Narcissi - NOT amateur radio

Recently, my wife bought a pot of narcissi for the kitchen table. It will be great to see them come into flower over the weeks ahead whilst having breakfast. They are a real December and Christmas  plant.

Sunspots - Wednesday December 4th 2019

Solar flux is 71 and the SSN 0. A=2 and K=2.

2m UKAC activity contest this evening

Starting at 2000z tonight is the December leg of the 2m activity contest. Normally activity levels on SSB are high. Although I just use QRP and stop on for less than an hour, I frequently manage more than 200km.

UPDATE 2126z: In the end with my 10W SSB 7 QSOs with best DX 243km in the Dales. After about 50 minutes I had to stop because of my poor voice. There were plenty more stations to work.

Stations worked with QRP on 2m SSB

this evening in the activity contest

OFCOM updates

As is usual, OFCOM has updated its Communications Monthly for December. It does this every month. See the OFCOM website.

UK Pound up again - NOT amateur radio

The UK Pound is, yet again, up against major currencies such as the Euro, Yen and US Dollar. With a UK General Election next week, I am puzzled. With the outcome so uncertain I would have expected a fall, or at very least, things to be static. It is nearly back to the value last year.

I guess the markets are banking on a Conservative government with a working majority and a BREXIT deal being approved soon.  If there is a hung parliament or a Labour victory, we can expect big falls.

10m FT8

It is now 0910z. For just over 1 hour I have been on 10m FT8, calling CQ initially. Not surprisingly, no spots this early.

UPDATE 1010z: 4 EU stations spotted so far on 10m FT8 RX with best DX being RU2FJ (1396km). My own 2.5W CQ calls were spotted by no-one.

UPDATE 1157z: Now 7 EU stations spotted.

UPDATE 1830z:  Now 14 EU stations spotted.

UPDATE 2130z: I went QRT on 10m at about 2000z.

Sensitive Crystal Set

This has appeared before, but may interest some readers. Some years ago a crystal set design using a zero voltage threshold MOSFET appeared in QST. Thankfully that article is reproduced on the ARRL website and accessible to non-ARRL members.

See http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/culter.pdf

Billy Bunter - NOT amateur radio

If you live in the UK, you may remember Billy Bunter on black and white TV in the 1950s. At the time we thought it was wonderful.  It looks a bit dated now!

Watching some extracts recently, there are some very young looking actors who became famous TV stars years later.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfuVQJdA-z8

UK beginners licence?

This has been touted by the RSGB as a way to get newcomers into the hobby. I have mixed feelings. Yes, we do need more young people and if this could be linked to things like scout badges that could be a good thing, but I am a bit concerned that "dumbing down" is really the answer though.

As I understand it, this would be restricted to 5W commercial gear only on 2m and 70cm.  At this stage I think it is just an idea being tossed around rather than a firm proposal.

See https://www.kb6nu.com/rsgb-vhf-manager-proposes-beginner-license

Sunspots - Tuesday December 3rd 2019

Solar flux is 70 and the SSN 0. A=2 and K=0.