QRT time

After another great day on 2m FT8 RX it is time to go QRT.  At the end of the day 43 stations in 8 countries spotted.

A late (brief) CQ call was spotted by GI6ATZ (479km). Not bad for 2.5W and a big-wheel omni antenna. In all, 5 spots received.

Swifts gone? - NOT amateur radio

Not seen swifts (birds) now for a while. Most have probably flown south. The odd straggler may still be around. Swallows can be around for a while yet here in the UK. Swifts leave quite early.

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

Too easy?

Today, I am on 2m FT8 RX. It is amazing what comes through. I am pretty sure what I am spotting on my big-wheel omni antenna is there every day. I suspect most stations come in via aircraft reflection although some are via tropo.

Getting worse? - NOT amateur radio

Perhaps it is me becoming more of a grumpy old man, but in many ways things seem to be going backwards. In our village our only bank has closed. About a year ago our local building society branch in the village closed. Years ago you could ring your local bank manager. Now you are just an anonymous number in an Indian call centre! I tried to contact a train company but was connected to an Indian call centre who really did not have a clue. In fact they were totally useless. Many shops have closed.

Some things are better, but I think that god "profit" is gradually making life harder for us all.

Somehow we have lost that personal touch. I am sure this is a worldwide issue and not just here in the UK. Slowly but surely, life is getting harder, when it should be getting easier.

5MHz newsletter

Southgate News has details on how to get the latest 5MHz Newsletter as a free PDF file.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/august/the-5-mhz-newsletter.htm#.W4aMw_ZFzIU

Sunspots - Wednesday August 29th 2018

Solar flux is 70 today and the sunspot number 11. A=10 and K=2.

2m FT8 (mainly RX)

Overnight I remained on 2m FT8. Already this morning GM4FVM (428km) has been copied, presumably by aircraft reflection. I think I'll stick with 2m FT8 today with the occasional CQ.

UPDATE 0945z: Best DX on 2m FT8 RX today so far is MI6XZZ (495km).

UPDATE 1200z: 14 stations in 5 countries spotted so far on 2m FT8 today.

UPDATE 1810z: Best DX spotted on 2m FT8 RX is now F1DRN (1003km) with a huge signal. Now 36 different stations spotted in 8 countries today on 2m FT8 RX (GI, GM,GW, G, F, PA, ON, DK).

2m FT8

2m FT8 seems almost like 20m with DX from all over the place. The map shows just the last 30 minutes!

A recent 2m FT8 QSO with M0BEW (194km) was spotted by 10 stations with best DX being G4KUX (302km). And remember this is just 2.5W to a big-wheel omni antenna.

UPDATE 2003z: So far, 10 countries spotted in well under an hour!

President Trump and Google - NOT amateur radio

It must be great to be ruled by a true genius showing sincerity, modesty, integrity and statesmanship.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-45331210

St Paul Island DXpedition 2019

Now, I have to confess I don't have a clue where this is! It was mentioned in a post on the Southgate News page today. Judging by the callsign I guess off mainland Canada, but I shall have to consult my atlas! Apparently it is off Nova Scotia.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/august/st-paul-island-dxpedition.htm#.W4VVYfZFzIU