Yaesu FT991 issues?

The price is certainly falling for this rig, but quite a few people have expressed disappointment. I cannot comment on these reports. Some are disappointed saying it is, "cheaply made".

This is a trend of our age: I have noticed that M&S underpants are now thinner and not as good. My wife recently bought a coat (not M&S) and this was thinner than the one it replaced.  No, making goods to fit a price seems to be the way things are today, rather than built to last. This says lots about our "consumer society". Things are not made to last any more: they are designed to wear out or fail so we buy new items.

This is a state of affairs that ultimately cannot last.

Sunspots and 10m - Tues Oct 13th 2015

In the last 24 hours there has been very little evident on 10m WSPR here. Today, sunspot number is 51 (K=4) and 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor". To be honest, I am not expecting much today on 10m, but I hope to be pleasantly surprised. You never know...

East Cambs Net - 144.575MHz FM, 8pm Mondays

This evening, I was late joining the net and when I arrived there was no-one on!  Usually there are at least 3 of us on. Maybe some are away. All being well I shall be there on time next Monday evening.

Grass cutting - NOT amateur radio

We are now clearly in autumn and the leaves are starting to fall. Today, I cut our front lawn (rear later all being well) but the intervals between cuts is lengthening as the grass is growing less. One, maybe two, more cuts and that should be it until the spring arrives. I usually give it a small tidy-up if needed on a dry winter day. The first cut of spring is usually March.

As Melanie Reid said in The Times on Saturday (she is tetraplegic since a riding accident in April 2010) there are those that live and those that live in fear. We are not in control, despite our best efforts, so let us all try to be with those who live and embrace all life.

5MHz band?

The next world radio conference (WRC-2015) is drawing close to opening. Worldwide, radio amateurs are hoping for a contiguous 5MHz allocation, rather than the channelised allocations common in many countries. A 60m band would be really useful as the sunspot numbers decline and the higher HF bands become far less useful for DX. Whether this contiguous allocation will happen remains to be seen. Most of the lobbying has been done, so I guess we now have to wait and hope.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon Oct 12th 2015

Sunspot number, although low,  is slowly climbing again and is 36 today (K=3) but 10m is yet again forecast to have "poor" propagation.

So far, just local G4IKZ (18km) spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon (100% TX, randomised frequency), although I'll leave this running all day. 6m WSPR is also running (20% TX, 80% RX 1W ERP).

UPDATE 1137z:  Still just local G4IKZ spotting me on 10m WSPR and nothing at all on 6m either given or received.

MLS FT991 video

MLS have dropped their price to match the competition this weekend, but I expect to see further falls soon They have a nice video introducing this radio.

ICOM IC7300 in RadCom?

My new copy of RadCom is due towards the end of next week. I wonder, if as in PW, there will be a "tight lipped" policy as appears to be the case for all advertising in PW a few weeks ago? You can almost hear ICOM saying, "do NOT sell the IC7300, as this is for NEXT year, if at all".

Certainly the UK selling price of the Yaesu FT991 has, as predicted, dropped some way. This will go lower still in the months ahead. If the IC7300 has had to be delayed (software issue maybe, or are they afraid the lack of 2m/70cm will be a problem, or is there a major design issue, or are they worried about the selling price versus the Yaesu FT991?) this would be a great shame.

I was expecting to see this in the UK by Christmas and selling for less than the FT991. I now have my doubts. The next RadCom may give us some clues.

See http://www.cqdx.ru/ham/new-equipment/icom-ic-7300-hf-50-mhz-transceiver/ .

Illness - NOT amateur radio

This last week, in addition to the problems that remain as a result of my stroke, I was laid low by a nasty stomach bug.  Even now, I am sure this is draining me as I feel even more exhausted than normal. Usually I feel wobbly when walking but the levels of extreme fatigue were easing. I still got exhausted doing physical or mental things for 15-20 minutes or more, but with rest I soon recovered.

These last few days I have lost weight because of my stomach bug and I feel abnormally tired. I have routine doctors appointment on Thursday and I will discuss if there are not signs of things getting back to todays' "normal".

To be honest, I have not felt well for some weeks.

Sunspots and 10m - Sun Oct 11th 2015

Sunspot number is still low at 22 (K=2) and 10m propagation is forecast to be "poor". I see some decent F2 distances are being reported by some in Europe, especially over the equator.

UPDATE 1537z:   Because of family and grandchildren, I have only just turned on the 10m 500mW WSPR beacon. I may have missed the best today. Just local G4IKZ (18km) logging me so far on 10m WSPR.