Es blog

A friend Richard G3TFX has just sent me this link. Jim Bacon G3YLA was a well known BBC weather forecaster. He has a keen interest in sporadic E (Es) propagation. He is a well known radio amateur. 

You need to chose the date you want.

See http://www.propquest.co.uk/blog.php?date=2019-05-01

Electric cars, not yet? - NOT amateur radio

As a low power radio enthusiast (they call us QRPers), I want to buy an electric car, but still feel it is a technology that is not quite there. I feel sure there will be a tipping point when prices fall and ranges are much better. This point is still some years away, unless there is a really significant breakthrough in battery technology. At the moment electric cars are expensive and ranges are not good enough. Give it 5-10 years and things could be much different.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_electric_cars_currently_available

Burwell museum and windmill - NOT amateur radio

Please be aware that Waitrose (Newmarket) is making our local Burwell Museum one of its community projects for May. If you shop at Waitrose (Newmarket) you may want to support your local museum by putting your green tokens in the museum "pot".

Easter profits - NOT amateur radio

Even though Easter was very late this year, it has now gone. One of our leading UK supermarkets, John Lewis, was selling Easter goods soon after Christmas. This is pure commercialism and sick.

In my view, Christmas goods should not be displayed or sold before December and Easter goods no sooner than 1 month before Easter. Baa humbug :-( 

10m FT8

After a brief (2.5W) CQ call at 0825z (I was not spotted), I am now RX only on 10m FT8. As yet, no spots. It is very early, so unless there was strong Es, I might only expect near Europeans and Gs by tropo or aircraft reflection.

UPDATE 1250z: Just three G spots so far today on 10m FT8 RX. Poor.

UPDATE 1530z: Today really has been the pits! Just 4 G spots all day on 10m FT8 RX. I shall stay on until dark, just in case there is a late opening.

UPDATE 1855z: Some Es from Southern Europe around teatime.

Solar predictions

As yet, my favourite site for solar details has not yet been updated for April. This usually happens early in the new month. It will be interesting to see the forecasts for solar minimum and cycle 25 maximum dates. At odds with some other forecasts, this site was predicting we had already passed the solar minimum.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/

UPDATE 1248z: It has now been updated and still shows that we have passed the solar minimum.

160m FT8 RX overnight

Last night I was on 160m FT8 RX. As well as loads of EU stations, 1 North American was spotted. Conditions seem less good than a few months ago on 160m, but I am no expert.

160m FT8 RX overnight on the 

earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground

Beyond meat - NOT amateur radio

I am a meat eater, but I could quite happily be a vegetarian and never eat meat again. An American company called Beyond Meat is about to float and the shares are in high demand. If the world it to feed itself in years to come we may have to eat far more non meat foods.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48110704 .

Sunspots - Wednesday May 1st 2019

May already! It hardly seems possible.

Solar flux is 67 and the SSN zero. A=5 and K=2.

160m FT8

Overnight I am on 160m FT8. After a brief period calling CQ (2.5W, 2 UK spots plus LB7ZG (1058km as best DX)) I have been on 160m FT8 RX. As usual, I am using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. This is a good match on 160m.

As normal, loads of EU stations spotted on 160m FT8 RX.

Stations spotted on 160m FT8 

RX in the first few minutes!