MDT40 kit

Steve, G1KQH is building a kit from Australia - the MDT40. Because of family commitments, this is going slower than he'd like. The kit is 84 Australian dollars complete if buying outside Australia. It is a DSB rig for 40m available in 2 frequency ranges.

See http://g1kqh.blogspot.co.uk/ .

Southgate News - holiday?

I often check Southgate Amateur Radio News but there have been no updates for a week. Perhaps someone is away? Usually this is a good place to look.

UPDATE 1440z  Oct 3rd 2016: This is what I see when I link.

UPDATE 1815z Oct 3rd 2016: As "anonymous" said this was on their HOME page, where I don't normally look! Back tomorrow.

QRP on 10m and 6m

After the storms yesterday, I have returned to 10m WSPR and 6m JT65. After waiting for the PC to configure Windows updates, I turned on JT65 software and resynced to internet time.

UPDATE 0900z:  Nothing so far on 10m WSPR and just G0LRD (25km) spotting me on 6m JT65. No Es or F2.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday Oct 2nd 2016

Solar flux is 79 today but the sunspot number is zero! K=3. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

QRT

Darn it! Just when I was having 10m JT65 fun, there was a nasty storm quite close, so I have had to go QRT. Never mind. There will be other days.

UPDATE 2038z: The storm is now well out in the North Sea. I shall be back on tomorrow morning around breakfast time probably 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 until the afternoon.

South America (again) on 10m JT65

PU4EPM (9212km), Rio,  was copied at 1552z. Yet again this proves that 10m is far from dead.

UPDATE 1644z: So far, 4 Brazilian stations spotted on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1704z: Lots of Es from all over Europe on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1715z: Now it is 5 Brazilians all in the Sao Paulo and Rio areas on 10m JT65.

Solar activity

At the moment, although on the downward part of the solar cycle, conditions are still holding up. This autumn may yet be better than we had hoped. See http://www.solen.info/solar/ .

MW0CSO spotting me on 10m JT65

MW0CSO in North Wales is spotting me on 10m JT65. This is probably tropo or aircraft reflection. It is too close for Es/F and backscatter is unlikely.

Romania on 10m JT65

YO3GXC (2086km) in Bucharest has been spotted on 10m JT65. I assume this is Es, but it could be F2.

Storms?

With thunder and lightning not too far away, I need to keep a watchful eye out. If it gets too near I shall go QRT and disconnect rigs, antennas and PC. At the moment the storms are to the east and moving away, but things can change!

See http://www.lightningmaps.org/?lang=en

UPDATE 1510z: Storms now in Kettering/Thrapston area. Keeping an eye out!