OFCOM and 5G

OFCOM has announced moves to defragment 3.6GHz spectrum for 5G.

Real DX on 2m FT8

Southgate News reports on Es between the Cape Verde Islands and Austria on 2m FT8 over a distance of 5102km.

Sunspots - Wednesday June 12th 2019

Solar flux is 68 today and the SSN is 0 still. A=3 and K=1.

Noctilucent Clouds

Southgate News passes on a Spaceweather report that noctilucent cloud formations are probably the best for years. Just about every June the path from Europe to Japan opens briefly on 6m VHF. This is thought linked to ionised mesospheric clouds. The openings are usually short lived and weak, but regular. The image is by creative commons user Novokaiin.

See http://southgatearc.org/clouds.htm#.XP4F7PZFy00

See also https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/noctilucent

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noctilucent_cloud

6m FT8 RX

At the moment just G and nearer Europeans being spotted. These could be tropo and almost certainly not Es.

Sunspots - Monday June 10th 2019

Still spotless.

Solar flux is 68 and the sunspot number 0. A=6 and K=1.

x80 antenna

A few days ago I mentioned that my HF antenna (a Par end-fed) had blown down. Sadly these days I need help with antennas as my ladder skills (even on to a flat garage roof) are probably beyond me safely.

In the garage I have an almost mint x80 antenna fed with a 9:1 un-un. Reports of these vary with some saying they can break in winds. For now, when I have got a suitable support, I shall probably erect one as it should give reasonable performance on the higher HF bands. At the old QTH, albeit higher, it worked quite well.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/x80

That solar minimum - or is it?

We have had several weeks now with no sunspots. As I mentioned before the "experts" seem divided about when the solar minimum will be. One forecast thinks we have already passed the minimum whereas another thinks we have several years to go still! Only time will tell. In another year we will be able to discern a trend. Luckily bands like 10m are being livened up with Es propagation.

Frustration - NOT amateur radio

"Mustn't grumble".

Since my 2013 stroke physically most people think I am fully recovered. On the whole this is a good thing and I am grateful: things could have been so much worse. My main disabilities are my poor voice and feeling giddy all the time when on my feet.

The poor voice is a real drawback. Often I have to repeat myself several times and this is exhausting. I get really frustrated when I need to explain myself, but know the energy to be expended is too much. In casual conversations it is easier to remain quiet. I miss just joining in to casual chats.

What few understand is how much energy I use just to appear normal. Walking and driving are exhausting. To most I look just fine, yet I am clumsy and nearly always exhausted. Life is tougher than it once was, but "mustn't grumble".

As I have said before, do not judge a book by its cover. Often people who look or behave "normally" may be suffering in silence.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/stroke

6m FT8

There is Es about already on 6m FT8 RX with 10 stations spotted including 2 from Spain even though it is just 0820z. Yesterday there were loads of stations on 6m FT8, although nothing exotic.

UPDATE 1620z: Now 56 stations in 12 countries on 6m FT8 RX today.  At the moment things don't look as good as yesterday on 6m.

UPDATE 1646z:  Now 81 stations spotted today on 6m FT8 RX with CU3AK (2585km) in the Azores spotted just now.

UPDATE 1825z: "Real 6m DX!!" with KP4EIT (6834km) in Puerto Rico copied. As he has been

6m FT8 RX spots this here to 1825z

widely reported in North America and Europe I am pretty sure he is genuine. Also spotted was Israel and right across Europe on 6m FT8 RX with 135 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX so far today.

UPDATE 1945z: Now 147 stations in 30 countries on 6m FT8 RX. It seems it has got better later in the day.

UPDATE 2010z: Now FG8OJ (6834km) on Guadaloupe coming through on 6m FT8 RX. This is the second Caribbean station spotted on 6m this evening. 149 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX today so far.

UPDATE 2053z: Now 4 Caribbean stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX this evening. 153 stations now spotted.