Starter homes - NOT amateur radio

From the start of the UK election campaign, I'd like to be as neutral as possible. I am a floating voter and have still to decide.

We all know only too well that politicians of all colours make promises that are unlikely to be kept. It seems to me that most politicians become politicians to "feather their own nests" rather than for the common good. There are a very few exceptions.

I was dismayed to read on the BBC News Page that an independent watchdog (the National Audit Office) has concluded that the present government's promise to build 200000 starter homes has completely failed with not one being built. Caveat emptor.  Pie crusts come to mind as in "promises are like pie crusts" i.e. thin and easily broken.

With over a month to go to the UK election, I forecast a hung parliament with Boris Johnson's Conservative party forming a minority government yet again.  So, the mess continues. Whatever your views on BREXIT are, this is like a stuck record.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50296672

False dawn?

At the moment the solar numbers just aren't clear. We may be starting the climb out of the solar minimum, or this could just be another blip and we are bouncing along the bottom of the solar cycle still. It will be some time (a year?) before we can be sure. I hope conditions start to improve soon.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/

Oscar 100 from Sweden with 100mW

Apparently, according to Southgate News, Swedish amateurs are restricted to 100mW on 2.4GHz, yet still they can activate the narrowband transponder on this geosynchronous satellite.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2019/november/qo-100-geostationary-satellite-with-just-100-milliwatts.htm

Old cottage - NOT amateur radio

A few years ago this very old cottage in our village was tastefully extended. It is very hard to tell the extension from the original.  We are blessed with quite a few old houses in Burwell, our village.

Here I am trying to take a photo on my phone! I have no idea when this cottage dates from, but I'd guess the early 1800s. Some old houses date from the 1200s - that is old!

10m FT8

At about 0830z, I QSYed to 10m FT8 calling CQ with 2.5W briefly. Since then I have been on 10m FT8 RX. Not entirely unexpectedly, no spots this early.

UPDATE 1003z: Still no spots.

UPDATE 1315z: Just 2 spots on 10m FT8 RX so far - G0OPI (229km) and MM3NRX (516km).

UPDATE 1657z: Just 4 UK stations all day. Very disappointing on 10m FT8 RX. Soon be time to QSY to MF.

3Y0I Bouvet Island

Southgate News reports on a possible second attempt to activate this very rare DXCC country as long as funds cover it.

It appears that mounting such DXpeditions to inaccessible places is very expensive. If you are a DX chaser (I am not) you may want to considering chipping in.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2019/november/3y0i-bouvet-island-dxpedition-news-preparations-resumed.htm

472kHz WSPR TX (10mW ERP)

Overnight and last evening my 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground was spotted by 14 stations with best DX being LA9IY (1374km) up in Norway. The table is arranged in distance order.

Sunspots - Tuesday November 5th 2019

Solar flux is 71 and the SSN 0. A=4 and K=1.

472kHz WSPR TX (10mW ERP)

As 10m is probably of little good now, I have decided to QSY to 472kHz (630m) WSPR TX with my 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. I have just QSYed at about 1840z. In among the first 4 spots was DL/PA0EHG (493km).

With 7 unique stations spotting me within 20 minutes, this is looking promising.

Every time I TX on 472kHz WSPR about 3-5 stations seem to spot me. In the last hour 8 different stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 2150z: So far this evening, 12 stations have spotted me on 472kHz WSPR. See table arranged in distance order.

BREXIT and UK elections

Basically I have given up on our politicians Just before an election they all make rash promises that rarely get changed into actions. They are all guilty of it! As my mother-in-law said their promises are like pie crusts.

As for BREXIT, most have lost the will to live, whether we voted "remain" or "leave" the EU. It seems few in politics or the UK can agree or even agree to disagree!