Sunspots and 10m - Friday September 30th 2016

It seems amazing that we are already at the end of September. Time flies by!

Solar flux is 83 today. Sunspot number is 17. K=4. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation is, yet again, "poor".

10m WSPR and 6m JT65 again

As in recent mornings, I decided to go on 6m JT65 (a couple of spots by UK stations) and 10m WSPR (nothing yet) initially. I will probably switch to 10m JT65 only later this afternoon in the hope of catching some DX. Best DX on 6m JT65 RX is 107km at present.

OFCOM consultation on DECT

See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/DECTGB/#utm_source=updates&utm_campaign=DECT&utm_medium=email .

OFCOM are consulting on DECT.

365project - NOT amateur radio

For several years now, my wife and I have done a photo each day as a kind of visual diary. You can see these at:

http://365project.org/g3xbm/365  (me)
http://365project.org/foxes37/365 (my wife)

For $19.99 a year you can make your pictures private and have more albums. We have the free membership, which anyone can sign up for. It is great fun to look back and see what we have done. My wife's favorite trick is to say when friends and relatives came to see us. She can usually pinpoint the exact day. Sad?

Some people use this to show off their excellent photography skills. I'm afraid our photos are more mundane. Some pictures are good, but most are very average. To us it is a visual diary. It is a good discipline too. I have much enjoyed doing it.

QSYed

At about 1426z I went QRT on 6m JT65 and 10m WSPR and am now active on 10m JT65 only. I took the opportunity to check the PC clock was synchronised to internet time.

UPDATE 1728z:  PU3AMB (10431km) in southern Brazil has been spotted on 10m JT65. Even with very disturbed conditions and low sunspot numbers 10m JT65 still reaches deep into South America.

UPDATE 2056z: A couple of stations from Belarus now being copied. Es? No further South Americans copied tonight.

630m Transverter

A reminder that there was a 4 page article in Sept QST on the design of my simple transverter for 630m. This is also on my main website at www.g3xbm.co.uk. I use it with my FT817, but other rigs could be used.

630m is a good band and the transverter puts out 10-15W into 50 ohms. Even with my earth-electrode "antenna" it has spanned most of western Europe on TX with a measured ERP of about 5mW on WSPR.

6m JT65 and 10m WSPR

Because of the internet outage, I have only just returned to 6m JT65. I have been on 10m WSPR since 0600z synchronising time using the radio BBC pips rather than internet time, as I had no choice.

UPDATE 1238z: G4KPX (14km) spotted me on 10m WSPR and G0LRD (25km), G3YDY (65km) and G6GEI (73km) are spotting me on 6m JT65. No Es or F2 seen here yet.

Rallies

30 SEPTEMBER & 1 OCTOBER : NATIONAL HAMFEST
Newark & Nottinghamshire Showground, Lincoln Road, Winthorpe, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2NY. Brought to you by the RSGB in association with the Lincoln Short Wave Club. The venue has free car parking and has disabled facilities. There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy, car boot area, flea market, special interest groups and RSGB bookstall. There will also be representatives from the RSGB Services and committees. Morse proficiency test will be available. The venue has catering outlets and a seating area. www.nationalhamfest.org.uk.

Saturday 1 OCTOBER : LAUGHARNE 'TIN SHED' RALLY
Tin Shed Experience, Clifton St, Laugharne, Carmarthen SA33 4QG Doors open from 10am to 2pm. There will be traders, a Bring & Buy and a flea market. Refreshments are available including bacon sandwiches. Details from Matthew, GW6KOA on 01994 427 581 or by email to matthew.twyman63@btinternet.com

2 OCTOBER BRITISH VINTAGE WIRELESS SOCIETY AUTO JUMBLE 
The Angel Leisure Centre, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1SF. Doors open from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Stalls £30, admission £5 with early admission from 9.30am available at £10. For bookings/enquiries please ring 01892 540 022 (8pm to 9pm only). www.audiojumble.co.uk.

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

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday September 29th 2016

Solar flux is 84 today and the sunspot number 20. K=5. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

Lack of internet - NOT amateur radio

We lost our Virgin Media broadband and TV yesterday and it has just come back. I rang up to complain, saying I was leaving to go to another provider, and was upgraded to a faster internet speed for free and my monthly bill was slashed. They will also compensate me for the loss of service. If you are not satisfied with your bill or service tell your service provider!