Banks - NOT amateur radio

Allegedly, Barclays Bank is to pay $2billion to settle a US fraud case.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43585546 .

Now, I am no financial expert, but I get sickened by tales of banks not behaving. I am sure Barclays is no worse than many others, but at the height of the financial crisis we bailed out many banks and probably saved the financial sector from total melt-down with taxpayers money. The least we can expect is that our banks are "whiter than white". Meanwhile, the rich get richer and nurses get no pay rises for years. To quote a famous UK politician, " we are all in this together". Oh yes? Oh no we are definitely not.

33 minutes and 3 people (2 overseas) later, I managed to contact Barclays over a query that should have been made clear in a letter I got sent. As far as I am concerned, banks have got worse in the last 40 years. Their customer service is generally crap.

OFCOM and diversity

OFCOM has just published its diversity plan until 2022.

I quote (the words are their's):

These are to:

• build a diverse and inclusive workforce to better reflect the UK population we serve;
• ensure diversity and inclusion are central to our work practices and culture so everyone understands, supports and is accountable for diversity; and
• ensure the different needs and interests of all individuals are considered when carrying out our regulatory work.

Whilst diversity and inclusivity are important, I don't need OFCOM to write a darn plan!!! Instead just employ more one-legged green people to get on with enforcement, PLEASE.

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-3/diversity-inclusion-programme-2018-2022?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dip

10m FT8

For a change I am trying 10m FT8. Although I am not expecting much I shall be on RX all day living in hope!

UPDATE 1300z: G4HZW (210km) spotted.

UPDATE 1706z: No further 10m FT8 spots.

UPDATE 1720z: F5RD (681km) spotted.

ISWL?

When I was first interested in amateur radio and shortwave listening the International Shortwave League (ISWL) was a strong and important organisation. I left at the end of the 1960s when I was a poor student but re-joined years later. I wrote quite a few articles for their monthly journal "Monitor" and submitted reports most months.  Some years ago I left again as it was no longer for me.

At the end, when I left, I think there was just a core membership of a few hundred. When I left, I heard nothing - no sadness I was leaving, no thanks for being an active member - nothing. This surprised me.

I wonder how the ISWL is today? Unless they have managed to attract and keep a lot of new, younger, members I suspect this is now, mainly, an OAP club of dying old men. This would be sad as it was once vibrant and very international.

Snow - NOT amateur radio

Unlike most recent winters, this has been quite a cold one, for us. Until a few weeks ago we had some snow as the photo shows. Although it is sunny and bright at the moment, rain is expected later.

My main website

A reminder that there is a lot of information on my main website at www.g3xbm.co.uk . This includes quite a few building projects as well as details of past and present experiments. These pages get updated periodically. Most projects are not complex as I don't do "difficult".

Sunspots - Thursday March 29th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 0. A=3 and K=0.

LF/MF chat mode?

One of the drawbacks of WSPR is that it is really a weak signal beaconing mode not really suited to chatting. Southgate News has details of a mode created in New Zealand that is aimed at LF/MF chats. It is said to be almost as good as WSPR in terms of its weak signal capability. As yet, I have not tried it.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/march/lf-mf-mode-with-synchronous-decoder.htm#.Wru5JUxFzIU

OFCOM publishes its annual plan

OFCOM has publicised its annual plan.

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/proposed-annual-plan-2018-19

Sunspots - Wednesday March 28th 2018

Solar flux is 67 today and the sunspot number 0. A=9 and K=1.