Longest spotless period

According to Southgate News we have had 33 spotless days now. This is now the longest spotless stretch this cycle and is consistent with the minimum in the next year.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2019/june/the-sun-is-so-spotless.htm#.XQ5UUvZFy00

Iran-USA conflict - NOT amateur radio

We live in dangerous times with the USA president "shooting from the hip" as if he is in the wild west. Actually the world could fall into a deep recession should he attack Iran. Iran is a dangerous unknown, but just as on climate change, the USA president seems to think he knows best.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48728465

Dead Ringers - NOT amateur radio

Some in the UK may recall "Spitting Image" on TV. Famous people were created in rubber puppets and they had the micky taken! It was a wonderful programme and unbelievably funny. It is a pity they don't bring it back.

Dead Ringers on BBC Radio 4 is very similar and perhaps the best programme on the radio. It is broadcast on Friday early evenings and Saturday lunchtime. I am pretty sure it will be on catch-up and BBC iPlayer.

External Links G3XBM main website

A very long time ago, I created a page for my main website with external links. Some of these links probably do not work, so I need to go though all these and check. If you spot any dead links before me, please let me know. Likewise on the rest of the site, please tell me if you spot mistakes or broken links.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/ext_links
See also www.g3xbm.co.uk

Friends - NOT amateur radio

On the bridge over 

the River Lark

For the last couple of nights we had an old school friend of my wife and her husband staying. They were on their way to a holiday in Norfolk.

They are very good company and we really enjoyed them staying.

Yesterday, we took them to Bury St Edmunds, which is a delightful East Anglian place with an old (and new!) abbey.

6m FT8

With 85 stations spotted on 6m FT8 so far this morning this is a bit more promising than yesterday. Best DX spotted so far on 6m FT8 RX is EA8JK (3022km) in the Canaries. Nothing yet from Asia on 6m.

UPDATE 1032z: Now 141 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX this morning. Still nothing from Asia.

UPDATE 1245z: Now 230 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1317z:  Still 230 stations spotted, suggesting the Es opening has ended, for now.

UPDATE 1646z: Now 294 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 2030z: 310 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX in the last half day. Nothing here spotted from "across the pond" on 6m FT8 RX.

Sunspots - Saturday June 22nd 2019

Solar flux is just 66 and the sunspot number zero. A=6 and K=2.

Sunspot minimum definitely. Well, it can hardly be worse! Pretty sure this month will be spotless.

Quieter day on 6m FT8?

OK it is only 0945z, but so far 6m is far quieter than yesterday. There is some European Es, but only 8 stations spotted so far today.

UPDATE 1600z:  Now 82 stations spotted today on 6m FT8 RX.

Some amazing transatlantic 2m DX

This has been a remarkable week on 2m with some amazing contacts across the Atlantic. See this blog:

https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2019/06/historic-trans-atlantic-contact-made-on.html

The question now is when transatlantic 2m QSOs will take place further north. Certainly modes like FT8 are improving chances.

Sunspots - Friday June 21st 2019

Solar flux is 66 and the SSN 0. A=7 and K=1.

Still firmly at sunspot minimum. Basically crap!