More from Chelsea Flower Show - NOT amateur radio

It seems hard to believe we went to the Chelsea Flower Show a whole week ago. This is the most important flower show in the UK. Although we went on an RHS members' day, it was very busy.

As I mentioned before (at least I think I did!) we had our tickets as a present for our 70th birthdays late last year.

Irish 8m band activity

Although there are a very few beacons operational around 40MHz, very few countries have an amateur band at 8m. I have lobbied the RSGB for a small slot to be negotiated, although, not too surprisingly, nothing has come of this. Being mid way between 10m and 6m it is an ideal band of Es and MS experiments. Even 100kHz and 10W would be useful to advance radio science. OFCOM has managed to find 2MHz for DATV work and I cannot believe they cannot allocate a small slot for serious work around 40MHz! No standard comercial gear is available for this band, so it would only attract serious experimenters, not  "black box" operators. So, the number of people using such a band in the UK would be small.

I quite like the Irish model of allocating wide chunks of under-used spectrum to amateurs. If they were not pen pushers it would be good for OFCOM to allow use of any spectrum on a strictly "non-interference" basis, even if the power was strictly limited. Sadly, I cannot see this happening. It needs people policing this and this costs money rather than generates money! Also, you have to understand RF.  I may be forgiven for thinking few now have this skill.

Meanwhile in Eire, one of the few countries to allocate spectrum at 40MHz to amateurs, work and QSOs continue.

See https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2019/05/inter-ei-activity-begins-on-40-mhz.html

Garden of England - NOT amateur radio

Over the weekend we spent a few days with our "Kent" family and grandkids. We saw some places we'd not been to before with our son. The collage shows a typical Kent oast house (for drying hops) as well as several views of our younger grandson. Kent is known as "the garden of England".

6m FT8 RX in the last day

Stations spotted here since mid-afternoon 

yesterday on 6m FT8 RX on the FT817 and V2000 vertical

Since we got home yesterday afternoon, 441 stations (a huge number) have been spotted on 6m FT8 RX. Even this morning there is early Es.

Last evening, I copied my first transatlantic station this season J69DS (6840km) on St Lucia in the Caribbean. My antenna is still the V2000 vertical omni.

UPDATE 1445z: 60 stations in 10 countries so far spotted on 6m FT8 RX in the last 12 hours. Plenty of Es about on 6m.

UPDATE 1821z: Now 154 stations in 21 countries spotted on 6m FT8 RX in the last 12 hours. Will there be any Caribbean or North Americans later on 6m FT8 RX?

UPDATE 1922z: Much to my surprise a single 15 second 6m FT8 CQ was responded to by an Italian. A subsequent series of 2.5W CQs was copied by 26 stations!

UPDATE 2137z: So far 248 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX in the last 12 hours. No "real" DX. Mostly single hop Es.

Sunspots - Wednesday May 29th 2019

Solar flux is 67 and the sunspot number still 0. A=10 and K=2.

Dayton roundup

There are probably several roundups of the recent Dayton Hamvention on YouTube of which this is just one. As an outsider who has never been, and never likely to go, this is useful.

Did someone say this mainly an old MAN's hobby? Watch the video!

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1pQ1H7YhNo

MLS cashback on Yaesu

Certainly MLS (and probably other dealers) are still offering cashback on certain Yaesu products. The next few weeks looks a good time to buy. Unless I am mistaken dealers are offering 3 years warranty on Yaesu.

Climbing the ruins - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday, we were with our son and family in Kent. They enjoyed climbing over the ruins of this old church at Reculver by the coast. In the photo you can just see our son trying to take a photo of his children.

6m FT8 - amazing

Although we have only been home for 30 minutes, my 6m FT8 2.5W to the omni vertical was spotted by 18 stations all over Europe and I have spotted 47 stations in 12 countries. Most of these were Es.

UPDATE 1514z: Now 108 stations spotted on 6m FT8 in the last hour or so with best DX EA8ACW (2988km).

UPDATE 1817z: 360 different stations so far spotted on 6m FT8 RX this afternoon with best DX spotted on 6m being OD5YA (3466km) in Lebanon.

Sunspots - Tuesday May 28th 2019

Solar flux is 66 today and the SSN 0. A=5 and K=1.