10m WSPR TX

Since just before breakfast, my 500mW WSPR beacon has been on 10m. No spots yet today.

UPDATE 1030z: Just one spot received today so far. EA8BFK (2880km) in the Canary Is..

UPDATE 1658z: Just 4 spots so far today on 10m WSPR TX.

UPDATE 1832z: FY5KE (7110km) is the best DX spot of my 500mW WSPR beacon on 10m today.

6m FT8 RX

Already, there is some Es to Spain on 6m FT8 RX.  3 Spanish stations (Es) as well as several Gs spotted in the last few hours.

UPDATE 0904z: 12 stations in 3 countries spotted so far on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1029z: 32 stations in 5 countries so far on 6m FT8 RX today.

UPDATE 1346z: Best DX today so far on 6m FT8 RX is FM5AN (6792km) on Martinique, West Indies. Spots suggest he is genuine and not a pirate.

UPDATE 1807z: WP4G (6803km) now spotted in Puerto Rico on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1930z: My best DX on 6m FT8 RX is now PV8DX (7830km) in northern Brazil. As this station is being widely spotted in Europe and North America, I am pretty sure he is genuine. Funny how D41CV (4518km) would be considered "real" 6m DX, but this is small fry compared with PV8DX!

Roses - NOT amateur radio

Last week we visited the David Austin place which specialises in roses. It is near Wolverhampton. I have never seen so many roses! That is me on the left.

Sunspots - Tuesday June 12th 2018

Solar flux is 69 today and the sunspot number remains 0. A=4 and K=2.

How to lose friends? - NOT amateur radio

This beggars belief from "the leader of the free world". Toys, prams etc. come to mind. If China is dumping steel maybe, but the EU and Canada?

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44434558

Even more simple VHF and up licence?

On Southgate News there is a report about the RSGB's thoughts on activity levels on VHF and UHF bands. Apparently activity levels have dropped badly in the UK and there is talk of an even simpler exam and licence to encourage activity. There is no doubt that the hobby is facing a future crisis as people get older, less active, and die.

Like many things, we seem to try "dumbing down" as the answer. The basic issue is radio is not the magic it was to many in the 1950s and 1960s. These days you only have to look at the magazines for sale in newsagents to see this. Sadly, there are far more gaming, PC and railway magazines with, if you are lucky, just a couple of radio magazines.

Certainly, many on 2m have switched to FT8. A casual tune across the bands would suggest low levels of activity. Some would argue much less wide bands would do.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/june/could-a-new-entry-level-licence-boost-vhf-uhf-activity.htm#.Wx42tPZFzIU

6m FT8

So far, 18 stations in 2 countries spotted on 6m FT8 RX this morning with Es to Spain evident.  A brief TX period (2.5W to my V2000 vertical omni antenna) brought spots from 6 G stations.

UPDATE 1125z: 30 stations in 4 countries so far on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1935z: Loads of Es stations again on 6m FT8 RX with best DX 4X4DK (3580km) who was a very strong 0dB S/N. This looks like E layer propagation, but is it double hop Es or something else?

10m WSPR TX

Although my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon has been on since before breakfast, no spots today so far.

UPDATE 1930z: 113 10m spots today. 11 unique stations with best DX EA8BFK (2880km).

Sunspots - Monday June 11th 2018

Solar flux is 69 today and the sunspot number 0 still. A=4 and K=1.

Younger and thinner! - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows me and the family over 20 years ago. We were all a lot younger and thinner back then!