RSGB Band Plans

I have a love/hate relationship with my national society. In many ways they do a very good job. At the same time they seem to have a "thing" about AM.

Yet again, there is ZERO acknowledgement of 10m AM except a (begrudged?) comment that 29-29.1MHz is in the 6kHz wide all mode section. No explicit mention that this is where AM can be found. Indeed a year ago an RSGB official told me he had no idea about 10m AM!! AM has been just above 29MHz for as long as I can remember: got it RSGB?

The 2m AM centre of activity of 144.55MHz gets again a (begrudged?) footnote, whereas other modes get explicit mention.

No, the RSGB  hates AM. This is my conclusion. This is a stupid stance. There is plenty of space for AM on 10m and the VHF bands. AM gear is low cost too.

I love digital modes but AM has a place.

10m WSPR - just local so far

G0HWW (29km) is the only station spotting me on 10m WSPR today so far.  Although there may be some DX later, I am not too hopeful on 10m.

UPDATE 1535z:  Just been spotted in Brazil on 10m WSPR by KD0VWO (7412km). So far this is the only DX spot on 10m WSPR all day.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs Feb 18th 2016

Solar flux is 97 today (lower than of late). Sunspot number is 60 (K=4). 10m propagation is expected to be "poor" today. I am not expecting great things of 10m again today as conditions look quite disturbed.

Kia - NOT amateur radio

Just (a few days ago) received this from EMG in Cambridge. I wonder if Kia also needs to quietly update its software? This is the first time I heard about this. Suspicious or a genuine product enhancement?

Dear Mr xxxxx

Service Action notice

We have been advised that a product enhancement is available for your car, xxyyyzzz.  It is important that these improvements are applied and we have been requested by Kia Motors to do so.

As your Kia dealer we like to take care of our customer’s cars.  We believe in Family-Like Care, and that extends from our service to you and to the care we give your car. 

While your car is in our care we will complete a comprehensive Vehicle Health Check to make sure that it is in the best condition possible and will advise you of any actions required. 

We can provide collection and delivery at your home or workplace and we can also arrange alternative transport if required.  You are also welcome to wait in our customer area; we’ll make sure we don’t keep you waiting any longer than we need to. Just let us know what suits you best.

Remember that if repairs are needed we will always use genuine parts from Kia, which are covered by a 2-year warranty and the correct specifications of the latest lubricants.  Our technicians are trained by the Kia Academy and use Kia specialist tools.  At the same time we will use the Kia Global Diagnostic System to make sure the latest updates from Kia are applied to your car.

Please get in touch with us on 01223 478478 to arrange a convenient appointment.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Yours sincerely

Grandchildren in Paris - NOT amateur radio

This afternoon both sets of grandchildren are in Paris. The "Kent" ones are just there for a few days holiday and the "London" ones are there visiting their grandparents. Both sets went by Eurostar train. The picture shows the "London" ones on the train with their mum. Centre of London to centre of Paris by direct train in about 2.5  hours. Wonderful.

10m DX on WSPR

EA8/DL9XJ (2981km) and KD0VWO (7412km) are the best DX so far on 10m WSPR today. No USA spots, although with fairly disturbed conditions I am not expecting much.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed Feb 17th 2016

We have had no internet most of the day, so I have been unable to check things and update blogs until now.

Solar flux today is 102 and sunspot number 49 (K=4). The 10m forecast is "poor" today. I am not expecting much today.

10m GDX

G4CUI (172km) has been spotted several times this evening. I assume this is tropo and aircraft reflection. There were no USA 10m WSPR spots here today although I was spotted in Brazil several times.

House quiet - NOT amateur radio

After 4 nights, the "London" grandchildren have been collected and have returned home. We enjoyed having them , but by the end I was exhausted. The house is quiet again - but tidy! We love having them though and will miss them.

10m not as good?

Although I have been spotted in Brazil several times, at the moment there have been no USA spots on 10m today. There have been a few short-skip spots as well.