Heathkit HW8

One of my favourite transceivers was the Heathkit HW8 QRP CW rig.  I bought this ready built from a local who later bought it back!

This rig covered the main HF bands and produced about 1.5W. It had a direct conversion RX. For a while it was my only rig.

You occasionally see these for sale and lots were modified, although mine was fine just as it was.  I liked it and worked some good stuff with mine using just low wire dipoles.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hw8

6m propagation at this time of year

According to "the experts" the main northern hemisphere's Es season should be over. In my experience, 6m is good for European DX (even with QRP SSB) way beyond now and way into September.

With FT8, which can work with stations well below CW levels, stations are in the same few kilohertz of band. If 6m opens, even briefly, there are plenty of monitors able to catch the opening.

On CW or SSB, you have to have stronger signals and know where to look. Also, it is harder to look back at what happened over the day.

FT8 only occupies 50Hz of bandwidth and a single transmission only takes 15 seconds. If the band opens, even briefly, the chances are someone, somewhere, will notice. This why I like FT8.  I agree it is not a chatting mode, but it is an ideal Es mode.

When the band opens with F2 propagation, which it will do nearer sunspot maximum, FT8 should be ideal for brief openings, especially TEP ones N-S.

Sunspots - Saturday August 17th 2019

Solar flux is 67 and the sunspot number 0. A=5 and K=1.

DST100

We all have a tale to tell about how we started. Although I had been interested for several years, my interest was really started when my dad bought me a DST100 receiver from a local garage for £7. It was huge and needed 2 people to lift it. It was "attended to" by local amateur Roger Thorn G3CHN (SK) and this served me well for several years. I think it was designed for use in tanks in WW2.

In the 1950s and 1960s there was a lot of war surplus gear around and many of us used these as a start in amateur radio. Common receivers were the AR88, CR100 and HROs. These days new amateurs often buy a Japanese SSB transceiver.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/dst100

Enough? - NOT amateur radio

The UK pound has been gaining against most major currencies this morning. This may be a blip as BREXIT uncertainties continue. However, maybe the world has said, "enough".

International Politics - NOT amateur radio

The world is in a mess.

Britain is busy navel gazing and losing friends in Europe. North and South Korea have fallen out again, Israel continues to treat Palestine as if it didn't exist, the USA is spoiling for a war with Iran, civil war continues in Syria, Yemen continues to be fought over by proxi, Kashmir continues to be troublesome to Pakistan and India, the USA seems to want a trade war with China, and we have a climate crisis that the world chooses to ignore. These are to name but a few.

Oh for some common sense! Almost all these conflicts could be solved by compromise and talking.

6m FT8 today

Just a few moments ago, I switched to 6m FT8. Initially I called CQ with my best spot one from SP5ENA (1392km). I assume this was Es, but it could be aircraft reflection. At the moment, I am RX only.

UPDATE 1045z:  Unless my internet has been off most of the morning, this looks like a very poor morning on 6m FT8 RX with just 1 G spotted. I shall try another CQ call shortly. Probably more are monitoring than transmitting now that most think the Es season is largely over. This is a pity as I have found 6m open via Es way into September. As user numbers go down, this can lead to feeling the band is dead when it is anything but. With FT8, brief openings can be utilised and users are looking in the same spectrum space. Also, FT8 can work with signals weaker than CW.

UPDATE 1112z: A recent FT8 CQ call was spotted by 7 stations with my best DX being a spot by OH2FQV (1751km). So, there is some Es, just a lack of activity!

UPDATE 1238z:  My recent FT8 CQ was copied as far apart as Spain, Finland and the Faroes. As I said, many think the Es season has ended!

UPDATE 1338z: So, they tell me the Es season is over on 6m. Please tell someone then! The photo shows the stations that have spotted me already today using just the V2000 vertical omni antenna.

UPDATE 1454z: A recent 6m FT8 CQ call resulted in just 2 G spots and no QSOs.

UPDATE 1812z: So far 33 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX with the best DX being EA8BEV (3126km). No Es?

UPDATE 1934z: Today, I have been spotted by 27 different stations in 11 countries on 6m FT8 TX with the best DX being SV9CVY (2728km) on Crete.

UPDATE 2023z: I was about to go QRT, but found the 6m band wide open, so for now I am still on. In the last few minutes I have been spotted in Italy and Poland on 6m FT8. The Polish station was worked on FT8.

UPDATE 2055z: Now QRT.

160m FT8 overnight

160m FT8 RX overnight resulted in 117 stations being spotted in 3 continents. The earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground was used. 160m certainly was good.

Sunspots - Friday August 16th 2019

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

160m FT8

As of a few moments ago (1855z), I am on 160m with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. An FT8 CQ call was spotted by a couple of stations with best DX F1TFT (353km). It is still light here. Nothing yet spotted on 160m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1915z: A recent FT8 call to PA1CC failed, but was spotted by 6 stations including HB9DSZ (822km).

Recent 160m FT8 spots of me using 

the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground

UPDATE 2008z: My recent FT8 CQ was spotted by 11 stations with my best DX being a spot by OL7M (1126km). No QSOs resulted. By the way, on RX my noise floor with this antenna is below S1.

UPDATE 2025z: On 160m FT8 RX my best DX so far this evening is LY3BRA (1573km).

UPDATE  2120z: On 160m FT8 RX my best DX is 5T5PA (3791km). This "antenna" certainly works!