Back on 10m WSPR

Last night, I was not on any band at all. I had a night off. I returned to 10m WSPR (2W TX 20%, RX 80%) at 1020z, although it could be a while before any spots appear.

This evening I may give 60m RX a go as I have not tried this band for a long time. I do have a 5MHz NoV so I could TX too if the antenna tunes up via the ATU.

Wicken Fen this afternoon - NOT amateur radio

We did a walk along the boardwalk at Wicken Fen this afternoon. As I am still wobbly from my stroke, this was much harder than usual. It took all my energy (in the wind) to stay upright and walking in the right direction, so little time to enjoy the views. Still, the walk did us good and the light was amazing.

10m WSPR good to the USA today

Several different USA stations spotted on 10m WSPR today and a couple of different USA stations spotting me too. Today is quite a good day on 10m. So much for the "poor" 10m forecast!

As I have said many times, I often find I get good results on 10m WSPR when the propagation is expected to be "poor". It sometimes (often?) pays to stick with 10m WSPR. 10m is a band filled with surprises and I am sure it is "open" far more often than people realise.

What band?

With my poor voice and often monitoring WSPR activity elsewhere in the home and not being physically in the shack (it takes only seconds to be in the shack though), I wonder what bands I should concentrate on. Habitually, I go on 10m daytime and either 630m (more recently 40m) WSPR after dark. I used to also go on 6m daytime but in several months I only had a handful of WSPR spots logged. Outside of the main 6m Es season, this band is hard work.

When in the shack, I try 20m JT9-1 and JT65 for 2-way contacts. WSPR suits my current needs well most of the time. I use voice modes infrequently as I find these hard going nowadays. I wish this was not so, but there you go! One has to adapt. I still lack the fine motor skills and energy for field work at present.

At some point I want to resume 481THz and VLF field work again. These gave me a lot of pleasure.  At present I am too lacking in energy. I tried a couple of field excursions last year, but it was too soon: my body was not ready. Instead, for now, I am concentrating on what I can do, at home.

So what would you recommend?

New radio?

For a while I have been considering investing in a new radio, possibly the Yaesu FT991 or the ICOM IC7300. As my voice is still poor, my inclination is to wait. Radios, once bought, are usually kept for many years. I consider them investments rather than "whim" purchases. My preference is another QRP radio as I prefer lower power. The low power (S version) of the IC7300 would be ideal but this is only available in Japan. This is a real shame.

Wicken Fen - NOT amateur radio

So far this month, we have been to 4 different National Trust properties and one of them twice. If the weather is dry, we hope to visit Wicken Fen this afternoon. This is near here. It is a small remnant of original fen. It can be quite bleak, but is very good for birds if one is patient. Years ago I saw a bittern here. The National Trust is hoping to buy land all the way to Cambridge so there is a corridor for wildlife for years to come.

UPDATE 1742z:  See later post.

Sunspots and 10m - Fri Jan 29th 2016

On average, solar conditions are deteriorating but this the average and we still get better days. Today solar flux is 111 (quite decent) and sunspot number is 64 (K=1). 10m propagation is expected to be "poor" again, although it would not surprise me if we see the USA appearing in WSPR spots after lunch.

After a night on 630m (472kHz) WSPR, I returned to 10m WSPR at 0955z. There were no surprises on MF overnight. It will take a while for things to settle on 10m, where I am again using 2W TX for 20% and on RX for 80%. Even at 2W, I seem to spot others more than I get spotted.

With the W5OLF beacon I TX 100% at 500mW but the TX frequency is randomised. Yesterday early evening there was evidence of wintertime Es on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1056z:  No 10m WSPR spots as yet.

UPDATE 1242z:  SP5TWA (1302km) was spotted at 1230z. Is this another case of wintertime Es?

Stroke - NOT amateur radio

Although I have been allowed to drive again for well over a year and I drive quite a long way if need be, I reckon driving now requires about 3-4 times the energy and concentration it did in pre-stroke days. I drive more slowly than I did and after a period of driving I feel very exhausted. My furthermost drive at a stretch is about 135 miles, with one short break on the way.

Return to 472kHz WSPR

After being on 10m WSPR during the day, I have returned to MF for the evening and overnight. Certainly it is a case of "more of the same"with best DX on RX being EA5DOM and the same people spotting me.  I shall stay on overnight in the hope that some new people are spotted or spot me.

Churches blog updated - NOT amateur radio

See http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/ .

Bell Cage at East Bergholt Church

Today we visited Flatford Mill (made famous by John Constable's paintings) and called in at East Bergholt on our way back. We visited the church and I have updated the blog accordingly.

Will Lott's cottage at Flatford Mill