Cambridge in winter - NOT amateur radio

As mentioned yesterday (I think) Cambridge is a lot quieter at this time of the year. There are still visitors, but fewer. In many ways this is a good time to visit the city.

The photo shows Trinity Street looking towards St John's College. The world famous Bridge of Sighs is about 200m away on the left.

Heffers, on the right, is the biggest bookshop in Cambridge. When I first came to Cambridge in 1970, there were Heffers shops in several places around the town.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_Sighs_(Cambridge)

10m FT8 RX

Although monitoring 10m FT8 RX since breakfast, only a couple of UK stations spotted with G4HZW (212km) the best DX so far on 10m today.

UPDATE 1444z: Still just those 2 UK spots today.

160m FT8 RX overnight

Quite a decent night with 18 North Americans and 1 Caribbean stations spotted overnight. Best DX was K6NR (8616km) on the west coast of the USA. Still using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.

Stations spotted here last 

night on 160m FT8 RX.

More OFCOM consultations

OFCOM is consulting again, this time on wireless technology.

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/spectrum-management/supporting-role-wireless-innovation-uk-industry

Solar numbers

In a while, I shall check the solar data for January to see if there are any updates on the size and dates of the solar minimum and the next peak. This data is usually available quite early in the month.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/

Sunspots - Friday February 1st 2019

Solar flux is 72 and the SSN 0. A=14 and K=3.

Kings Lawn - NOT amateur radio

This probably has a real name, but it is the lawn separating Kings College from the River Cam in Cambridge, UK. In the summer, there are lots of tourists taking photos of punts or Kings College Chapel, but this is a cold January morning. Memories of John Betjeman's famous poem "Sunday Morning, King's Cambridge"

"...The white of windy Cambridge courts, the cobbles brown and dry,..."

Telling Lies? - NOT amateur radio

A Member of Parliament in the UK has been found guilty of telling lies over who was driving her car when it was caught speeding and both her brother and her have been imprisoned. I have no facts, so cannot comment on this specific case. However, it is wrong for any MP to tell lies to save his or her career.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-46596588

Homelessness - NOT amateur radio

One thing you notice in Cambridge is there are more homeless people on the streets than a few years ago.

Now, many of these people are on drugs and/or have a mental illness. Some beg as it is quite lucrative in a popular tourist destination like Cambridge. Whatever the reason, it should not happen in this day and age. In Helsinki, they have tackled the issue another way, with a lot of success.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-46891392

OFCOM Consultations

OFCOM is consulting on 700MHz and 3.2GHz spectrum.

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/award-700mhz-3.6-3.8ghz-spectrum