The end of life - NOT amateur radio

My son's parents-in-law lost their only son in 2017 due to a freak accident involving a driver ploughing though a red light. The driver was texting. There is a chance one of their two young daughters could die from cancer leaving a husband and 2 young children. The family, my son included, is very afraid. So are we.

At times life seems very random and very cruel. All world religions try to make sense of death. Perhaps the flame just goes out and that is it. However, there is so much we do not understand. Perhaps our brains simply cannot ever hope to understand. It is a brave person indeed who says he or she really understands. At the same time it takes some faith to believe in a just and loving God when things seem so cruel.

As death approaches us all, perhaps it is right that we think about it.

Sunspots - Monday February 25th 2019

Solar flux is 70 today and the sunspot number 0. A=3 and K=1.

472kHz WSPR overnight

Overnight I was spotted by 7 stations with best DX spot of my 10mW ERP being by GM4AOS (653km).  In total, 9 stations were spotted here with best DX spotted LA2XPA (1310km).

Grass cutting - NOT amateur radio

As yesterday was so warm, I gave our lawns a bit of a haircut. The blades were set higher than in the summer. We also managed a cup of tea in the garden in shirt sleeves! And this is February!

472kHz WSPR (10mW ERP)

As it is now getting dark here, I have QSYed to 472kHz WSPR using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. On the first transmission I was copied by G6AVK (78km) and G8LCO (58km) even though the transverter crystal is still drifting a few Hertz. Normally, it takes about 20 minutes, then the drift is very low.

UPDATE 2225z: Now spots of my 10mW ERP have been received by 4 stations and I have spotted 8 stations so far today on 472kHz WSPR.

My other blogs - NOT amateur radio

I maintain several blogs. Among these is my Miscellaneous Musings blog. This is updated every few days. It is not amateur radio oriented.

Blossom - NOT amateur radio

As a result of the mild weather, the tree opposite our village Post Office is laden with blossom. A few strong winds and a few weeks and this will all be gone.

Grass cutting - NOT amateur radio

In shirt sleeves, I cut my front lawn earlier. After lunch, I expect to cut the rear lawn. For February, it is extremely mild. It feels like a late spring day! These are the first cuts this year.

Where I come from - NOT amateur radio

As a youngster, I was brought up in South Devon, UK. I moved away for work. Even now, I go back several times most years. My brother still lives there.

Oscar 100 - still quiet

A casual check on the webSDR for the geosynchronous Oscar 100 this morning around 1000z showed 5 SSB QSOs and plenty of space. I guess it will take a while for many people to assemble the gear. Some people will have held back fearing that something would go wrong. At some point, I quite fancy having a go. Certainly right now it seems a great resource working well. People using milliwatts are getting access and, of course, the dishes are fixed: once aiming at the satellite that is it.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/