2m FT8 - too easy?

Much of the morning I've been on 2m FT8 using 10W and the big-wheel omni. With 22 spots so far I am wondering if this is just too easy.

UPDATE 1240z: After a recent QSO, I am on 2m FT8 TX again being spotted in GI. It seems that every time I transmit someone a long way away spots me. I am convinced this must be some sort of scatter. So far today 29 stations in 5 countries have spotted my 10W FT8 with the best DX being a spot by EI3ID (583km) in the Cork area. The map shows the stations spotting me today on 2m FT8 to 1230z.

UPDATE 1800z: 39 stations have spotted me today to 1800z (see photo).

UPDATE 2102z: In the end 50 stations spotted my 10W today. 2m dead?

2m activity contest last Tuesday

Every month, the RSGB runs a series of activity contests on various VHF and UHF bands. Last Tuesday evening, it was the April 2m activity contest (UKAC).

I was only on for an hour (poor voice!) with 10W and the big-wheel omni antenna. 9 stations were worked on SSB (see photo). I have just submitted my results. Although I will never win or even come close (!) I  submit a log most months.

2m FT8

Last night I was on 2m FT8 using 10W to the big-wheel omni antenna. In a few hours I was spotted by 31 stations in 5 countries.

Best DX was again GI and GD. These were spots of my 10W, not two-way QSOs. It proves that my signal seems to always get this far. 2 QSOs had, 1 station called me (although we did not complete a QSO) and 1 PA0 spotted me. The map shows where I was spotted to 2030z.

These sort of spots are possible every evening on 2m FT8 from here with just 10W to the omni antenna, whatever conditions are like.  As I have mentioned before, I think aircraft reflection is unlikely, but that some sort of scatter is involved. Polarisation seems to make little difference. When I use the V2000 vertical I get similar results to the big-wheel.

Certainly, FT8 shows that 2m is far from dead!

Should we have left the EU? - NOT amateur radio

There is debate about our sense in leaving the EU when we are all suffering with the Coronavirus.

It is hard to know, but there are fears that northern countries like the Netherlands and Germany might end up bailing out countries like Italy and Spain.

In some ways we may be better making our own decisions. The truth is, it may take years before we know. Certainly Coronavirus is putting a great strain on all countries.

A year ago no-one would have imagined this.

2m Fredbox QSO

Several years ago I rebuilt my 10mW 2m AM Fredbox transceiver.

For this QSO over 16km I used a halfwave whip antenna. This contact was many years ago. The best contact was 160km handheld to France.

There is a video on my YouTube channel G3XBM of the Fredbox. The Fredbox is described on my website.

The original rig dates from the 1970s. At the time, it was very tiny for a 2m transceiver.

Sunspots - Thursday April 9th 2020

Solar flux is 70 and the SSN 0. A=13 and K=1.

FT7 series

Back in the late 1970s I owned an FT7 transceiver. This produced 10W and allowed me to work all over the planet, mainly on 10m SSB. Contacts included New Zealand, which was about as far as possible. All these were with low wire dipoles - no beams!

Later Yaesu sold the FT7B, which was a higher power version which covered all of 10m. I never owned one of these. About 20 years later you could buy the FT817 which was a 5W portable including 6m, 2m and 70cm as well as FM.

More signs of spring - NOT amateur radio

In these strange days, we try to keep a routine by doing a daily walk. We see very few people and those we do are very good about social distancing. This tree (see photo) is another sign of spring.

Although there are swallows in Devon (migrant birds), I have yet to see any here in East Anglia.

The 2m SSB Liner-2

If you were around in the 1970s, you probably remember the Liner-2. This was the 2m rig that brought 2m SSB to the masses. I had a second-hand one and recall being amazed by how far I could reach.

With a simple loft antenna (HB9CV I think) I could reach stations totally out of reach on QRP AM.

The Liner-2 was a synthesised rig that produced lots of spurii if over driven. In the end mine was sold and replaced by an ICOM IC-202 as I recall. In its day, the Liner-2 was ubiquitous and a "must have" rig for serious 2m operators.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/liner2

Adverts I hate - NOT amateur radio

Not sure if this a recent thing, but I am seeing more and more ads that say something like, "UK seniors over 50 are rushing to get this new....".

They are written in such a way that your interest is raised, so you are tempted to take a look. Whenever I see this I do not look. Although most are probably virus free, they are clickbate. Personally I hate these.