6m MSK144 RX and 10m WSPR TX

This morning I am on 6m MSK144 RX and on 10m WSPR TX (500mW). At the moment I have a local noise source on 6m (a pulse about every 1 second) that I hope will go away. The FT817 noise blanker has no effect.

I am on 10m WSPR as this uses a separate W5OLF WSPR-AXE beacon and this is separate from the FT817 on 6m which uses the tri-band V2000 vertical antenna and the shack PC.

UPDATE 0927z: No spots as yet.

UPDATE 0935z:  My noise on 6m has gone enabling me to spot OZ1PIF (850km) and G3RED (91km) on 6m MSK144.

UPDATE 1020z: Now GM4UYE (507km) is being spotted on 6m MSK144. Still no spots on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1118z: So far today, 5 countries spotted on 6m MSK144 (G, GW, GM, EI and OZ). Still no 10m WSPR spots sadly.

UPDATE 1622z:  Sunspots? Es? Who needs them when a very simple system brings these in on 6m MSK144!

Stations spotted so far today on 6m MSK144

UPDATE 1954z: GD0TEP (381km) brings the countries spotted today on 6m MSK144 to six.

Sunspots and 10m - Monday March 13th 2017

Solar flux is 70 today and yet again the sunspot number is zero. A=9 and K=2.

Stroke update - NOT amateur radio

It is some time since I updated readers on the after-effects of my 2013 stroke. So, here goes. 

The worst effects are I still feel very giddy when walking, tire easily and my voice is poor.

And yet, 3.5 years after my stroke I am still making small improvements. I feel better able to do up buttons. Also, I feel my basic core strength is, maybe, just a little stronger. Improvements are hard to detect now.

Yet, even now, I am becoming aware of some after-effects that I'd not been "tuned into". One of these is I find it harder to follow sub-titles on foreign films. It is as if I don't have enough time.

My wife thinks some of my problems are "in the mind". For example, although I feel giddy when walking I have never once fallen. By now, I thought my brain would have "rewired".

Compared with before my stroke, I still feel very ill. My hope is that my tiredness is linked to the giddiness and that this can be fixed.

40m WSPR

Unique 40m WSPR spots so far

As mentioned in an earlier post I went QRT on 10m and 6m and am now active with 2W to a low end-fed on 40m WSPR. I seem to be getting lots of unique spots around Europe despite the poor antenna on 40m.

UPDATE 1930z: Best DX so far on TX is a spot by RV6LCY (2876km) in LN08 square.

UPDATE 2202z:   WA9WTK (5291km) is now the best DX on 40m WSPR TX.

Amateur band intruder?

Southgate News reports that a military station, probably in the Falkland Islands has been copied within the 40m amateur band.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2017/march/iarums-stanag-4285-in-40m.htm#.WMVrIYXXLIU

Amateur VLF

VLF seems to have been busy in the amateur fraternity of late. There have been tests around 8.27, 5.17 and even 2.97kHz.

Casual listening will not bring results: long stable transmissions are needed together with very stable, narrowband reception if amateur VLF/ULF signals are to be detected. Commercial VLF signals on the other hand are very strong as most use high power and big antennas.

The photo shows DF6NM's loading coil for 5.17kHz today.

See https://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/ .

Boring? - NOT amateur radio

This shop in our village (Burwell, Cambs, UK) recently changed hands. It is to become an estate agents and carpet shop I believe. The pub in the distance (The Crown) has been empty for years. Most things needed can be got in the village. There are several food shops, a baker, butcher, bank and dentist. If you did not have a car you could manage.

Red-legged Partridge - NOT amateur radio

In our close, we regularly see red-legged partridges. Sometimes we see one and occasionally up to three at a time.  They are good looking, introduced, birds that have well overtaken the common partridge in numbers these days. Yesterday there were a couple in our drive.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/r/redleggedpartridge/

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday March 12th 2017

Solar flux is 69 today and the sun is spotless yet again. A=6 and K=2.

Although I am not expecting great things on 10m, it has a habit of throwing surprises so I shall be on 10m WSPR all day.

Activity today 10m WSPR and 6m JT65

Since breakfast, I have been on 10m WSPR (100% TX, randomised) and 6m JT65 (2W). No spots as yet on either band.

UPDATE 1202z:  Still no spots here on either 6m or 10m.

UPDATE 1540z: Still no spots on either band. Soon be time to QSY bands/mode?

UPDATE 1620z: I have given up as nothing on either band all day today. I have now QSYed to 40m WSPR (2W) although my antenna is very low on that band. For some reason my earth-electrode "antenna" did not want to match on 160m or 80m.