10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Although I have been on 10m WSPR TX, no spots so far today.

UPDATE 1300z: A couple of German stations spotted me on 10m WSPR about an hour ago.

6m FT8

JAs were being called by UK stations earlier on 6m FT8. Sadly, I spotted none. I called CQ with 2.5W and got 6 spots and a QSO with G3TXF (334km) in north Devon on 6m FT8. There is some Es about on the band from southern Europe, but it is not exactly "humming".

UPDATE 1302z:  22 different stations in 9 countries so far today on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1652z:  Pirate? I am very suspicious of a station spotted on 6m FT8 RX that is supposed to be in Guinea (3X9KFM). The only spots of him are very strong reports from the UK. If real, I would have expected spots more widely. These days, sadly, pirates are all to common. I hope I am proved wrong.

UPDATE 1656z:  Es widely applicable on 6m FT8 RX today. Best DX (excluding the 3X9) is 4X4DK (3580km).

Irish low VHF allocations

Amateurs in Eire have been given generous allocations at low VHF and a bandplan has now been created. This aligns with allocations made in other countries for beacons. It would be great if small allocations at 40MHz could be made across Region 1. Even a small allocation would allow Es research. Will it happen? Yes, if more people press their national bodies. These allocations could be quite small and take-up is likely to be small as no commercial gear is available.

See https://www.irts.ie/cgi/st.cgi?downloads .

International Lighthouse Weekend

In August (18th-19th_, there will be activations from several lighthouses around the world.

See  https://illw.net/ for more details.

How do they do it?

It is 10 years now since I retired. I am amazed how 7dayshop can sell a pair of Motorola 446MHz transceivers for £24.99 delivered. In my view, this company has some very good deals. I expect these rigs can be reprogrammed for 70cms.

I expect these are made in China and that nowadays these are very integrated. Maybe I'll find a "tear-down" video somewhere showing just what is inside. And to think our first UHF handhelds sold for £700+ in the early 1970s!

See https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/164939fe6ccb816c

OFCOM

OFCOM has published its annual report and plan. Reports for other years may also be seen.

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/annual-reports-and-plans .

UK Rallies

15 JULY 2018 : 22nd RED ROSE QRP FESTIVAL

St Joseph's Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, WN7 2PR. Easy access from all major motorways, A580, A579, etc. Car parking, disabled access. Doors open 11am (traders 8.30am, table hire £8 per 6ft table), admission £2.50. Bring and Buy, refreshments, bar. Details from Les, G4HZJ, on 0779 626 4569.

15 JULY 2018 : CORNISH RADIO AMATEUR CLUB RALLY

Penair School, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 1TN. Doors open 10.30am, admission £2. There will be traders, Bring & Buy, club stalls, car parking. Catering is available onsite. Contact Mike, G1NRF on 01209 211 069, mike.g1nrf@hotmail.com for more information.

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

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Just a single 10m WSPR spot today so far by F4CWN (969km). At the moment, disappointing.

6m FT8 today

At the moment there is far less Es about on 6m than yesterday. Mid morning saw a little Es from northern Spain and Sweden.  A brief 6m QRP CQ after breakfast received 4 UK spots, but no QSOs.

Windmill at sunset - NOT amateur radio

We live right next door to a 200 year old restored windmill. One of our grandchildren believes the grass around it is part of our garden! This is a view of the mill at sunset last night taken from our garden.

The windmill is part of our excellent museum. This is probably one of the best local museums in the whole UK. It goes on and on and on. There is so much there. Most who come say it exceeds their expectations.

See http://www.burwellmuseum.org.uk/