Bolberry Down - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday, we went for a walk on Bolberry Down. 

It was from here that I worked a station in France (160km) with my handheld 10mW 2m Fredbox many years ago and South Africa with 1W pep on 10m. It is a lovely spot for a walk.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon May 16th 2016

Solar flux is 103 today. Sunspot number is 78 (K=3) and the 10m propagation forecast remains "poor". Let us hope there is 10m Es today, although there is a chance of N-S F2 on the band.

Evening stroll - NOT amateur radio

We are lucky that where we are staying is very near the coast. This evening we did a short stroll and got these views. Southernmost Devon really is the best place, although I am a bit biased!

Dad's seat - NOT amateur radio

My dad worked for the local water board in South Devon until he was 60, Then, for a few years he worked for the National Trust supervising youngsters on a job creation scheme restoring coastal footpaths. When he died the NT erected a couple of seats on the coast path in his memory. This is me sitting on one of them earlier.

 On the path it is quite common to see dung beetles and, of course, spectacular coastal views.

Kites (birds) - NOT amateur radio

At one time to see a kite outside Wales was rare. These days they seem to be everywhere. We saw one in the Cotswolds on our way to Devon on Friday.

I have seen a few swallows in South Devon as well as swifts, but I am sure there are fewer swallows about.

5GHz amateur band for wi-fi?

Southgate News has an item about the use of the 5GHz amateur band for wi-fi. This would be a controversial move, although in this case I have some sympathy with OFCOM. There are not many amateur users of this band and there would be widespread use of wi-fi.

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

Sunspots and 10m - Sun May 15th 2016

Solar flux is 102 today. Sunspot number is 88 (K=2). The forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor".

UK Rallies

Sunday 15 MAY : 1st NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS ARC RALLY
CANCELLED


Sunday 15 MAY : LAMFEST
Elescar Heritage Centre, Wath Road, Elsecar, Barnsley S74 8HJ Doors open for traders at 7am and tables are provided free of charge. The public gain access at 10am and admission is £2. All monies raise will be donated to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Further details from Ian O'Donnell, M0IOD on 0191 604 0255, 0748 212 3223 or sales@hamradio-shop.co.uk.

A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

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?