Cattle egrets - NOT amateur radio

It looks very likely these will be the next bird to extend range and establish themselves as breeding birds in the UK. Already they seem to be spreading in South Devon with a flock of 51 seen a few weeks ago. It would not surprise me to see these everywhere in a few years.

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

E-field probe

My mini-whip E-field probe has arrived from PA0RDT. It will be some time before this RX antenna can be erected as I depend on help these days. It is tiny.

472kHz WSPR TX tonight?

If I can work out how to get split mode on my FT817ND, I may try 472kHz WSPR TX (and RX) for the first time this autumn later this evening and overnight. I shall have to read the manual!

The TX packed up on my very old FT817 earlier in the year (it was 17 years old!) and I assume this is why I was not seeing any 472kHz TX power on MF late in the last spring.

My 472kHz transverter is shown at https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/mflf/472khz_tvtr. This was published in the book "LF Today" and in QST a few years ago.

UPDATE 1719z: Well, I managed to get the FT817ND working in split mode! 4 reports in first transmission using the earth electrode "antenna" in the ground. Best DX so far is a spot by G0NNF (154km). ERP is about 10mW.

Estuary - NOT amateur radio

This is the Kingsbridge Estuary, which goes from Salcombe up to Kingsbridge. This is in the South Hams of Devon. It is where I was born and brought up.

Autumn - NOT amateur radio

This is a view up School Lane, Burwell, showing the autumn berries. The building up the lane on the left is made of clunch, a kind of chalk. It has cracked badly in our recent hot, dry weather.

Southgate Amateur Radio News

The Southgate News page I link to has not been updated for several days.

Maybe the guy who normally does this is away and I have missed an announcement to this effect on another way of entry.

Southgate News is often quite a good source of data. The last update was Friday.

Sunspots - Monday September 12th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 12. A=7 and K=1.

10m FT8

Since before breakfast I have been on 10m FT8. Nothing spotted yet but my own CQ (2.5W) was spotted in Spain.

UPDATE 0925z: Only 1 G spotted so far: G7BXU (127km). I am sure people don't realise 10m is still often "open" and just leave the band. If a short QRP CQ can be copied on 10m in Spain, that must tell you something.

UPDATE 0945z: Now 2 Gs spotted. G4AYU (256km) spotted.

UPDATE 1306z: Best DX on 10m FT8 RX is MW0CRI (341km). 4 stations in 2 UK countries so far today on 10m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1506z: Now 5 UK stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX. No "real" DX.

More posh houses - NOT amateur radio

It seems that every space in our village is being used to build posh houses.

Several years ago one of our pubs closed and this year they are converting it into a posh house. They are also building in what was the pub car park. Social housing for people doing needed jobs? No, posh houses to maximise builder's and land owner profits.

With nearby Cambridge Science Park in commutable range, I expect it will sell quickly.

Whistlers

Many years ago (1970) I did my final year project at university on whistlers. These are VLF natural emissions. I very nearly did a PhD on whistlers.

My final year university project involved trips to north Wales to record whistlers. These were later analysed in the university labs on kit we designed and made.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vlf/whistlers