Seasons - NOT amateur radio

As I grow older, the seasons seem to come around much more quickly. The long, light evenings are no more as we start the autumn and the run towards Christmas. Soon the shops will be filled with Christmas tat as the shops cash in commercially.  In some shops Christmas starts now!

It seems no time at all since the spring when the trees were showing that newness of fresh green and the summer migrants were arriving from Africa.

As one gets older I have learnt to enjoy every season. We are lucky in the UK to have seasons and each has its own pleasures if we just open our eyes  and let the seasons flow over us.

Autumn is a season of rich colours, newly turned soil and fresh starts. Winter can have those bright cold days when the trees are bare, or warm evenings inside when the TV and fire beckon. Spring is when the summer migrants return, when the birds make new nests and sing for all it is worth. Buds appear and the bulbs in the garden spring forth with vigor. Summer is when the flowers come into full bloom - and the grass needs cutting very regularly!

Every time of the year is special and should be enjoyed. We will blink and autumn and winter will be gone and those long summer evenings will be here again, but each of us has one fewer year to enjoy.  Those long summer evenings will come and go.

No, enjoy every moment and every season. Enjoy the now.

Syria - NOT amateur radio

I am no politician, but Syria is being torn apart by civil war. An end to the conflict has to be ironed out or the deaths and displacement of millions will go on. The refugee crisis now unfolding is a symptom of the deep unrest in that troubled nation. It is high time the major powers worked together with all sides to forge a fair and lasting peace. No vested interests please, just the well being of all the people in Syria.

It still puzzles me why not a single Gulf state has taken any Syrian refugees.

Sunspots and 10m - Tues Sept 8th 2015

Sunspot number today is 47 (K=6) and 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor" today.  It is very unlikely 10m will be any good today but the band has a habit of springing surprises! Late Es remains the best hope.

Overnight on 10m and 630m WSPR

Not surprisingly only spots by G4IKZ (18km) on 10m overnight and so far this morning. On 630m WSPR best DX was DK7FC (669km) who has an excellent signal on MF.

Virgin Media broadband - NOT amateur radio

Today I got an email from Virgin Media saying that this autumn they will be doubling their broadband speed. It is already pretty good but twice as fast will be amazing. I think this is a general email to prevent us moving to BT Infinity or Sky.

Generally Virgin Media TV, broadband and phones are very reliable, although there have been a few times when the service has been down.

FET regen circuit

I received this email today:

"Hi Roger
                  

I just wanted to thank you for the Feter Regen on your QRP site.  I have managed to waste several weeks building and experimenting with it. This really is a fun project. The first working regen I have made in many years.

Many thanks and thanks also for all the other informative projects on your Web Pages.

Ray Lyford M0BBV

Sorry for the quality of the Image."

I was very pleased Ray built the circuit and had some fun with it. My main regret is not being able to do much experimentation currently as I am still too wobbly. Hopefully this will get better with time. There is also a very simple transceiver based on this circuit on the website.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/regen  .
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/feter-80m-qrpp-cw-transceiver  .

472kHz WSPR during the night

PA3ABK/2 (306km) and F1AFJ (607km) copied on 472kHz WSPR overnight and my 5mW ERP was copied by PA3ABK (306km) and local G4KPX (14km). I will give my preamp for the band an outing later this week. At the moment I am still using the (rather deaf) FT817 on RX. I think another 4dB at least is to be had on RX.

2m big wheel

2m big-wheel on its temporary mast

Overall, this antenna is giving me good service and "fits the bill" well for my kind of casual SSB operating. It will be interesting to see how it (the 2m big-wheel) does on 70cms tomorrow in the UKAC.  I start with poor expectations, but certainly hope to work the locals. Although the match is good on 70cms that does not mean the omni-directional gain is good on 70cms! When erected finally I may do a review as I am sure others would like to hear how it performs.

I wonder if anyone has modeled this antenna on 2m and 70cms?

All being well, a very kind local is installing this in its permanent location, clearing the roof and above the window on the LHS of the picture, on Sunday afternoon.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon Sept 7th 2015

Sunspot number is 38 today (K=3) and 10m is expected to remain "poor" today. With Es largely ended now I am awaiting some autumn F2 propagation but, so far, my 500mW WSPR has not been spotted far away this autumn. Last year, it was spotted on every continent including Australasia and Antarctica.  I have the feeling this autumn and winter will still be quite good on 10m but next autumn and winter will be much tougher.

Big-wheel and 5W in the 2m Trophy Contest

Although my voice was poor I managed about an hour of operating in the 2m RSGB Trophy contest at the tail end of the event today. With the big-wheel on a temporary mast and 5W, I had 10 contacts with best DX being a QSO to near Cherburg (IO99pi) in northern France.  If I'd been able to stay on longer and my voice was not such hard work, I am pretty sure I'd have worked much more. An hour and my voice was screaming "help" and "stop". Life is so much harder now.

I also tried the 2m big-wheel on 70cms. The match is very good but I have no idea what the horizontal gain is on that band. I shall try this in the 70cm UKAC contest this Tuesday at 8pm UK clock time as  long as the pole does not blow down in the mean time!  At least I can get on 70cms "after a fashion". I don't think I shall bother with entering the contest today, but yet again it proves that a 2m big-wheel is well suited to my casual sort of operating.