2m activity contest

The 2m leg of the UKAC activity contest was this evening. I nearly missed it, only seeing the email reminder at 2045z. In all, 4 stations worked - not many, but better than forgetting! Best DX was (again) G4CLA (105km). As usual I run 5W SSB to my big-wheel omni.

Stations worked with 5W and omni 

antenna on 2m SSB this evening

472kHz WSPR RX

For about an hour now I have been on 472kHz WSPR RX. So far, 3 stations received with best DX DL7NN (873km).

UPDATE 2045z: 9 unique stations spotted so far this evening on 472kHz WSPR RX.

Cycle 25 - starting?

The latest solar news has been published. Are we seeing the end of the solar minimum or is this a blip?

See https://www.solen.info/solar/

"As of December 2018 the strength of the polar fields hints at a cycle 25 with a magnitude similar to or slightly stronger than that of cycle 24." 
A quote from this site.

Fungi - NOT amateur radio

We saw this fungi on an old tree stump on a walk this afternoon.

Disappointment on 10m FT8 today

Although I have been on 10m FT8 since mid-morning only 2E0XXO (121kmn) spotted so far.

Sunspots - Tuesday January 1st 2019

Solar flux is 69 and the SSN 0. A=10 and K=2.

If you are like me, all the days are fuzzy at this time of year. Today is Tuesday isn't it?

Happy New Year! - NOT amateur radio

So, today is January 1st 2019 - a new year. One thing is certain: the next 12 months will not be quite as we expect. There will be good times and sad times.  I hope, on the whole, 2019 is a good year for you.

Looking back on 2018 we had some sad times, but also some good times.

Take each day as a gift and enjoy the good times. Oh, and keep reading this blog!

Snowflake - NOT amateur radio

This was in Rose Crescent, Cambridge today. It makes a good seasonal decoration. Sadly, Kings College was closed.

All day on 160m FT8

Today, I have remained on 160m FT8 all day and I'll remain on 160m until the morning after breakfast. As on previous evenings, there are lots of Europeans being spotted. Usually WU1ITU is the first North American to be spotted. This station is usually first copied between 2030z and 2130z.

UPDATE 2246z: this station came through at 2047z tonight  :-)

Best Prices?

When looking around for good prices on amateur radio gear I looked at XBS Telecom. Their prices include VAT and a 2 year warranty and are much lower than the UK dealers prices. As far as I can tell the price in Euros is lower than the UK price in pounds. Someone, in the UK is a tad greedy?

See https://www.xbstelecom.eu/shop/en/