More QRP Club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

QRP  Rendez-Vous  Visitors  of  the last week:  UR0ET, RV3GM, SM2FIJ, OH6NPV,  UA1CEG, RW3AA, RU3NJC, RD7K,HB9DAX,  UA0SBQ,  RD6MZ, UA1CEX, PA3DEU,  UR7VT,  DF5SF,  DL7MA,  DL8NBG, G3UD, RN4NAA, EA7JUK, OM6TC, LA9QJA, LZ1HM, DK1AY, RA1M

RD7K  op.  Max, DF5SF op. Uli and LZ1HM op. Hristo became "rendezvous
Frequenters"! Congrats!

See "QRP Rendez-Vous" weekly report and "soapbox" here -
http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
See  full  Visitors  and Frequenters lists as well as QRP Rendez-Vous
schedule - www.club72.su

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

More about Socialhams

From OE8APR:

Hello dear OM Roger,
there is a new upcoming socialhams feature in preparation.

It is called APRSCaching and you can find a short description about
it in the attached PDF file. Before we can go live with this extension
we have to finish our own initial caches. So there will be some more
weeks before it is released to the public.

Anyway, I would be very happy if you can publish the attached PDF on your
blogging site and spread the word about this exciting step we will do soon.

Many thanks in advance!

vy 73 de Andreas
OE8APR

See https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15047843/APRSCaching_Abstract_en(1).pdf

Sunspots and 10m - Tues Feb 23rd 2016

Solar flux is 93 today and sunspot number just 29  (K=1). 10m is expected to remain "poor" today.

40m WSPR

Earlier this evening I switched from 10m to 40m WSPR. As I have an S8 noise floor I have not spotted anyone else yet although VA3KV (5318km) has spotted me on 40m WSPR as the best DX so far this evening. I'll remain on 40m WSPR overnight.

10m WSPR - a disappointing day

Well, what a disappointing day on 10m WSPR! Just a single spot all day! This was from KD6RF (7571km) at 1754z. I re-synced the PC and checked things were OK as until this time I got not a single spot and thought something was wrong at my end. We are seeing reduced 10m WSPR activity, even though conditions suggest more should have been possible.

Cambridge day - NOT amateur radio

On Mondays I go into Cambridge on the bus for my University of the Third Age course. As I have an hour to kill after the course, I usually grab a bite to eat choosing different places most weeks. This week, I tried one place which was busy and ended up getting the £3 lunch deal (filled roll and drink) which was very good value at Subway. Sadly, because of my poor voice, the assistant treated me as if I was simple-minded: she spoke very slowly as if I was stupid. I found this very frustrating, but for many it must be far worse.  Never, ever, assume someone is stupid just because they have a disability.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon Feb 22nd 2016

Solar flux is 95 and sunspot number 47 (K=0) today although 10m propagation is again expected to be "poor".

IC7300 First Impressions

AmateurRadio.com has a nice link to AB4BJ's blog on first impressions of the ICOM IC7300 transceiver including videos that I have not seen before. Look for Amateur Radio Weekly - issue 99.

If you are considering this radio, it is worth checking out. He was impressed. So was I.  At the moment, the IC7300 looks the favorite for my shack unless Yaesu announces a neat FT817 replacement that is stable, bug-free and available in the UK later this year at a sensible price.

As an IC703 replacement, I'd prefer a low power version, but this is unlikely to be available with CE (EU approvals) marking outside of Japan. 10W would suit me fine.

See http://ab4bj.com/wordpress/2016/02/first-impressions-of-the-icom-ic-7300-hf-6m-transceiver/?utm_source=amateur-radio-weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

FT817 replacement?

Somewhere on the grapevine - it may have been an earlier comment to a post (?) - I heard that the FT817ND is being discontinued. Is this another sign that a replacement is (eventually) on its way?

On the other hand it could be that Yaesu is in financial trouble and rationalising its product range. I sincerely hope it is not the latter. I have used Yaesu rigs for 40 years and they have never gone wrong.  Yaesu make some good products but as a proudly Japanese manufacturer they are not immune from the ravages of the economy.

Sunspots and 10m - Sun Feb 21st 2016

Solar flux is 98 today and sunspot number is 46 (K=1). 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor". All being well, I shall be back on 10m WSPR tomorrow now we are back home again.