Back home

As we are home again, tomorrow I hope to be back on 10m and 6m. My usual pattern is 10m WSPR TX (500mW) and 6m FT8 (mainly RX). I occasionally call CQ on 6m FT8 but usually just for a few minutes.

Salcombe from the air - NOT amateur radio

When I was a child, I grew up in Salcombe, South Devon. These days it is an exclusive, and expensive, yachting centre for the well heeled. Most houses there are too expensive for most local people to afford.

In 1959 we moved 4 miles north to Kingsbridge. Although still a market town, this is also of morphing into a yuppy place.

Sunspots - Friday August 24th 2018

Solar flux is 69 today and the SSN 15. A=5 and K=3.

Milton Keynes Rally

I have received some advanced warning of this rally on August 26th. This was not my usual source of data.

See https://www.mkars.org.uk/mkars/rally

Erddig House - NOT amateur radio

Our host for the week drove us to Erddig House near Wrexham. This is a fine National Trust place free to visit if you are members. As is often the case, I find stairs hard work these days, especially in old places.

Escalators are hard work these days too. Although manageable, they always need extra care.

Network radios away from home

When away from home is a classic case when network radios are useful, especially with a low cost data SIM. Not only does it allow access to things like Echolink, but also access to emails and the internet.

OFCOM

OFCOM today has published its grant scheme for programme makers and special events equipment owners  (PMSE) operating at 700MHz. This spectrum is to be freed up sooner than originally planned.

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/support-pmse-equipment-owners

American puzzle - NOT amateur radio

It is not an exaggeration to say that every American I have met has been kind, generous and caring. Really. Yet America, as a nation, come across as brash, arrogant and possibly stupid. Why?

Please don't misunderstand me. I have great deal of time for Americans. As said before, every single American I have met or dealt with has been kind and generous. Also, I have found American drivers perhaps the most polite in the whole world. Watching TV movies with car chases I could hardly believe how good the driving was in the USA. First class!

Sunspots - Thursday August 19th 2018

Solar flux is 67 today and the SSN 11.  A=13 and K=3.

Terracotta Warriors - NOT amateur radio

There is a major exhibition on in Liverpool at the moment of the Chinese Terracotta Warriors. These were immense statues created over 2000 years ago. We went to a similar exhibition in London in 2007. It was very good.