Sunspots - Tusaday October 23rd 2018

Solar flux is 70 today and the SSN still zero. A=6 and K=1.

10m FT8 again

Rather later than usual, I have returned to 10m FT8. After a brief QRP CQ call, I am now RX only. Just a spot of G8KHF (98km) so far.

UPDATE 1542z:  Odd. The only other spot so far today on 10m FT8 RX is ZS6WB (9094km) in South Africa.

UPDATE 1615z: Another spot, this time from central France - aircraft reflection? No South Americans yet tonight on 10m FT8 RX.

Autumn walk - NOT amateur radio

Before lunch, we went for a nice walk with our son and his children at nearby Anglesey Abbey in the pleasant autumn sun. It was about 12 degrees C.

Sunspots - Monday October 22nd 2018

Solar flux is 71 and the SSN zero still.  A=4 and K=1.

Toadstools - NOT amateur radio

OK, I am not very good at telling apart edible mushrooms from poisonous toadstools, so unless I am sure, it does not get touched or eaten! These toadstools (I assume) were seen at Anglesey Abbey earlier in the week where they had removed an old tree. This seems to be the season to see all sorts of strange fungi.

446MHz in the UK

Quite a few of these licence-free radios are available in the UK for silly prices. Some are also available I believe for licence-free use at 70cm, but don't ask me which ones! I have zero experience of 446MHz radios, so have no idea how busy these channels are. If you are an infrequent professional or casual user of 2-way radio, I expect these are an ideal fit. I am pretty sure there are alternatives in other countries.

Last night on 472kHz WSPR

Average night. No DX spots of my 10mW ERP outside the UK. The usual DX spots on 472kHz WSPR RX. It has been better.

Sunspots - Sunday October21st 2018

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

Slow start on 10m FT8

Been on 10m FT8 for about 30 minutes and the only station spotted so far is 2E0XXO (121km) in Lincoln. An early CQ (2.5W FT8) was spotted by no-one!

UPDATE 1430z: It picked up. Lots of EU stations spotted and a CT1 worked (2.5W FT8). VY2HH (4445km) on Prince Edward Island, Canada spotted on 10m FT8 at 1413z at a strong -10dB S/N.

UPDATE 1852z: Already 6 South Americans spotted on 10m FT8 RX as well as Kuwait and Ghana. A great day. 5 continents spotted on 10m FT8 RX today. 10m near sunspot minimum!

10m FT8 CQs earlier (2.5W)

10m FT8 RX today

472kHz WSPR

As 10m seems to have closed, I decided to try 472kHz WSPR again (10mW ERP).

So far this evening, 9 different stations spotted on MF with best 472kHz WSPR  RX DX being LA8AV (1035km). On TX this evening best DX, so far, is a spot from G4PQP (100km).

472kHz WSPR RX so far this evening