A REAL FT818???

It seems there may be a real FT818 coming to replace the FT817.

I have no facts, so this could all be wrong. From what this hints at, I am underwhelmed. The replacement should have been launched in 2013 (latest) and not on the way down to the biggest lull in solar activity in a very long time. Any replacement will have to have some real killer features.

Unless this is a real success, I could see Yaesu go out of business. As a Yaesu fan since the 1970s I hope I'm wrong. In recent years though they have been timid followers rather than leaders in my view. Others may see things differently, but look at the FT991A, hastily launched to try to win business back from the ICOM IC7300.

See http://qrpblog.com/2018/02/yaesu-ft-818-details-leaked-ft-817nd-replacement/

10m FT8

After a disappointing evening on 136kHz with just G3XDV (61km) spotted on OPERA and nobody on WSPR, I have QSYed to 10m FT8 RX.

No spots as yet, although I only turned the rig and PC on about 10 minutes ago.

UPDATE 1027z:  F5RD (681km) spotted.

UPDATE 1247z: A couple of Gs to the west of London spotted, probably off the aircraft stack for London Heathrow?

UPDATE 1645z: No further spots since this morning on 10m FT8 here. With promising solar numbers (relatively!) I was hoping for better. I'll give it an hour or so then probably QSY to 472kHz WSPR RX.

UPDATE 2030z: Doh! Since before teatime I was trying to receive 10m FT8 with the RX off! Stupid boy! I turned off the PSU when I was soldering wires to my 472kHz preamp and forgot to turn it back on again. I feel so stupid.

Amaryllis one year on - NOT amateur radio

We have several amaryllis plants this year including this one which was very successful last winter. Over the summer we did all the right things, but since October it refused to grow and just froze. My wife put it in the garden expecting it to rot and die.

I noticed a few weeks ago that it was still going, so I replanted it and brought it back inside again. Since then it has started to grow again, although we'll have to wait and see. It would be great if it took off and flowered.

Sunspots - Friday February 9th 2018

Solar flux is 78 today and the sunspot number 22. A=4 and K=1.

136kHz RX

As 10m and 6m were quiet, I have QSYed to 136kHz RX on WSPR and OPERA.

10m WSPR TX beacon now ON

The 10m 500mW WSPR beacon has now been turned on. This is on TX 100%, but the frequency is randomised. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1655z: No spots.

UPDATE 1835z: Still no spots, so QSYed to 136kHz RX.

6m MSK144 RX and 10m WSPR TX

Although I am on 6m MSK144 RX, I may well turn on the 10m WSPR TX beacon as conditions look quite promising. I can do this as I use a different antenna and the beacon does not need a PC.

UPDATE 1354z: No spots.

UPDATE 1650z: GM4FVM (428km) spotted very strongly (+10dB S/N) earlier this afternoon.

Sunspots - Thursday February 7th 2018

Solar flux is 77 today. Sunspot number is 20. A=4 and K=1. This is the highest sunspot number for some time.

Sydney Sussex Collee, Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

This is another view of Sydney Sussex college in Cambridge. I pass this every Tuesday and Wednesday. Cambridge is filled with ancient and beautiful buildings.

Commradio CTX-10 transceiver

Although shortly to be available in the USA, I am not sure if this will be available in Europe which needs CE approval. It is a very small 10W QRP radio that can be set at 1, 5 and 10W. In the USA it will sell for $999.

The CR1a receiver has been available for some time. There are quite a few YouTube videos of this.

See https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/6010.html .