Sunspots and 10m - Friday January 20th 2017

Solar flux is 79 today and the sunspot number 26. A=11 and K=2.

630m and 10m WSPR

For a change today, I am staying on 630m (472kHz) WSPR all day (5mW ERP) on battery PC power so the noise floor on RX is low and I am on 10m WSPR (500mW, 100% TX) rather than JT65. PA0RDT (243km) was copying me on 630 WSPR in daylight. Overnight (actually yesterday evening) the best DX on 630m WSPR was LA3EQ/MW (769km) in Norway.

Memory - getting ever less expensive

It is fascinating to see the price of PC and camera memory getting lower and lower and the capacity increasing. Only a few years ago we thought a 1GB SD card was amazing. Now you can get 128GB (at least) on a mini SD card at quite respectable prices.

Ten years from now I expect we will be used to 1-2TB mini SD cards and think how did we manage in 2017? I recall the hard drive on my first PC was 0.5GB and we thought that was massive.

UPDATE 2035z: You can already buy a 512GB SD card!!

630m (472kHz)

Around 1830z I returned to 630m (472kHz ) WSPR. Initially I used the PC on batteries but it is now on mains power. On battery power the noise floor is low and best RX DX was LA8AV (1035km) in JO59 square. I am hopeful of reaching Norway again on TX tonight (5mW ERP, earth-electrodes).  It would be great to break the 1000km barrier on 630m TX this season, as I have yet to do so this year.

In past years, I reached Finland, which is much further. Another absentee this year is EA5DOM who was regularly copied last season on 630m WSPR. Maybe he is using a different mode or is on 137kHz?

See http://wsprnet.org/drupal/wsprnet/spots putting in "g3xbm" to see what is being spotted.

UPDATE 2000z: So far, only G4FTC (123km) is able to be spotted in my S8 noise  "fog" when I use the SMPSU on the shack PC.

UPDATE 2028z: Yet again, my best spot on 472kHz TX so far this evening is by PA0RDT (243km).

UPDATE 2104z: Still not been spotted further than Holland so far this evening on 630m WSPR TX.

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday January 19th 2017

Solar flux is 78 today.  Sunspot number is 25.  A=17 and K=3.

UPDATE 1240z: So far today, nothing remotely "DXy" seen on 10m JT65.

OFCOM

They have just published a statement about space spectrum.

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/space-spectrum-strategy?utm_source=updates&utm_campaign=Space-spectrum-statement&utm_medium=email

10m JT65

Following my usual pattern, I went QRT on 630m WSPR around 0800z and am now on 10m JT65 (2W), but no spots yet. 10m JT65 will probably be my "thing" until tonight.

UPDATE 1235z: Just G4CJC (73km) in North London spotted on 10m JT65 so far today. Nothing outside the UK spotting me, or being spotted, so far today.

472kHz WSPR overnight

No great excitement overnight with the best TX DX being spots from Holland on 472kHz WSPR (5mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground). Only 6 unique spots last night, which was rather disappointing.  At some point I must count how many unique spots I have had on the band this season, but I am sure it is fewer than a few years ago.

Ice Clouds? - NOT amateur radio

It was cold and bright here today. The photo was taken by my XYL on our way to Cambridge this afternoon.

472kHz last evening and overnight

Best DX on 472kHz WSPR TX was LA3EQ/E (769km). As usual I was using 5mW ERP from the earth-electrodes in the ground. Best RX DX was DH5RAE (995km).