Quiet start today

I was not on overnight but restarted the 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 at breakfast. So far, just one Es spot on 10m WSPR by EA1FAQ (1249km) and none at all (yet) on 6m where I have been spotted by a couple of Gs, probably by tropo or aircraft reflection. I have also been spotted by EI4DQ (576km) on 6m JT65. It is just possible this was Es, but more likely aircraft reflection.

UPDATE 1124z: On 6m JT65 I have spotted EA1YV (1289km) and a French station, so there is 6m Es about.

Plenty of 6m Es

6m JT65 (1W ERP vertical) has been good with Es and other modes today. There has been widespread Es as well as tropo and aircraft reflections. In all, 6m is still good. Es continues on 10m too with a 10m WSPR spot from Finland.

See https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html .

OFCOM crappery

So, I tried to log in to check my amateur licence is still validated. As it was some years since I logged in, I had forgotten my password so I wanted to request a new one. It did not even recognise my email!!  Give up.

Do they add any value?

JT65 on 10m - well soon

With good Es still on both 10m and 6m, I am reluctant to swap from JT65 on 6m to JT65 and JT9-1 on 10m. As I've said before, it is a case of "either or" on 10m JT65 as I cannot use my W5OLF beacon stand alone as it only works on 10m WSPR. For 10m JT modes I need the FT817 and the PC.  I am sure there is more activity on JT modes (certainly true on 6m).

Even though JT modes are less good than WSPR, this is made up for by the 1 minute cycle time and greater activity. I shall probably swap to 10m JT modes mid-August.

Church blog addition - NOT amateur radio

See http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/

This now includes Mildenhall in Suffolk. Supposedly, the largest church in Suffolk according to Simon Knott who knows a few things!

10m and 6m

On 10m WSPR (500mW) just one early Es spot from northern Spain EA1FAQ (1249km) and otherwise just Richard G4KPX (14km) spotting me.

On 6m JT65 (1W ERP vertical) several UK spots plus one from near Paris, which I think was aircraft refection as it would be very close for Es.

Sunspots and 10m - Saturday July 30th 2016

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot number 13 (K=2). The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor". I'd like to try 10m JT65 but this means going QRT on 6m and 6m is proving quite interesting still with plenty of Es.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/ for more solar data.

6m Es today

There has been a plentiful amount of Es on 6m today. I have been on 6m JT65 all day (1W ERP vertical) and there has been lots of Es in evidence.

Same stations on 10m WSPR?

As well as low activity on 10m WSPR, when I am spotted it seems to be the same old stations. On 6m JT65 there seem to be more different stations.

More from OFCOM

See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/wt-exemption-2016/?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wt-regulations.