Overnight on 160m FT8 RX

Just a couple of North Americans spotted last night on topband FT8 RX. Lots of EU and Asiatic Russians spotted. Again, using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. I am surprised how effective this is on 160m.

Sunspots - Sunday November 11th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number still zero. A=13 and K=2.

WW1 - NOT amateur radio

All the people who fought in WW1 are now dead and gone. Looking back, this must have been the stupidest waste of human life ever in history.

Surely by now you would have thought that fighting wars would be seem a futile waste. Yet still innocent lives and families are wasted over and over again. To name just 2 think of Syria and Yemen.

In my view, war is an outdated concept. It is high time jaw, jaw replaced war, war.

Cracks - NOT amateur radio

About 300m from our bungalow is a cottage with a clunch (a kind of chalk) out-house that may have been a dovecote. In the summer heat, the walls have cracked and they are trying to repair it.

160m FT8 again

As topband was so incredible in the last day, I am QSYing from 10m now.

Within a few minutes the best DX on 160m FT8 is RN9N (4605km). Again, the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground is being used. I am amazed by how busy 160m FT8 is with lots of Europeans and Asiatic Russians.

UPDATE 1812z:  A very similar log to last evening. Frankly quite amazing.

UPDATE 2110z: WU1ITU (4831km) copied on 160m FT8 RX - this is the first transatlantic this evening.

Sunspot cycle 25 start?

Some forecasts are suggesting that cycle 25 will start this year.

This image is at http://www.solen.info/solar/images/cycles23_24.png.

See https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.04868

10m FT8

10m FT8 has plenty of stations on RX today. This includes VO1NE (3925km) in Newfoundland. Sunspot minimum?

UPDATE 1534z: South Africa, South America, North America, Europe all spotted on 10m FT8 RX today. The power of FT8. It certainly proves 10m is open far more often than you think. If this sunspot minimum with a poor 10m antenna what will sunspot maximum with a decent antenna bring?

Apples - NOT amateur radio

Our next-door neighbour has a big garden with apples and pears. Generously, he puts a box outside his house so neighbours can help themselves.

Total 160m surprise

Someone yesterday suggested I tried 160m FT8 with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. It is hard to even see this antenna! The map shows stations spotted in the last day on 160m FT8 RX. As I mentioned yesterday, with this antenna I have an S0 noise floor.

Sunspots - Saturday November 10th 2018

Solar flux is 67 today and the SSN zero. A=10 and K=2.