The weather forecast for the next few days is bad. Rain (heavy at times) is forecast before things might improve on Thursday. There is a chance of thunder too. If so, I may be off air for a few days.
See https://www.lightningmaps.org/blitzortung/europe/index.php?lang=en .
UPDATE 1558z: At the moment, it looks like we may miss the storms tomorrow. I''ll check in the morning.
7 Aug 2017
Plenty of Colour - NOT amateur radio
10m WSPR
Although on since breakfast time, no spots received at all so far.
UPDATE 1015z: Still no spots received today so far on 10m WSPR.
UPDATE 1354z: Still no spots on 10m WSPR today.
UPDATE 1548z: Since 1358z EA1FAQ (1249km) has been spotting me intermittently by Es. At the moment, he is my only reporter today on 10m WSPR His last spot was at 1446z.
UPDATE 1825z: 2 unique spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon
UPDATE 1015z: Still no spots received today so far on 10m WSPR.
UPDATE 1354z: Still no spots on 10m WSPR today.
UPDATE 1825z: 2 unique spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon
Return to 6m FT8 RX
Yesterday was very good for Es, so I am again on 6m FT8 RX. I am amazed how this mode has taken off. It is not officially released yet. There were loads of stations on this mode yesterday.
UPDATE 0835z: Only G0GGG (210km) spotted on 6m FT8 so far. No Es today as yet.
UPDATE 0858z: OZ1DJJ (763km) spotted, I assume by Es. Also G8TTI (185km).
UPDATE 1016z: Now 5 countries spotted with best DX today so far being SM0NKZ (1404km).
UPDATE 1253z: 12 stations in 8 countries spotted so far on 6m FT8 today.
UPDATE 1806z: Plenty of Es today on 6m FT8. The photo shows the stations spotted in the last day.
UPDATE 0835z: Only G0GGG (210km) spotted on 6m FT8 so far. No Es today as yet.
UPDATE 0858z: OZ1DJJ (763km) spotted, I assume by Es. Also G8TTI (185km).
UPDATE 1016z: Now 5 countries spotted with best DX today so far being SM0NKZ (1404km).
UPDATE 1253z: 12 stations in 8 countries spotted so far on 6m FT8 today.
UPDATE 1806z: Plenty of Es today on 6m FT8. The photo shows the stations spotted in the last day.
Maudlin? - NOT amateur radio
As we get older (this year I enter my 70th year) I guess we become grateful for small things. Even waking up in the morning is a blessing! Seeing migrant birds return always fills me with wonder at nature.
Years ago, I had quite a strong faith. These days I am unsure. There are so many faiths and I am sure all are an attempt to come to terms with our humanity. Yet it seems hard to think we just become nothing when we die. I am sure all world religions hint at the truth, but all are wrong. You only have to think of all the evil in the last few thousand years done in the name of religion.
Indeed, it is possible that what each of us experiences is unique to us, but this is straying into philosophy. The simple answer is that not one of us knows with any certainty.
In the meantime, we must live each day as if our last: be kind to others and kind to ourselves. Milk every day for the best.
Years ago, I had quite a strong faith. These days I am unsure. There are so many faiths and I am sure all are an attempt to come to terms with our humanity. Yet it seems hard to think we just become nothing when we die. I am sure all world religions hint at the truth, but all are wrong. You only have to think of all the evil in the last few thousand years done in the name of religion.
Indeed, it is possible that what each of us experiences is unique to us, but this is straying into philosophy. The simple answer is that not one of us knows with any certainty.
In the meantime, we must live each day as if our last: be kind to others and kind to ourselves. Milk every day for the best.
More VLF success?
This was posted Saturday by Stefan DK7FC:
VLF,
After nearly 8 days the carrier is still on the air without an interruption, despite occasional thunderstorms :-)
It looks like the SNR is suffering by summer QRN, as expected.
The stable carrier was good for doing local tests with my Raspi+Octo-soundcard. The system is now completely configured including system time setting via the GPS module. I recorded a few days from the carrier, converted the data files into wav, reprocessed them in SpecLab: The carrier is stable and on the expected frequency, so the sample rate correction via vlfrx tools seems to work.
Forthermore i corrected some bugs in the circuit of my portable RX loop preamp for VLF (must have been late in the night when i built it up a few months ago). Now the noise is much lower. It looks promising! So it is time for a portable VLF experiment in the far field, just to check the system more seriously.
The crew of DL0AO has built up and optimised their VLF system to receive the weak 3675.005 Hz carrier in abt 220 km distance. Looks like there is something on their cardioidal spectrogram pointing to West,
http://df6nm.bplaced.net/
Something like 10 dB SNR in 31 uHz. That's not so bad!
I will run it for some more time until the trace is a bit longer. Then in some days i like to start transmitting an EbNaut message on that frequency which can be stacked until a decode appears. Markus has developed a tool for windows to do the stacking, maybe it works in that experiment... It will also be a test to see if i can decode the message from my own recording using vlfrx tools, an important step to pass...
So far so good. What are YOUR projects you are currently working on, LF/MF/VLF related?
73, Stefan
VLF,
After nearly 8 days the carrier is still on the air without an interruption, despite occasional thunderstorms :-)
It looks like the SNR is suffering by summer QRN, as expected.
The stable carrier was good for doing local tests with my Raspi+Octo-soundcard. The system is now completely configured including system time setting via the GPS module. I recorded a few days from the carrier, converted the data files into wav, reprocessed them in SpecLab: The carrier is stable and on the expected frequency, so the sample rate correction via vlfrx tools seems to work.
Forthermore i corrected some bugs in the circuit of my portable RX loop preamp for VLF (must have been late in the night when i built it up a few months ago). Now the noise is much lower. It looks promising! So it is time for a portable VLF experiment in the far field, just to check the system more seriously.
The crew of DL0AO has built up and optimised their VLF system to receive the weak 3675.005 Hz carrier in abt 220 km distance. Looks like there is something on their cardioidal spectrogram pointing to West,
http://df6nm.bplaced.net/
Something like 10 dB SNR in 31 uHz. That's not so bad!
I will run it for some more time until the trace is a bit longer. Then in some days i like to start transmitting an EbNaut message on that frequency which can be stacked until a decode appears. Markus has developed a tool for windows to do the stacking, maybe it works in that experiment... It will also be a test to see if i can decode the message from my own recording using vlfrx tools, an important step to pass...
So far so good. What are YOUR projects you are currently working on, LF/MF/VLF related?
73, Stefan
Back on again
At breakfast time I resumed 10m WSPR TX and 6m FT8 RX. Although dull, I think there are no storms likely locally today.
6 Aug 2017
QRT until tomorrow
As the Es seems to have stopped, I have gone QRT on 10m and 6m. I should be on at breakfast time in the morning.
Patio - NOT amateur radio
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