OFCOM news

Gosh, I get so excited I must watch my heart! OFCOM has announced that Jonathan Oxley is standing down. Contain yourselves. Rush to the OFCOM website for more stunning news.

6m FT8

In the hope that some transatlantic DX might be spotted, I stayed on 6m FT8 overnight. Sadly, no DX from "across the pond" was spotted.

This morning, there is already evidence of Es on 6m with 27 stations already spotting my 10W to the vertical omni as well as 1 QSO. It is 0915z.

UPDATE 1101z: 37 spots of me so far, mostly Es.

UPDATE 1450z:  Now 103 spots of my 10W FT8 so far today on 6m FT8. No signs here of DX from outside Europe.

UPDATE 2235z: I am now QRT, so 6m is likely to see the biggest transatlantic opening this century tonight!!!

HF conditions

Although there is debate about exactly when solar minimum is, we can be sure of one thing: HF conditions on the higher bands are not great.

It never fails to amaze me how some bands spring into life when there is a contest. Quite often it is people thinking conditions are poor, when the problem is often a lack of activity. How often has the CB band been busy when 10m appears dead?

It looks like the next solar peak, about 2024 or 2025 will be similar to the last one. This is far lower than the peaks in the late 1950s.  Nonetheless, 10m will once again emerge as a great DX band in daylight.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hfcondx

QRPguys DSB rigs for digital modes

Practical Wireless has a piece on a tiny, low cost, DSB rig kit that is ideal for digital modes like FT8. The article is written by Martin Peters G4EFE.

This is a QRP transceiver producing the equivalent of 500mW at least of SSB. On digital modes like FT8, this is capable of worldwide QSOs.

Being DSB, half the power is wasted, but this makes the rig very simple. On WSPR it would be even better, although there are far more people using FT8 than WSPR.

See https://qrpguys.com/

Sunspots - Wednesday May 13th 2020

Solar flux is 69 and the SSN 0. A=4 and K=1.

70cm activity contest

Every month there is an activity contest on 70cms. As I was using the main rig on 6m FT8, I used the FT817ND at 2.5W to the 2m big-wheel omni antenna. I stayed on for about 35 minutes as my voice was poor. No speech processor was used. In all, just 2 QSOs were had, both on SSB. A few were "got aways" which would have been worked had I stayed on longer.

Springtime - NOT amateur radio

Each of us probably has a favourite season. Mine is spring with blossom and fresh green leaves. Blossom soon goes and the green on the trees soon starts to have a summer tired look. Right now, things are at their very best. Winter is behind us and days are getting longer. This collage was from our walk earlier.

6m FT8

Today, I chose to go on 6m FT8. As usual running 10W to the V2000 vertical omni antenna. Plenty of stations spotting my 10W so far today from the Canary Islands to Iceland. Es presumably.

UPDATE 1501z: Already my 10W has been spotted by 125 stations on 6m FT8 TX today. People keep answering my CQs and the rig automatically goes RX only until I tell it to go on TX again! I just hope it opens by Es to North America or the Caribbean.  I see that Italians are calling "CQ NA", which is a hopeful sign.

UPDATE 1534z: Already loads of QSOs and spotted by 135 stations so far on 6m FT8 with 10W to the omni V2000 vertical antenna.

UPDATE 2100z: Now 151 stations have spotted me. Nothing from "across the pond" copied and no transatlantic spots of me. I keep hoping!

Shakespeare - NOT amateur radio

To many, I must seem a total heathen. Every time I hear Shakespeare, I turn off and want to sleep!  Ever since I first read any Shakespeare as a child, it has had this effect on me. The traditional view is that Shakespeare is wonderful and very deep.  To me, it is sleep inducing. Don't ask me why I feel this way. Over the years I have tried, without success, to read Shakespeare. The effect is invariably the same. At my age I guess I shall never "get it".

Am I alone?

Heathkit Lunchboxes

Back in the 1960s I coveted the HW30 Twoer transceiver. These days, they look very dated with their simple super-regen RX and 5W AM TX.

Ranges of 15km would be considered good, whereas on 2m FT8 I regularly get copied well over 400km irrespective of conditions with less power!  These Heathkit Lunchboxes can still be found on eBay, but they are really collector's items these days.

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