My MAIN website

A reminder to those who do not know that my main website is at www.g3xbm.co.uk where you will find plenty of details about my projects (mostly simple!).

I also have a YouTube channel G3XBM which has videos about many of my projects. If you have not had a chance, you may care to take a look.

President Trump - NOT amateur radio

OK, I have tried very hard to remain open minded, but personally I find his latest address to the NRA about blood on the floors of a UK hospital of little value. Yes, we do have a knife crime issue in some parts of some groups in the UK. In my view guns are not the answer to knife crime.

If I understand him correctly, his NRA address is aimed firmly at the powerful gun lobby in the USA.  Most of his tweets come from the hip it seems.  Who does he think he is? A wild west fighter from the 1800s?  No sir, you are meant to be leader of the free world! Instead many in the free world think you are just ignorant and stupid.  Sadly, we have very few truly great potential leaders.  The world is in great need of inspiring leaders.

My recommendation to him?  Please, just shut up. Read your briefs and stop spouting rubbish, especially if you are unclear of real facts on the international stage. If the good people of the USA elected you, that is fine. Internationally is a very different matter. The leader of the free world must be a person who is above reproach and highly respected on the world stage. 

These are my personal views based on what I have seen and heard with my own eyes and ears.   Others are perfectly entitled to have different views. A true democracy would be very weak if we were not entitled to say how we feel freely and openly. I respect the right of people to hold views very different from mine.

Promontory Fort - NOT amateur radio

At Bolt Tail, near Hope Cove, on the South Devon coast is a very old promontory fort. It is quite possible that one of my ancestors manned it many thousands of years ago, as this is where we came from at least as far back as the 1400s.

There is something quite humbling about this. Our lives seem quite long, but they are just a speck really. And this fort was built very recently considering life on Earth.

Dust to dust and all that.

Sunspots - Sunday May 6th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 14.  A=20 and K=6.

Topband Noise

Although I can't speak for you, here in rural Cambridgeshire the noise on 160m is probably at least 20dB worse than 10 years ago. To be honest, noise on the lower HF bands is bad and getting worse. Even on the higher bands it is a real problem for some. In many ways I am quite lucky!

If you are lucky enough to live in a quiet part of the world (do they exist?) you might like this simple 160m antenna I used some years ago. It worked remarkably well.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/160m_loft_ant

Cottage - NOT amateur radio

Many years ago, my uncle lived on this street. Every day, rain, snow or sun he walked to and from school, a round trip of about 14 miles every day! These days, most of these are yuppy pads, second homes occupied a few weeks a year by people with lots of money, but small brains.

Yellowhammers - NOT amateur radio

These are very common in certain places in the UK. They are on the RSPB red list.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/yellowhammer

Another Rally

7 MAY 2018 (Bank Holiday Monday) : DARTMOOR RADIO RALLY

Tavistock College, Crowndale Road, Tavistock PL19 8DD. Doors open at 10.30am (disabled 10.15am). Admission £2, under 14's free when accompanied by an adult. Ample free car parking and on-site catering. Trade and club stands, usual Bring & Buy. Details from Viv Watson, G7AWG, 01752 823 427, vivwatsondrc@aol.com.

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

A grave mistake? - NOT amateur radio

My wife photographing something last night. Not sure what it was! Thurlestone, Devon.

Sunspots - Saturday May 5th 2018

Solar flux is 68 and the sunspot number 13. A=4 and K=1.