Pedestrian HF Portable

We are in a period of good Es conditions on 10m and 6m. This usually lasts through May, June, July and August. It happens at other times too, but less often. Under such conditions just a few watts SSB can work DX even with a whip antenna. When F2 is good, DX to very far away is possible with QRP SSB.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/pedestrian

New ICOM and Yaesu products at Dayton?

Dayton is often the place where ICOM and Yaesu announce new products. I'd like to see a replacement to the FT817 from Yaesu, but have all but given up hope. Certainly a few years ago they would have released at a time of sunspot peak. As it is, we have years of falling conditions, so not the best "window of opportunity".

Lizards - NOT amateur radio

There were two large lizards watching us have lunch in the hotel garden earlier as the photo shows. We have seen quite a few smaller ones this week.

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday May 18th 2017

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot number 13. A=8 and K=4.

Northern Corfu - NOT amateur radio

Thunderstorms later today in Corfu, but some great skies as in this view at Kassiopi in north east Corfu. Albania is in the background.

Dayton (USA)

MAY 19-21st 2017 : DAYTON HAMVENTION® (new venue)

Greene County Fair & Exposition Center, Xenia, Dayton, Ohio, USA. Doors open at 8am. There will be trade stands and a huge flea market as well as special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. A lecture programme will take place each day. There are multiple catering outlets and family attractions on site. US exams are available and there is a raffle. Details by email to international@hamvention.org. www.hamvention.org.

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

This is "the big one" in the USA and is often used by big companies to launch new products, often way ahead of them being on sale. I suspect rivals also see what their competition is up to. Maybe Yaesu created the FT991A after seeing the ICOM IC7300 at Dayton?

Sunspots and 10m - Wednesday May 17th 2017

Solar flux is 70 today. Sunspot number is 23.  A=8 and K=2.

Dragonfly - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago we visited the Blue Eye spring in southern Albania. I have never seen such clear water anywhere. These small blue dragonflies were everywhere.

Realtime HF Band Conditions

Southgate News reports on a real-time HF band conditions website. When I looked 10m was not even shown, encouraging the (often false) assumption that this band is a total waste of time for DX. OK, 10m is harder work now, but if no-one is there it will appear dead when in fact DX contacts can be made!

See http: //www.bandconditions.com/ .

Hacking attempts again? - NOT amateur radio

Even though I have posted little today so far, the blog visits are high again, with lots of "interest" from a certain nation in eastern Europe. Genuine visits are welcome, whereas "probes" are not.