Sunspots - Tuesday May 26th 2020

Solar flux is 70 and the SSN 0. A=5 and K=2.

What is DX?

Just now, a relatively local M0NKR was calling CQ DX on 6m FT8. He was very strong here even though we are probably crossed polarised. I have no idea what power he runs or what antenna and tower he has. He must always spot and work far more than me! Good luck to him. I hope he works plenty of DX.

For me with my 10W and V2000 omni antenna I can never hope to work the stations he does. At 1250z he was trying to work a ZF that I cannot even see!

DX is relative and hopefully we can all enjoy the hobby in the ways that give us fun.

UK controversy - NOT amateur radio

In my view the UK Prime Minister has shot himself in the foot.

Yesterday, I reported that his most senior advisor had been accused of breaching the spirit, if not the law, over UK lockdown. At every press conference the UK ministers have tried to defend this man. Most questions are about this issue. It is my view that this advisor will resign this week.

Boris Johnson has done much damage to his "stay at home" message. Even the paper that strongly supports him is asking what planet the PM and his advisor live on!

The cartoon came to me on WhatsApp.

No, in my personal view this is deeply damaging.

Wars by proxy - NOT amateur radio

The UK seems to sell arms to dubious regimes who then fight wars "by proxy". I guess the arms sales are deemed more important than the suffering. I am ashamed.

6m FT8

Overnight I did what I rarely do. I put my 6m FT8 gear on with auto sequencing off in the hope of being spotted transatlantic. You may recall that I use 10W to the V2000 vertical omni antenna.

Although PV8ABC (7832km) in northern Brazil was spotted on 6m FT8 RX, I was not spotted sadly. At 0520z I am QRT.

UPDATE 0755z:  6m FT8 was switched back on a few minutes ago.

UPDATE 1258z: 121 stations have spotted me so far.

UPDATE 2035z:  341 spots of my 10W so far today., Mostly EU Es.

Old photo - NOT amateur radio

This photo must be very old!! I still have hair and our 2 sons are still in their buggies.

At a guess I reckon this must be 41 years ago.

Sunspots - Monday May 25th 2020

Solar flux is 69 and the SSN 0. A=5 and K=2.

4m

4m transverter 

One of the (many) things I promise to do is get active again on 4m. Now that there are many European countries on the band and it has become more popular with some commercial rigs covering the band this makes sense.

Some years ago I got active on the band with a home designed and made transverter, I had a few G contacts, but this was way out of the Es season and I just had a wire dipole. Power was just over 1W.

Years ago I recall working ZB2VHF with 4W of AM from university. I guess that was 1969.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/4m_tvtr

Moulton Church - NOT amateur radio

On our walk earlier, we went past Moulton church with its famous fish weathervane.  Like many churches in East Anglia, this dates back almost 1000 years.

See https://eachurches.blogspot.com/2015/11/moulton-st-peters.html

Moulton - NOT amateur radio

This morning we did a nice walk around the village of Moulton near Newmarket. It is one of our favourite villages. This collage shows some of the lovely cottages.  Sadly the pub where we normally eat is closed at the moment.