Our house - NOT amateur radio

This panoramic photo shows our house in front of "our" windmill. As you can see, the windmill is right next to our house - a great view at breakfast!

That wall - NOT amateur radio

OK, no-one in the USA (I think) wants illegal migrants crossing from Mexico. But a wall? In this case, I think the American president is playing politics.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46755084

10m FT8 RX again

Although monitoring since before breakfast, no spots as yet on 10m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1213z: Now 11 spots with best DX OK8DCC (1060km).

UPDATE 1722z: 16 stations in 9 countries when I QSYed to 160m.

Sunspots - Thursday January 4th 2019

Solar flux is 72 today and the SSN 16. A=2 and K=1.

Average night on 160m FT8 RX

Last night was average on 160m FT8 RX with 12 North Americans and 1 Caribbean stations spotted.

Stations spotted on 160m FT8 overnight 

with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground

More OFCOM crappery

OFCOM has many times appeared to me to be a toothless quango. Southgate News reports on a Freedom of Information enquiry into the number of prosecutions for unlicenced radio microphones. It turns out that they have procecuted no-one at all!

Quango? Toothless? Enforcement?

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2019/january/ofcom-quizzed-about-enforcement.htm#.XC4xcfZ2u00

QSY to topband

As 10m was so dire, I have already QSYed to 160m FT8 RX using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. Although there was an immediate spot of a German calling CQ, activity usually ramps up after dark.

UPDATE 1751z: As on previous evenings, lots of Europeans again spotted on 160m FT8 RX.

Stations so far spotted this evening on 160m FT8 RX

10m FT8 RX

Although I have been on 10m FT8 RX most of the morning, so far not a single station copied! Sunspot minimum. Conditions on 10m seem dire here!

UPDATE 1512z: Just a single G spot on 10m FT8 all day. G0LFF (148km). The pits!

Longer days - NOT amateur radio

Although the winter solstice is before Christmas, it is early January before the mornings start to get lighter here. Evenings are already about 5 minutes later.

Although at first the changes are slow, by the end of the month things start to speed up. At least we have "turned the corner".

Christmas and New Year over - NOT amateur radio

By tradition, decorations are taken down on January 6th, but we have just put things away until next year. The Christmas tree is on the patio. It looks very green and may see us OK next Christmas. At the moment it looks bare everywhere, but we just want to get on with 2019 now. For the last couple of years we have recorded all the cards received. One last check on these before the cards get recycled.