First swifts spotted - NOT amateur radio

To me, swifts herald summer. Today, just before lunch, I spotted my first 2 swifts of the season high overhead. This is about the time I first see them here. There have been reports of swifts in Devon for a couple of weeks.

Hearing these summer visitors screaming in the evening sky brings real joy to my heart. Summer is nearly here!

Swifts have much narrower scythe like wings than swallows and house martins. They are late to arrive and leave early. They spend most of their lives on the wing. Years ago one crashed in the road and I was lucky enough to care for it overnight and handle it. The next day it just flew off!

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/s/swift/

FCC - so so S L O W .....wake me!

It is hard to believe just how slow the FCC is being over the release of the 137kHz and 472kHz bands in the USA.  Years have passed and neither band is released. The FCC is worried about interference to utilities. For goodness sake! Surely they could release both bands with a tight ERP level initially on a "non interference" basis? I moan about OFCOM but the FCC seems far far worse!

This is from the ARRL site...

"Meanwhile, the Amateur Radio community continues to await action on ET Dockets 12-338 and 15-99 that would spell out service rules for the new 2200 and 630 meter Amateur Radio bands. The FCC was expected to issue a Report and Order last fall. That subsequently got moved back to the first quarter of 2016, which also has slipped.
Regulatory provisions under consideration have included a possible notification requirement by some radio amateurs to utilities that operate PLC systems in that region of the spectrum, prior to their starting operation on either new band. Utilities use unlicensed PLC systems to control parts of the electrical power grid.
Earlier this year, the ARRL has asked the Commission not to adopt overly broad requirements to notify utilities in advance of intended Amateur Radio operation on the pending bands. The Amateur Service would gain access to 135.7-137.8 kHz (2200 meters) and 472-479 kHz (630 meters). Both bands have been used by numerous Experimental (Part 5) licensees, and the ARRL’s WD2XSH 600 Meter Experiment continues."

FCC - the world looks on and is amazed!! Wake up!! One cannot help thinking that the FCC is a pile of bureaucrats who do not understand radio. Please, release these bands in the USA.

Ossett UKAC Operators

I received a very kind letter from Robert G8BUN inviting me to become an Honorary Member at Ossett Amateur Radio Operators as I operate in the UKAC contests. This was very kind and much appreciated. My voice is not good and I am pretty limited in operating time on all speech modes.

10m and 6m WSPR

I went QRT on 630m (472kHz) WSPR about 50 minutes go and returned to 10m and 6m WSPR. Overnight on MF there were no great surprises with just DC0DX (467km) spotted. There are far fewer active TX stations on the band now.

UPDATE 0940z:  No spots yet on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR.

UPDATE 1048z:  Still no 10m and 6m WSPR spots. 

UPDATE DF4UE (758km) spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR this afternoon. Es I assume.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed May 4th 2016

Solar flux is 91. Sunspot number is 57 today (moderate) and K=0. The propagation forecast for 10m remains "poor" again. Let's hope there is some Es to liven things up on 10m and 6m.

Dad - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday would have been my dad's birthday. He would have been 98 although sadly he died in his late 60s in 1987 from a heart attack. I can't imagine him being 98. He died young but he was otherwise healthy to his end.

I regret not speaking to him about his Pathfinder years in the RAF. There were brave young men on both sides in WW2. Dad did not like to speak about those days. Looking back he was very very brave.

The war years impacted him greatly and he was happy not to be reminded of them. The funny thing is if he walked in the door now it would seem so natural. There is so much I'd want to talk with him about.

If your parents are still alive ask them the questions before it is too late.

Sepura shares - NOT amateur radio

Although a long way below their peak, Sepura (SEPU) shares are rising again today despite a large fall in the FTSE 100 share index. At the moment they are trending upwards. You may recall that this was the company I worked for before I retired 8 years ago. How time flies!

See http://www.lse.co.uk/ShareChart.asp?chart=intraday&sharechart=SEPU&share=sepura

UPDATE 1500z:  At the moment these are 80.5p. They have been climbing for several days in a row now.

More from OFCOM

See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1st-tues-0516 for more from OFCOM.

"Ofcom is committed to a thriving telecoms sector where companies can compete fairly and businesses and customers benefit from the choice of a broad range of services."

Yes. 

2m UKAC tonight

A reminder that the 2m leg of the RSGB's activity contest is tonight 1900-2130z. The 2m leg is the first Tuesday of the month. With warmer weather, we can expect more portable stations active on hilltops.

As usual, I shall be on with 5W SSB QRP and my big-wheel horizontal omni antenna. 200km seems about my maximum range, although I rarely stay on for more than 60 minutes as my voice is so poor.

Not having to turn the antenna is helpful. If the station is a decent strength then it is worth calling. I usually go looking for others which I find is the best tactic with QRP. This is usually productive although I keep missing others using the same technique such as G2XV who is quite local!

UPDATE 2100z: In the end I worked 9 stations with best DX 172km. See map below of QSOs. Heard but not worked were stations in Wales, Cornwall and France. I had to give up after 60 minutes because of my poor voice.

Matching the earth-electrode "antenna" at 472kHz

I get asked how I match my earth-electrode "antenna" at 472kHz. Well, it depends on your ground resistance. At my old QTH I just connected the transverter directly to the earth electrodes as my ground looked like somewhere between 40-60 ohms resistive. I used an audio oscillator and looked for half voltage by adjusting the series resistance. At the "new" QTH the earth resistance is much higher so I added a 3C90 step-up 42mm diameter transformer and adjust the tap on the secondary for maximum antenna current. I am sure the purists will have a good laugh, but it works. Here is a photo showing the arrangement. I am sure the purists will ask how did you determine the windings? In good amateur fashion I experimented and found what worked. Incidentally, I tried the earth-electrode "antenna" on 160m and on the first night was spotted in Sweden! I think it works as a loop in the ground and would be bigger at lower frequencies. At 137kHz it should form quite a large loop in the ground, although I have not tried this band at all at this QTH. I got the 3C90 toroid from Farnell a few years ago. I assume these are still available.

3C90 matching transformer and antenna current meter for 472kHz