First swift seen - NOT amateur radio

There are some about according to the reports, but yesterday I saw my first swift this year. This is one day later than last year. I have still to see any house martins and I have not heard a cuckoo.

The impression I'm getting is there are fewer swallows, swifts and house martins this year. I maybe wrong and I hope I am. These returning migrant birds mean a lot to me.

6m MSK144 and 10m WSPR

After a brief transceive period in beacon mode, I have now returned to RX only on 6m MSK144. At the same time I have my 10m WSPR TX beacon running (500mW) and was copied several times by local G4KPX (14km).

It is getting hard now to separate MS and Es. This is the Es season in Europe and sometimes Es can give very strong signals both on 6m and 10m.

Up to now 16 stations in 9 countries spotted on 6m MSK144 this morning.

UPDATE 1038z: Just lots of 10m WSPR spots from G4KPX, but no evidence here of 10m Es, as yet.

UPDATE 1208z: 22 stations in 11 countries so far on 6m MSK144 RX today.

UPDATE 1304z: I think my countries spotted so far on 6m MSK144 has now reached 26. Not bad considering quite a few within range are missing and MSK144 does not depend on conditions. My set-up is simple too.

UPDATE 1720z: No evidence of 10m Es here today. It looks like the 6m MSK144 spots were largely MS.

UK rallies this weekend

MAY 7th 2017 : DAMBUSTERS HAMFEST

Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre, Tattershall, Thorpe, near Coningsby, Lincolnshire LN4 4PL This is an outside event with limited room inside. Entry is £3 per person and under 12s, if accompanied, free and this charge will allow you to enter the museum as well. The venue is all on one level with access to all buildings for wheel chairs etc. Full catering on site with hot food van and the NAFFI. There will be an RSGB bookstall. Please contact either Tony G3ZPU for information on 01507 527 835 or by email to tony.nightingale@yahoo.co.uk or Ant, M0HAZ on 0795 665 4481.


MAY 7th 2017 : THE SCOTTISH AMATEUR RADIO AND ELECTRONICS CONVENTION

Braehead Arena, Kings Inch Road, Glasgow, G51 4BN. Talk-in will be available on S22. The venue has disabled access and free car parking, including access to the Braehead Shopping Centre. Doors open at 10am and close at 4pm and entry is £4. There will be trade stands, an RSGB bookstall and the GMDX group. There will be talks during the day. Club tables are £10 (prebooked only). For more information contact 0759 344 1518 or email management@scottishhamcon.com www.scottishhamcon.com

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

137kHz

It is some years since I tried this band, but I really ought to give it a go again. The last time was QRSS3 (I think) when I went looking for the signal with a mag-mounted E-field probe on the car roof, my deaf FT817 and a PC. After 24km I gave up as I was still getting decent copy despite the very low ERP.

Although I am pretty sure I have given this link several times before, you may be interested if you are starting out on that band.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/mflf/137khz_tvrtr

Sunspots and 10m - Saturday May 6th 2017

Solar flux is 74 today and the sunspot number 31.  A=6 and K=2.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday May 5th 2017

Solar flux is 74 today and the sunspot number 29.  A=7 and K=2.

Life on Mars? - NOT amateur radio

There has long been debate about whether or not primitive life exists on Mars. Now scientists have done some experiments on Earth that suggests life on Mars is indeed possible. Some living things could survive in the harsh conditions on Mars today. Of course this does not prove that life does exist there, just that it could.

See http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Is_Anything_Tough_Enough_to_Survive_on_Mars_999.html

Iris - NOT amateur radio

There have been some beautiful irises in a garden near here. They are at their best right now. These are a lovely colour.

Magnetic Loops

A few years ago I built a magnetic loop TX antenna. With QRP powers, the very high voltages that exist if the loop is efficient are less problematic. The key to efficiency is low loss. For example, the loop should be made of thick copper pipe or coax, if possible. The capacitors used to resonate the loop should also be low loss. Having said this, I have had good results with normal air spaced variable capacitors and trimmed coax as capacitors. Of course, magnetic loops tend to be very sharply tuned, but for things like WSPR, JT65 and PSK31 where frequency changes are small they are fine. In fact they work remarkably well even indoors. They can be small too as the photo shows. This loop was tuned to 10m WSPR but the same sized loop was used on 20m where I was spotted in Japan - from the back of a chair in the bedroom!

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/magloop.

Return to 6m MSK144 RX

Whilst remaining on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW TX WSPR beacon, I have returned to 6m MSK144 RX in time for the Aquarids MS shower. The shower peaks this weekend. 3 new countries spotted on 6m MSK144 - Lithuania, Austria and Corsica.  These could of course be Es now and not MS.

On 10m WSPR I have been spotted in Italy.

UPDATE 1410z: Best DX on 10m WSPR is IS0KYB (1556km) with my 500mW beacon. Best DX on 6m MSK144 RX is OF1KH (1643km) in KP01tn square in Finland. This is a new country on this band/mode, but it could well be Es.

UPDATE 1952z: Best DX on 10m WSPR TX (500mW) is OH2VMP (1734km). Briefly, I have been on 6m MSK144 in beacon mode TX sending "B G3XBM JO02" where my best spot on TX (1W ERP) was EA5UB (1496km).