Sunspots - Sunday June 9th 2019

Solar flux is 68 and the SSN still zero. A=18 and K=4.

Angry sky

Today is our church fete. Traditionally, it never rained on this June Saturday, so much so that people used to ring up the vicar and ask him the date of the church fete and book that day for a wedding!

In recent years we have had a few wet days and today they had most of the stalls inside the church.

The rain held off, but the sky looked angry. The photos show an angry sky behind my antennas (V2000 vertical omni and 2m big-wheel horizontal omni).

6m FT8

Although it is only 1001z, already good Es on 6m FT8 with  43 stations in 14 countries spotted on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1212z: Now 78 stations in 23 countries so far today on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1438z: Now 174 stations spotted including Egypt and Israel on 6m FT8 RX today.

Stations spotted today on 

6m FT8 RX to 1448z

UPDATE 1453z: Current total is 180 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX today. With loads of Europeans and 3 continents logged on 6m today things are pretty good. Just need some "real DX" to round things off. 😏

UPDATE 1920z: 218 stations spotted today on 6m FT8 RX. Still no "real DX" spotted here.

Sunspots - Saturday June 8th 2019

Still the pits I am afraid.

Solar flux is 68 and the sunspot number still 0. A=4 and K=1.

Storms moving our way?

At the moment we are storm free, but it looks like there are storms moving up from the west of the UK. They may miss us by miles, but I have turned things off and unplugged things as a precaution.

See https://www.lightningmaps.org/blitzortung/europe/index.php?bo_page=map&bo_showmap=6

HF antenna

A few weeks ago my HF wire antenna fell down. At some point soon I need to re-erect it or a suitable alternative. There are several possibilities. Unfortunately, since my 2013 stroke I am always giddy on my feet, so even climbing a few feet up a ladder to my flat garage roof is now a real challenge. Darn!

UK pound against the euro - NOT amateur radio

We live in turbulent economic times. In recent weeks the UK pound has lost value against the euro and could lose more the longer the BREXIT uncertainty continues. It is hard to predict the future.

Buying a new radio

For some time now, I have been thinking of investing in a new radio. I was really after a real FT817 replacement (not the FT818) with a built-in auto ATU, speech processor and better batteries amongst other things. Sadly no such rig was announced at Dayton, so it is on to plan B.

Several rigs are being considered:

• FT991A - includes 2m and 70cm, temperature controlled fan, 3:1 internal ATU.
• IC7300 - probably best radio in price range. Has 4m, but not 2m and 70cm. SDR based. Good ATU inside.
• FT891 -  small, inexpensive. No 4m, 2m or 70cm. No ATU.
• FT450D - old radio. Inexpensive. Internal 3:1 ATU. No 4m, 2m, 70cm.
• IC7100 - recommended by friend. Remote head if need be.

In the UK Elecraft radios are expensive once things like the internal ATU are added. These are good.

All new Yaesu transceivers have a 3 year warranty and some models have a cash-back deal. At the moment I am leaning towards the FT991A, although there are some reports of poor TX phase noise. As I shall be operating QRP mainly, I have no idea if this is better at lower power.

Anglesey Abbey - NOT amateur radio

We go to nearby Anglesey Abbey quite often. It is about 4-5 miles away. At the moment the flowers in the herbaceous borders are at their best.

A walk around the grounds is about 1.2 miles. The photo shows some of the pastel coloured flowers.

UK politics - NOT amateur radio

The UK Labour Party managed to win a byelection in Peterborough. It already held the seat.

At the moment UK politics is in a right mess. I cannot foresee the future and have no idea about how the BREXIT "thing" will be resolved. Clearly, a large number of people are fed up with the EU. Equally, quite a large minority see what the EU can do for us. If only the EU had been more flexible.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48532869