10m WSPR TX (500mW)

So I returned to 10m WSPR TX just before breakfast. Already DK8FT (898km) has spotted me. Not sure of the reason, but I wonder if weak signal digital modes, or different monitoring patterns, are finding Es paths open we would have missed in the past?

UPDATE 1322z: 12 unique 10m WSPR spots, so far, with best DX spot being by CT7AEZ (1618km).

UPDATE 1614z: 16 unique spots today so far of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon. A good Es day.

UPDATE 1752z: 17 unique spots today, so far, on 10m WSPR with reports as widespread as Spain, Faroes and Belarus. A great day.

UPDATE 1940z: Now 18 unique spots of my 500mW WSPR today.

UPDATE 2210z: 19 unique spots. Time to go QRT on all bands.

Sunspots - Saturday August 19th 2017

Solar flux is 81 today. Sunspot number is 41. A=21 and K=4.

Now QRT on all bands

Even though propagation was still good, I decided to go QRT for the night. All being well, I'll be back on again at breakfast time - storms permitting.

Still good 6m Es

Well I went into the shack with the intention of going QRT. Instead 6m was wide open, so I had a QRP QSO (1W ERP) with EA7AH on FT8.  I see I was also copied in southern Portugal on 6m FT8. The gear is still on.

And another one.....NOT amateur radio

Donald has fired another one! Still there are over 200 million people left in the USA.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40980994 .

LF - 137kHz

In all the time I have been at this QTH (now over 4 years) I have never once used 137kHz. At the old QTH I did use the band occasionally. At various times I used a 137kHz QRSS beacon and WSPR using the TX transverter shown here. Best TX range was 250km. On RX I copied Sweden.

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

Thunder - QRT

We have just had thunder, so I decided to go QRT and disconnect everything. I may go on again later after the storm passes through. At the moment the storms look quite widespread and we have heavy rain.

See https://www.lightningmaps.org/blitzortung/europe/index.php?lang=en .

UPDATE 1405z: The storms seem to have passed, although I'm not sure about what is happening just west of here. Maybe I'll give it another hour and maybe go on the air again? At the moment, the sun is shining. 😕

Rally this Sunday

20 AUGUST 2017 : RUGBY ATS ANNUAL RADIO RALLY
Princethorpe College, Princethorpe, Rugby, CV23 9PY Doors open from 10am to 4pm and admission is £3. Sellers can gain access from 8am. There will be a car boot area. Catering is available on site. Details from Tony, G0OLS on 0775 968 4411 or by email to rally@rugbyats.co.uk. www.rugbyats.co.uk
A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

6m FT8 RX

Apart from a very brief transceive period before breakfast (no spots) I have been RX only on 6m FT8. SK0TM (1156km) is currently the best so far on RX. Es I presume.

UPDATE 0940z: Nothing since 0718z.

UPDATE 1002z: Now Spain being spotted on 6m FT8 RX. Es, I assume, is back. I am sure that FT8 is catching brief openings that otherwise might be missed.

UPDATE 1124z: Balearic Is and Italy spotted now. Es, but perhaps 6m FT8 is allowing brief openings to be used now? Or is this just a good Es season?

UPDATE 1700z: After the storms I turned on the kit again. At the moment 9 countries spotted on 6m.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Since just before breakfast I have had my 10m WSPR beacon running 500mW. CT7AEZ (1618km) has spotted me, much to my surprise, very early. Obviously, we are still seeing Es.

UPDATE 0940z: Nothing since 0924z.

UPDATE 1006z: Now being spotted by EA1KV (1304km) as well.

UPDATE 1806z: With only 2 unique spots today, the 10m Es seems to have been confined to Iberia (Spain and Portugal).