The Tenner 10m CW QRP transceiver

Apart from summer Es, 10m is not the best DX band. Give it a few years, it may be quite different and 10m DX should be easy with QRP.

Perhaps now is the time to get building. Remember that all of Europe can be worked with QRP every May, June and July. Once the F2 openings really get going the USA should be workable with QRP regularly. In both cases, just a low wire dipole is all that is needed - no beams, nothing big in the air.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/10m_tenner

Facebook and Microsoft Edge - NOT amateur radio

For the last few weeks it seems as if my browser (Edge) is blocking all "push" notifications from Facebook. I am also unable to post. With Firefox all works. When I tried to turn "on" Facebook push messages FB would not allow me to turn this "on".  It is almost as if an update to Edge is preventing this. Anyone else seen this?

Giddiness - NOT amateur radio

Since my stroke in 2013 I have felt giddy on my feet. In the last year this has got worse. Not only that, but all car driving has become more stressful. Even a 4 mile trip to Tesco fills me with dread. When I drive I seem to be OK. My wife says I am the same as ever and it is all in the mind. 45 mph feels like 70-80mph to me! I am aware I must drive slowly and this embarrasses  me.

Es this season

There have been some spectacular 6m openings this Es season. These include Europe to North and South America, the Caribbean, Japan and even Australia. However, here this season, 6m Es has been less good than last year.

This summer, I have copied North America and the Caribbean but not South America or the Far East. The last time I spotted Japan on 6m was in 2017 with JT65. For 2018 and 2019 I have concentrated on FT8, which is less good than JT65 on weak signals. My antenna system is just a V2000 vertical omni. This is probably 10dB down on better equipped stations.

Although better equipped stations are able to copy some of this "real DX" it suggests with my set-up I struggle.

6m FT8

Overnight I stayed on 2m FT8 RX. Although a few new stations were spotted late yesterday, very little new this morning, so I decided to go on 6m FT8 instead.

On 6m FT8 RX just a brief CQ by an LA7 (called but not worked). On 6m FT8 TX I was spotted by 8 stations with the best spot being by OZ9QV (861km).

UPDATE 1114z: Now 17 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX with the best DX spotted EA8AQV (2989km).

UPDATED 1402z: Now 30 stations spotted today on 6m FT8 RX.

Sunspots - Thursday August 2nd 2019

Solar flux is 68 and the SSN 0. A=8 and K=1.

By-election - NOT amateur radio

At the moment people are still voting in a by-election for their new MP. The outcome should be known in the morning.

UPDATE 2120z: Voting has now closed.

UPDATE Aug 2nd 0844z: The seat was won by the Lib-Dems.

2m FT8

A recent 2m FT8 CQ was spotted by 13 stations with best DX being DL6YBF (471km) who called and worked me. On 2m FT8 RX I have spotted 5 stations in 4 countries.

UPDATE 2111z: Now 12 stations spotted in 5 countries today in the last few hours.

6m FT8

Since lunchtime, I have been on 6m FT8. After a QSO with an EA4, I have been RX only. So far, 34 stations spotted today on 6m FT8 RX. All were European apart from 1 North African. At the moment my theory about Es openings later in the season favouring more northerly stations seems a load of rubbish with most stations being in southern Europe. Ah well, you cannot be right all of the time!

UPDATE 1850z: 49 stations spotted so far on 6m FT8 RX and my CQ call was copied by 26 stations with the best report being by CN8LI (2114km) in Morocco, N. Africa.

The 2 edged sword - NOT amateur radio

Like many, we want to support our local shops. We use our local baker, butcher and co-op shop. However, when our local chemist had no nail scissors and doubted they'd be getting more my wife turned to Amazon and they arrived within a few days.

Yesterday we ordered some new sheets and pillow cases via Amazon. I was able to track the delivery man's van and told my wife he'll soon be here. In just 24 hours they arrived at our doorstep. In the end I am sure high street shops that want to survive will alter their working models. In the next 20 years the high streets will undergo radical change.

Part of me wishes things were as they were, but the Amazon model is surely the way of the future. Like King Canute and the Luddites, one cannot stop the inevitable: we either change or die. In the next 20 years a lot will change. This not just the high street shops. Think of churches and other institutions. As people get older and die so will many institutions. Amateur radio tends to be an old man's hobby in many places. Where will that be in 20 years?