Sunspots and 10m - Wednesday August 17th 2016

Solar flux is 85 today and the sunspot number 81. K=2. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

UPDATE 1440z:  The K index has dropped to 1.

Chile spotted on 10m JT65

CE3RR (11751km) has just been spotted on 10m JT65. He was one of 2 stations in Chile spotted tonight. I am still on, so slightly hopeful someone there will spot my QRP.

Feeding Ducks - NOT amateur radio

A few weeks ago we went to Bath. The photo shows one of my granddaughters feeding ducks in a park.

Paraguay om 10m JT65 already!

ZP4KFX (10277km) has already spotted me on 10m JT65. This is earlier than previous days and bodes well for further spots from South America later.

Widespread Es on 10m JT65

https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html

There was widespread Es on 10m JT65 today with lots of Europeans spotting me or being spotted quite early. Just off the map extract was a station in Finland that I spotted.

Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday August 16th 2016

Solar flux is 88 today and the sunspot number 70. K=0. The 10m F2 propagation forecast is yet again "poor", although my 10m QRP JT65 was spotted in Paraguay again last evening. I presume this was F2.

Our rear garden in mid August - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows our garden in mid August. The rear garden always looks better in spring when there is lots of blossom. The rowan berries are out. The trees in the orchard next door are filled with apples and plums. Our sunflowers (in pots) have yet to flower. The windmill is just visible on the top RHS.

Paraguay (again) on 10m JT65

ZP4KFX (10277km) has again spotted my QRP JT65 on 10m 52 minutes ago. Every time I QSY to 10m he has copied me! PU2PWU (9572km) has been spotted here.

Now on 10m JT65

Earlier this afternoon I switched from 6m to 10m JT65. As expected, no G reports but a few Es spots from middle and southern Europe. I wonder if there will be any South Americans later? I think for now I have given up on WSPR as the WSPRRnet database seems so unreliable.

Expect me to be on 10m JT65 again tomorrow, although I may well stay on 10m JT65 overnight too.

10m WSPR and JT65

Yet again, it is the same stations spotting my 500mW on 10m WSPR - EA1FAQ, OZ7IT, OE6PWD and the WSPRnet database is still very slow. I think it is time for a more permanent move to 10m JT65. I shall change modes this afternoon. 10m WSPR has had its day.

Yes, I may try 10m WSPR again in the autumn. For now I shall be going QRT on 10m WSPR and giving JT65 a try. When not trying for 10m JT65 QSOs, I shall be sending "B G3XBM JO02".

The last time I went on 10m JT65 there were more people active than on WSPR but far fewer G spots than I got on 6m JT65. At least on 10m I am more likely to catch the fleeting F2 openings.