Parakeets - NOT amateur radio

We are "grandchildren sitting" in Stoke Newington, London, but are back home today. One difference is hearing parakeets first thing in the morning. There are lots of these in nearby Springfield Park. I see these Australian birds have now reached Plymouth. They are becoming naturalised and spreading widely. At one time these escaped cage birds would have been rare indeed here in the UK.

It is hard to believe that collared doves first appeared in the UK in 1955. Little egrets were virtually unknown in the UK before the late 1980s and now they are all over the place.

There are different species of parakeets, but I think those spreading are from the same core stock, but this may not be the case: several escapees may have survived and bread in the wild in the UK.

 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parakeet .

More from OFCOM

OFCOM has allocated new spectrum for programme makers and special events. I suppose we should be grateful that OFCOM has done something useful.

See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/new-spectrum-audio-PMSE/statement

Sunspots and 10m - Fri March 11th 2016

Solar flux is 95 and sunspot number is 61 (K=3) and 10m propagation is again expected to be "poor". We will see how 10m WSPR turns out later. On the face of it, 10m looks like yesterday but with more disturbed conditions, so I am not that hopeful.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs March 10th 2016

Solar flux is 96 and sunspot number 61 (K=2). 10m propagation is forecast to remain "poor" again.

10m WSPR today

A bit disappointing on 10m WSPR today. Maybe tomorrow will bring better results? As the solar activity gradually declines, 10m DX will be harder to find. It is there, at least on some days, and this is where WSPR really will prove useful.

FTSE 100 - NOT amateur radio

The FTSE 100 ended the day up 0.34%. I am still expecting large falls but so far this has not happened. Sentiment is pushing it higher but reality should push it well down.

I can't help thinking we are living in a parallel universe where reality does not apply.

With all the debt and uncertainty in the world, I think those who invest in the companies listed in the FTSE 100 are living their lives with their eyes and ears closed. At some point, reality will set in and the brown stuff will hit the fan big time and all hell will let loose. At some point, the world faces a MASSIVE re-adjustment and no-one will be immune.

Growth cannot continue in a world with limited resources. Also, living on debt cannot go on for ever. When interest rates are very low it may make sense, but what happens when these rise? China is a real danger and so apparently is Japan. 

Sunspots and 10m - Wed March 9th 2016

Solar flux is 95 today. Sunspot number is 48 (K=2) and the forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor".

70cm UKAC activity contest last night

Last night was the 70cm UKAC activity contest which is a monthly event organised by the RSGB.  I started out (5W pep) using my 2m big-wheel but swapped to the 2m halo as the match was better on 70cm. This maybe because the coax feeding the halo is far more lossy than that to the big-wheel.  It meant my ERP was even lower because of the feeder loss.

In all I worked just 3 stations before going QRT after less than 1 hour because of my poor voice. There were very few portable stations heard. No great DX was heard or worked on this occasion.

Some of the locals who were doing "search and pounce" such as G2XV. The CDARC station was strong but they were moving so I did not work them. A few others were missed too. I expect there will be more out on hilltops when the weather gets better.

China meltdown? - NOT amateur radio

Is China's stock market a threat to the whole world? This video is frightening.

Broadband - NOT amateur radio

Just had a free upgrade on broadband from Virgin Media on their cheapest package. I am pleased. It was even faster when I tried it earlier - and this is over a wi-fi connection for the last bit. The TV internet connection is separate and not included, so this is the speed on a laptop in the lounge. It is more than enough for us.