Perseid Meteor Shower

Tonight, I will try MSK144 on 50.280MHz RX. The Perseid meteor shower peaks, so there is a good chance of copying many European stations by this mode. This frequency is still better liked in Europe than the 50.260MHz recommended in WSJT-X v1.8 and the new band plan. Not sure why this is.

See https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/perseid.html .

North Korea - NOT amateur radio

There is a crisis brewing.

The North Koreans are treading dangerously. The USA is being provoked and Trump is a loose cannon. If the USA fires a pre-emptive strike all hell would be let loose with unpredictable outcomes. Talk is always better.

70cm Moxon Beam

This has been posted before, but it is to show amateur radio need not be expensive or hard. I built this antenna in minutes and it worked remarkably well.

Moxon beams have a useful gain, a broad main lobe, and they work. They are ideal for portable work. As this example shows they are low cost to make, especially if you scavenge bits.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/70cm_moxon

Sunspots - Thursday August 10th 2017

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot number 11. A=4 and K=1.

Final QRT tonight

Finally, I went QRT on all bands about 1930z. I may go on again tomorrow.

QRT - thunder

My wife said she heard thunder, so I have disconnected everything again. At the moment it is rain, rain, rain. Tomorrow looks better. I suspect I'll be QRT until tomorrow.

UPDATE 1444z: At the moment the storms look to be confined to Kent, so I have gone back on the air again. Outside it is still very wet! The photo shows a group (with umbrellas) arriving at our museum and windmill. The photo was taken out of the lounge window.

UPDATE 1627z: 8 countries spotted on 6m FT8 in the last hour.

Trump and North Korea - NOT amateur radio

So, what happens next?

North Korea is run by Kim. The USA is led by Donald.

In years past I had confidence in the leaders to wisely "do the right thing". This time I have my doubts. Both are unpredictable.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/40857783/trump-north-korea-threats-will-be-met-with-fire-and-fury.

Mini Rally (Scotland)

11 AUGUST 2017 : 24th ANNUAL MINI RALLY NIGHT
Port Seton Resource Community Centre, South Seton Park, Port Seton, East Lothian EH32 0BQ Doors open 6 to 9pm and entry is £2. A raffle will be held on the night and refreshments will be available. Bring along your own 'junk' and sell it yourself. No charge for a table but they are on a first come first served basis. More information from gm4uyz@csparc.com A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

Sunspots - Wednesday August 9th 2017

Solar flux is 71 today. Sunspot number is 11. A=5 and K=2.

10m WSPR TX

Several spots of my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon, mainly from Germany. Early Es.

UPDATE 1115z: 9 unique spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon so far today. The map shows the spots so far today.

UPDATE 1912z: 13 unique spots today on 10m WSPR TX (500mW).