Coast walk - NOT amateur radio

So, I was going to do some radio operating from a bench on the coastal path but instead we went for a walk along the coastal path in the glorious sunshine. In all I walked about 3.5km, which in my current state is quite good. Years ago this would have been trivial.  This is Thurlestone, Devon looking towards Burgh Island.

Salcombe, Devon - NOT amateur radio

Many years ago, I was brought up in Salcombe, Devon. At the time I had no idea how lucky I was. This week we returned. During my illness over the last 3 years there had been times when I thought I would never ever see Salcombe again. Thankfully I have been back now and there is every likelihood we'll visit again in the future. The area is very beautiful.

The photo show the main street. Sadly, Salcombe has many second homes that are empty much of the time. Locals are priced out and many of the local shops are replaced by clothes shops catering for the well heeled. Will Salcombe follow St Ives and stop new second homes?

10m Es today?

Later, I may get a change to do some portable clifftop radio with the FT817ND from a location in Devon. Let's hope for some Es!

Sunspots and 10m - Sat May 14th 2016

Solar flux is 96 today and sunspot number 76 (K=2). The propagation forecast for 10m remains "poor".

50 years ago to the day

It is exactly 50 years ago to the day (Fri May 13th 1966) that I took my RAE (Radio Amateurs Exam) in Plymouth. Passing this was my start in transmitting in amateur radio. In those days we only had access to 70cms and above (not 2m) with a G8 call, but you were allowed to operate a full licensee's station under supervision. I used to operate G4PJ under Bill's instruction when I had a G8 call. I took my Morse test when at university in December 1967 and got my G3XBM call shortly afterwards.

Sunspots and 10m - Fri May 13th 2016

Solar flux is 95 today (creeping up) and sunspot number 67 (K=2). The 10m propagation forecast remains "poor".

6m Es and DXTV

There seems to have been a little Es in evidence on 6m WSPR this lunchtime with DL3NGN spotted in the UK. Certainly later in the season we can expect 6m Es most days.

In the old days, DXTV on Band 1 was an almost daily occurrence with RAI (Italy) and TVE (Spain) often seen. These were 625 lines whereas Band 1 TV in the UK was 405 lines. French 819 line TV appeared as 2 visible signals side-by-side on unmodified UK sets. I can remember to this day the Es signal from the South of France broadcasting "midi-Pyrenees". At times it was just like a local!

10m Es

Yet again, 10m WSPR has shown Es propagation in Europe this morning. I guess 10m Es will be with us most days now until late summer. I certainly livens up the band, which can seem very quiet compared with a few years ago.

Southgate News - NOT amateur radio

Southgate News (always worth a look every few days) reports that a NASA commercial cargo spacecraft touched down in the eastern Pacific with a valuable cargo from the ISS.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2016/may/dragon_spacecraft_splashdown.htm .

Nuclear Fusion - NOT amateur radio

There is lots of research going on into nuclear fusion.

Unlike nuclear fission which is used today and results in long-term nuclear waste, nuclear fusion could use the almost endless supplies of non-polluting deuterium in seawater. It is probably decades away from being commercially possible as the technical challenges are immense. Research is starting to yield results though.

Nuclear fusion holds the potential for almost endless, low cost, energy. It could hold the keys to the future, but it is not yet possible, although the research must continue. This is one area where worldwide collaboration would benefit us all.

As for electric cars, although a "good idea" I think range is a real killer. Most journeys are short, I know, but ranges of several hundred miles on a charge are really needed and I just can't see this even with the best battery technology likely in the next few decades. Replacement batteries for electric cards are very expensive. No, this is an area where a lot more research is needed both in transport for the masses in an age beyond carbon and in battery technology. We need some "thinking outside the box" in these areas. Cars that do not need diesel or petrol are essential. We have to crack this one and come up with good solutions.