OFCOM monthly update

As usual, OFCOM has updated its "Communications Monthly" on its website. It does this every month.

6m FT8

Just before midday I called CQ briefly on 6m FT8. I have now gone back to RX. No QSOs resulted, but I was spotted by one G station G4SWY (83km). Nothing yet spotted on 6m FT8 RX today.

UPDATE 1344z: Still nothing yet spotted today on 6m FT8 RX. A recent FT8 CQ was again spotted by G4SWY (83km) and no-one else.

UPDATE 1352z: Storm risk, so all disconnected.

UPDATE 1822z:  It looks like there will be no 6m FT8 spots here today, unless things change soon.  I'll stay on a little while longer, but things look mighty quiet on 6m FT8 today.

BREXIT deal? - NOT amateur radio

The UK Prime Minister was on TV earlier. During the interview he talked about the Irish backstop. The EU has rejected what has been informally tabled. Unless the PM has something really new, I suspect we remain deadlocked.

Up a tree - NOT amateur radio

This is our younger granddaughter up a tree in Kent at the weekend.

160m FT8 RX overnight

Since keeping an eye on 160m FT8 RX since 1930z yesterday evening using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground, 245 stations in 4 continents have been spotted.

The best spotted was VP8EME (12773km) in the Falklands. There were others too in South America. Checking where these were all spotted, they all look genuine.

The absence of African stations is probably due to there being few active stations?

Sunspots - Tuesday October 1st 2019

Solar flux is 68 and the SSN 0. A=14 and K=4.

QSY to 160m FT8 RX with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground

In the end I gave up with the HF bands and QSYed to 160m FT8 RX. Although I am spotting loads of stations locally, nothing is appearing on PSKreporter. I need to investigate! Timing was resynced just a few minutes ago so it is not that.

UPDATE  1934z: Suddenly they are appearing. Either PSKreporter was not working or my internet connection was not working. 28 stations spotted so far all over Europe with the best DX spotted on 160m FT8 RX being RV6FT (3093km).

Compact 160m loft antenna

This has appeared before but may spark some ideas in some people. At the old QTH (we moved 6 years ago, which seems incredible) I had a need for a simple antenna for 160m. At that time, I had easy access to the loft, so this antenna resulted. It was quite effective.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/160m_loft_ant

East Cambridgeshire Net

A reminder that the East Cambs net reverted to Mondays at 8pm on 144.575MHz FM vertical in the "all modes" part of 2m.  We had moved to Weds at 7.30pm, but quite a few forgot!

FT8 - what band?

We returned home earlier, so I shall probably go on FT8 shortly, but I am unsure on what band. As 15m is a band I have never tried on FT8, I may try this on FT8 RX using the indoor loop.

UPDATE 1428z: I decided on 15m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1520z: Spots from 5B4 and OD5 (eastern Med) which were not reported to PSKreporter maps. Not sure if this was a problem at my end or theirs. I have just restarted WSJT-X in case it was my end.

UPDATE 1540z: It is quite surprising than nothing has appeared on 15m PSKreporter maps. The impression is either no-one bothers TXing on 15m FT8, or conditions are very bad now, or PSKreporter is faulty. I don't think it s the latter.

UPDATE  1615z: Our internet connection has been off (wi-fi OK), so this may explain the lack of uploads to PSKreporter maps. Still no spots.