The great outdoors

At the moment here in the UK it has been very dull and wet. Today is bright, but cold and windy.  However, in a few months things will improve and it will be time to venture again into the great outdoors. Some great handheld DX can be worked with just a whip antenna and a few watts of SSB or FM.

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

No 472kHz TX - the mystery deepens

Last evening I tried the same antenna as used at 472kHz using the FT817 via the Z-817 ATU, but on a different band. No antenna current was detected. I'll check that power is coming from the FT817.

UPDATE 0950z: Well there is definitely power from the FT817. Checked with a power meter and power was OK. So, it is either leads or the PA device in the transverter probably.

FT8 operating guide

Thanks again to Southgate News, I see an amateur has written a "Noddy's guide" to this digital mode that has taken the world by storm. It certainly has helped to show bands are often useable when people thought they were "dead". I have found this mode particularly useful on 10m.

See http://www.g4ifb.com/FT8_Hinson_tips_for_HF_DXers.pdf

Russia flexing muscles? - NOT amateur radio

Well, I guess this happens quite a lot. No doubt we don't hear about UK and USA jets nearing Russian airspace!  Remember the U2 spy plane? No doubt the USA, China and Russia have plenty of high resolution spy satellites that we hear nothing about.

Like in any war or cold war, don't believe all you read as it is likely to be rather one-sided. During the Vietnam War we all believed the USA was whiter than white. History tells us otherwise. It is often a good idea to check news from several sources, preferably from sources other than just western media.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-42697065/uk-jets-intercept-russian-bombers-near-uk-airspace

Sunspots - Tuesday January 16th 2018

Solar flux is 70 today and the sunspot number zero. A=10 and K=2.

UK Pound against US Dollar - NOT amateur radio

About 18 months ago "experts" were talking about the UK Pound being worth about 1 US Dollar. At the moment the UK Pound buys about $1.38.

Moral? Don't always believe the "experts"! They guess too.

UK Pound against the Euro? I was wrong last year!

Summits on the air (SOTA)

This is an activity that has taken off in recent years. Keen operators hike up a mountain and "activate" it. Points can be gained by working (or hearing) these activations. It combines hiking and amateur radio. My days of hiking up mountains is probably over (not that we have many mountains in East Anglia!) but others do it. Great fun.

See http://www.sota.org.uk/

Popular? - NOT amateur radio

Either I have suddenly become very popular or the bots are back! I suspect the latter. My blog visits shot up just after the USA woke up. Should this blog suddenly disappear or start producing rubbish (more than usual!) you will know why.

Good news - NOT amateur radio

President Trump has allegedly told the world he is not a racist.  So his alleged remarks about shithole African nations is obviously false news then.  That's good to know. We are so lucky having a genius leading the western world.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42685356

6m MSK144 RX

As of 1018z, I am monitoring 50.280MHz MSK144 RX. As yet, no spots.

UPDATE 1306z: 2 spots so far on 6m, with best DX GI4OWA (583km) very strong at +7dB S/N. This could have been random MS or aircraft reflection.