2m FT8

At about 1730z I QSYed to 2m FT8 from 20m FT8. Still using about 10W to the big-wheel omni.

UPDATE 1744z:  So far, 22 stations in 5 countries have already spotted me. I am convinced this is some sort of scatter, not aircraft scatter, as it is so consistent. Polarisation seems less important as I get nearly as many spots with the vertical omni.  Best DX is a spot by DF6PW (562km).

UPDATE 1822:  Well that was odd!  After about 40 minutes I was seeing stations but these were not appearing on PSKreporter. In the end, I restarted the PC and all now seems well. I can only conclude this was some sort of software issue that was cleared by resetting the PC. On RX 2 spots so far in 2 countries with the best DX being GW8ASA (301km). 26 spots of me so far today.

UPDATE 2229z: Now spotted by 31 stations in 5 countries. Going QRT shortly.

Coronavirus step change - NOT amateur radio

In the last week we have seen a step change in the UK over coronavirus. A week ago we were hardly affected, whereas now we seem to be on a war footing.  People seem to have changed.

XBS Telecom

This EU company seems to offer very good prices with VAT added and good guarantees. I have never used them, so have no experience. If other have, perhaps they could share their experiences here.

It is interesting that many dealers are now offering the ICOM IC7300 with free gifts. It appears that ICOM are resisting dropping the basic unit price.

See https://www.xbstelecom.eu/shop/en/12-ham-radio

20m FT8

A few moments ago I went on 20m FT8 with 10W to the tiny indoor loop.

It is now 1426z and 36 stations spotted on RX and just 1 spot on TX by II0IDR (1442km).

UPDATE 1450z: No other spots of me on TX. When a strong signal appears I can get swamped. I have just moved about 100Hz LF to see if that makes a difference. I always check I am on a clear spot, but this does not always work!

UPDATE 1725z:  Now spotted by 18 stations across Europe.

Webcams - NOT amateur radio

It seems possible that some of the next few months we will be stuck at home under quarantine. Thank goodness for webcams!

Earlier today my brother was in Devon at Buckfastleigh at the South Devon Railway. He alerted me on WhatsApp so I was able to see him on the platform with his grandson. There are plenty of other webcams around the world. Some are live.

See https://www.earthcam.com/

New life - NOT amateur radio

Every year the daffodils in the churchyard look a picture giving us hope of spring and better weather. In these Covid-19 filled times it good to see nature getting on with life.

Sunspots - Sunday March 15th 2020

Solar flux is 68 and the SSN 0.  A=3 and K=1.

Solar flux

For the last few days we have seen solar flux numbers in the sixties. In February, unless I am mistaken, numbers were in the low 70s. Perhaps we have not quite reached the solar minimum yet? We may just be bumbling along the bottom.

More on loops

At our old house, I did some tests with a loop antenna using central heating pipe.

More recently I have been using a Wonder Wand loop that was a gift many years ago. As described yesterday, this loop uses a different way to match the loop and much thinner wire for the loop. Thicker wire results in better efficiency and sharper tuning. As I recall, my loop of some years ago was surprisingly effective.

For 10m FT8 the loop could be brought to resonance with a small length of coax. This needs to be carefully cut to tune to frequency, but once cut, it should not need further adjustment. A short length of coax acts as a capacitor and should be able to cope with the high voltages at the top of a resonant loop.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/magloop

Pre-theatre meal - NOT amateur radio

Some months ago we went to the theatre in Wembley. The photo shows me eating a pizza before the theatre.