSPR a couple of times.

UPDATE 1622z:  Plenty of 6m WSPR spots being exchanged with CN8LI (2113km) now.

UPDATE 1912z:  Very very little Es evident on 10m WSPR with just EA1KV (1304km) spotting me (once) earlier.

UPDATE 1938z:  So far today, the better Es has been on 6m rather than 10m.

UPDATE 2100z:  CN8LI (2113km) has spotted me 13 times today so far on 6m WSPR. Not bad.

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.