The future of amateur radio

Southgate News has a piece from the South African Radio League (SARL) saying that amateur radio is as relevant now as it was 95 years ago. I'd like to believe this, but I don't.

When I was young, radio and whole idea of talking across the planet was pure magic. One had to become a radio amateur to be able to do this.

These days we can video with anyone on Earth using the internet for free. Communicating around the world is no longer magic. As much as we dress this up, this is the reality.

If our hobby is to survive and grow we have to engage people with what is magic for them today. If we do not, I can see our hobby just disappearing within 20 years as many get old and die.

I can see fewer amateurs, a declining market, fewer and thinner mags and fewer manufacturers.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2020/may/amateur-radio-today-is-as-relevant-as-it-was-95-years-ago.htm#.Xs5S-yjYq00

6m FT8 again

A few moments ago, I turned on 6m FT8 again with 10W and the V2000 vertical omni antenna. Already spotted by 25 stations. On RX 20 stations spotted so far. One QSO so far.

These stations are a mix of Es and G stations.

UPDATE 1046z:   62 spots of me so far today. 2 Es QSOs so far.

UPDATE 1257z: 141 spots of my 10W so far today on 10m FT8 TX.

UPDATE 2050z: 436 spots of my 10W in the last day so far. I see that several stations in middle Europe are calling Caribbean stations on 6m FT8.  Nothing here yet. 

Dry - NOT amateur radio

This month looks like being the driest May on record. Already our lawns are turning brown and the footpaths are cracked.

24 hours on 6m FT8

In the last 24 hours my 10W 6m FT8 has been spotted by 552 stations. Most of them were Europeans by Es. Although l spotted a Brazilian, my 10W to the V2000 vertical omni antenna was not spotted across the Atlantic. Plenty of QSOs too.

10m WSPR surprise

This last few days on 10m WSPR TX have surprised me. I was spotted by 14 stations despite the fact that I was just using the indoor loop antenna and 500mW. I had assumed that most people had moved over to FT8.

Pink Roses - NOT amateur radio

The pink rose in the photo looked like it was "stuck": there were buds, but we feared these were not going to come out.

In the last few days the flowers have started to bloom thank goodness.

Once again our grass is turning brown.

Sunspots - Wednesday May 27th 2020

Solar flux is 70 and the SSN=0.  A=4 and K=1.

It still looks like we are running along the bottom of the solar cycle with little improvement yet.

Roses - NOT amateur radio

The roses in the photo were in our garden earlier. At the moment, they look a picture.

Most people with roses seem to have them in flower now.

6m FT8

Although there were no transatlantic stations spotted here overnight, I see the better stations were calling Caribbeans.  I am active again now with my own 10W to the V2000 vertical omni. This has been spotted by 52 stations already and I have only been on for a short while. It is now 0950z. 30 EUs spotted on RX.

UPDATE 1250z: Several QSOs (all EU) and spotted by 107 stations so far today on 6m FT8.

UPDATE 2115z: Up to now 542 spots of my 10W 6m FT8 signals. Although PV8DX (7830km) has been spotted on 6m FT8 RX, no transatlantic spots of my 10W.

10m WSPR TX

As for a few days ago, I am on 10m WSPR TX using the 500mW stand-alone beacon using the indoor loop antenna. This does not use the PC. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1249z: Several spots from Scandnavia.