70cms beacons

Last year, I could always hear the Leicester 70cm beacon GB3LEU on 432.490MHz when listening on my 2m big wheel antenna. I can no longer hear it so there are several possibilities: (1) it is not operational at present, (2) summertime and the attenuation through trees over this 100km (ish) path is now too great, (3) there is water in my antenna or cable? GB3UHF in Kent is operational on 432.430MHz I am told. Although the co-sited GB3VHF beacon is a decent signal on the big-wheel omni on 2m, I have been unable to find the UHF beacon with the same antenna so far. It may be just there, but it is below noise most of the time.

UPDATE 1504z: GB3LEU is shown as "off air". That explains a lot! See http://www.leicestershirerepeatergroup.org.uk/beacons/gb3leu.html

Garden birds - NOT amateur radio

Young starling on seed feeder

We have lived here for 3 years now. We see fewer small birds than at our old house despite lots of cover and an orchard right next door. Here we see a young starling on the seed feeder.

More from OFCOM

See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/EE-licence-variation-1990-1920MHz/?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ee-licence-variation-request.

More from OFCOM.

Tokyo Ham Fair 2016

See http://www.jarl.org/English/4_Library/A-4-6_ham-fair/ham-fair.ht

As I mentioned yesterday, this is a big Japanese event, although I expect few outside of Japan will be able to go.Nonetheless, it is worth checking for announcements of new rigs. Last year ICOM launched their IC7300 at this event and there were lots of videos.

UK Rally

Sunday 21 AUGUST : RUGBY ATS ANNUAL RADIO RALLY
Princethorpe College, Princethorpe, Rugby, CV23 9PY Doors open at 8.30 for traders and at 10am to 4pm for the public. Admission is £3. There will be a car boot area and catering will be available on site. More details from Tony, G0OLS on 07759 684 411. www.rugbyats.co.uk.

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

Be sure to contact the organiser to check arrangements before going any distance!

Switched modes and bands

I have returned to 10m WSPR and 6m JT65. About 2 minutes ago, I restarted the shack PC and did a re-sync to internet time.

UPDATE 1102z: Just a couple of G spots on 6m JT65, but nothing on 10m WSPR so far. At the moment there is no Es here on either band.  JT65 on 6m seems to get G spots whereas 10m WSPR does not, well not very often. As we are more or less at the end of the main Es season, activity is dropping off.

UPDATE 1353z:  Still no Es seen here on 10m or 6m. Others may do better, but it seems pretty quiet here to me.

UPDATE 1435z: I have the feeling there will be no Es here today. I may go back to 10m JT65 to see if South America is within reach today.

Es - all quiet here so far

10m JT65 is my mode and band today currently. As yet, no Es seen, although it is still very early. I may give 6m JT65 another go as I seem to spot more inter-G on 6m than on 10m. If so, I shall go on 10m WSPR as the beacon and antenna will be freed  up.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday August 19th 2016

Solar flux is 80 today and the sunspot number 54. K=1. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor" although every time I have been on 10m in the last week South America has been in reach on 10m QRP JT65. This band is often "open" even when it appears dead.

More Tits - NOT amateur radio

Long tail tit at seed feeder (close-up)

Well this morning there were three long tailed tits on the bird table. The photo shows one on the seed feeder. I tried to photograph all three but they kept flying away! Long tailed tits tend to go around in flocks. At one point there were long tailed, coal and blue tits at the bird table. We also get great tits.

South America (again) on 10m JT65

On every occasion I've been on 10m JT65 recently I have been spotted, or spotted others, in South America. This evening at 1726z PU2TWU (9572km) was spotted. 10m is still open for N-S paths as JT65 proves. My recommendation is leave WSPR or JT running in the background to spot these openings.