Sunspots and 10m - Thurs April 28th 2016

Solar flux is 91 today (up a little) and sunspot number 86 (which is way up). K=2. The forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor".

10m and 6m WSPR today

As yesterday, I am on 10m WSPR TX (500mW,100%, randomised TX frequency) and 6m (1W ERP, vertical, 20%, RX 80%) but I will switch to 630m tonight.

UPDATE 1112z:  No spots yet.

UPDATE 1226z:  A couple of Es spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR this lunchtime. OZ9QV (864km) was the station who spotted me twice.

UPDATE 1552z: OE6PWD (1232km) has spotted me on 10m WSPR a couple of times this afternoon.

472kHz WSPR overnight

Guess who forgot to press the "enable TX" button? Yes, me. Overnight the usual suspects were copied: EA5DOM, LA8AV, LA3EQ, F6GEX and F1AFJ, but no Germans. As I was not transmitting I was (unsurprisingly!) copied by no-one at all.

QSY to 472kHz WSPR

Just after 1900z I went QRT on 6m and 10m and moved down to 630m (472kHz) WSPR.  It would be good to reach Norway again, as last night on 472kHz, although I think this is unlikely. I shall stay on MF until after breakfast.

UPDATE 2102z:  LA8AV (1035km) has been spotted several times already, but no-one has yet spotted me. I get the feeling signals are not as good?  Maybe the noise levels are creeping up?

Witchford Walk - NOT amateur radio

This morning the sun shone. As I write this, we have hail again!

On the walk we saw baby moorhens, swallows, house martins, a blackcap, a chiffchaff and a buzzard among the many. It was a shortish walk. It is years since I was last in this village near Ely.

The name "Witchford" comes from witches. Not far away is the village of "Coveney", which must also have past connections with the dark side.

Lots of 10m Es this lunchtime

There was a lot of Es around on 10m WSPR today. Some of the signal reports are very strong.  I think I need to switch to my TX only 500mW W0LF 10m WSPR beacon so I can use the FT817 and PC for 6m WSPR.

UPDATE 1325z:  It is hailing again here. Quite heavy too!

UPDATE 1406z:  I have now switched to 1W ERP on 6m WSPR and 500mW (TX only) on 10m WSPR. No spots yet on either band since switching over.

UPDATE 1648z: Spots from EA7 and OZ of my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon, but nothing on 6m either given or received.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed April 27th 2016

Solar flux is 86 but the sunspot number has jumped to 65 (K=2). The 10m propagation forecast remains "poor".

UPDATE 0909z:  No 10m spots given or received, as yet.

Over 1000km again on 472kHz WSPR TX (5mW ERP)

Although there are fewer stations active now as the DX season ends, I was spotted in Norway again last night on 472kHz WPSR by LA8AV (1035km) at 0242z.  I think this is the third time I have been spotted this year in Norway on 472kHz WSPR using my earth-electrode "antenna". Not my best DX on TX but pleasing nonetheless.

Return to 472kHz WSPR

Since finishing in the 6m UKAC contest after 30 minutes because of my poor voice, I returned to 472kHz WSPR. As yet, no spots given or received.

UPDATE 2045z:   M0LMH (223km) and G0MQW (123km) now spotting my 5mW ERP 472kHz WSPR.

UPDATE 2206z:  Now G8LCO (58km) is also spotting me. M0LMH has spotted 9 times so far this evening. As yet I have spotted no-one, which is unusual.

50MHz (6m) UKAC tonight

Although I only have only a vertical V2000 for 6m and can only run 5W pep, I shall give this contest a go this evening.  Usually I stop on for less than an hour because of my poor voice.

See www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/contest_rules.pl?year=2016&contest=6mukac&seq= .

UPDATE 1950z:  Just 3 local QSOs tonight, although I was only using 5W pep, omni-vertical (V2000) and only on for 30 minutes.