10m FT8

It is very quiet here today compared with yesterday when lots of Europeans were spotted on 1om FT8. So far today nothing!

UPDATE 1515z:  5 unique stations in 4 European countries spotted on 10m FT8 RX today.

UPDATE 1645z: Now 12 uniques in 7 European countries spotted on 10m FT8 so far today. I suspect Es. FT8 certainly concentrates activity. It seems an ideal mode when conditions on 10m are on the slide. Certainly it is the mode to be spotted. Within, say, 2kHz a huge number of stations can be fitted. It works with relatively weak signals of short duration. 28.074MHz is the USB dial frequency for FT8. WSJT-X V1.8 is the software to us, and it is free.

UPDATE 2058z: LU1ECO (11448km) appeared (F2 I assume) this evening.

See https://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjtx.html .

Sunspots - Wednesday December 27th 2017

Solar flux is 72 today and the sunspot number 14. A=11 and K=3.

Upcoming UK Rally

29 DECEMBER 2017 : YEOVIL AMATEUR RADIO CLUB TABLE TOP RALLY

Sparkford Village Hall, Church Road, Sparkford, Somerset BA22 7JN. There is free parking at the venue. Doors open 10am to 3pm and entrance is £3. light refreshments are available. Contact Bob on 01963 440 167 or by email to wjh069@gmail.com.

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

70cm UKAC results

I appear to have gone up in the results! On 70cm I use a 2m halo, 5W and lossy coax and because my voice is so bad I usually stay on for only a short time. So 94th out of 170 in the AL section is fine, especially as I was not really trying that hard.

Busy period - NOT amateur radio

When you get older you love to see grandchildren, but you do get very tired. Our 4 are still little and on the go all the time. One lot has just left and the next lot are due very soon. Ho hum...

Somalia DXpedition

Southgate News brings news of a DXpedition to Somalia next month.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2017/december/6o6o-from-somalia.htm#.WkJTfUx2vIU .

10m FT8 RX

Is there Es today? I suspect so as quite a widespread range of Europeans on 10m FT8 RX earlier. Best DX spotted today so far (probably F2) is UD3T (2750km).

UPDATE 1746z: Lots of Europeans on 10m FT8 RX today.

Sunspots - Tuesday December 26th 2017

Solar flux is 75 today and the sunspot number 17.  A=10 and K=3.

Merry Christmas

As this is Christmas Day may I wish all readers a very Happy Christmas and a good 2018. Having just watched Cinderella on TV may I wish everyone "to have courage and be kind". These two things are fine words which we do well to remember, especially when times are hard.

10m FT8 RX

All day, I have been on 10m FT8 RX. As it is Christmas, it is perhaps not surprising that nothing has been spotted at all.

UPDATE 2258z:  IW3AUT (1039km) was spotted earlier this evening. Surprise!