Sunspots - Friday May 29th 2020

Solar flux is 68 and the SSN 0. A=4 and K=1.

TUI rubbish - NOT amateur radio

Yes, I know things are tough, but all we get are computer generated general answers saying how sorry they are.

We have now been awaiting our 70% refund for 12 weeks. To be honest, they have treated previously happy customers dreadfully. It is very unlikely I shall ever book with them ever again.

Wouldn't it be good to get an apology, not from a computer for regular customers? Our refund way before the lockdown was promised in under 5 days!! Basically my recent experience of TUI is inexcusably bad.

I also heard they had a bailout from the German government as well!

70cm activity contest

Regular blog readers will know that I have no real antennas for 70cm horizontal SSB, so I just use my 2m big-wheel that seems to match OK on that band. I have no idea what the polar plot looks like!

Usually (if I remember!) I go on for the monthly activity contest (UKAC) organised by the RSGB. Using 10W I am rarely on for an hour because of my poor voice and antenna. Although I copy far fewer stations than in the 2m activity contests, I do my best.

Despite everything, I am 53rd out of 142 stations in the AL (low power) section.

More cancelled rallies

The Durham District ARS Rally has been cancelled.

6m FT8

At about 1030z, I turned on my 10W 6m FT8 to the V2000 omni vertical antenna. At the moment (1036z) 16 G spots only with zero Es. Just one G spotted so far on 6m RX.

UPDATE 1100z: Es now evident with 37 spots of my 10W in 5 EU countries.

Part of BX6ABV logbook 

UPDATE 1322z:  About 5 hours ago I was supposedly spotted strongly by BX6ABV (9828km) in Taiwan.  Although he was spotted widely in the Far East, I am suspicious he could be a pirate. If genuine, this would be great for 6m. Parts of this station's logbook is attached.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

As it does not use the PC, I am again on 10m WSPR TX using

500mW to the indoor loop. Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised by the level of 10m WSPR activity.

UPDATE 1101z: No spots so far.

UPDATE 1922z: Time to go QRT. 5 stations spotted me today as the photo shows.

SpaceX launch postponed - NOT amateur radio

The SpaceX mission from Cape Canaveral to the International Space station, a commercial venture, had to be postponed due to bad weather. They are trying again on Saturday. This will be the first manned launch from the USA since 2011.

Japan on 6m?

In the first few weeks of June the 6m path from western Europe to Japan opens up regularly. This is a very long way. I recall a few years ago copying several JAs on 6m JT65. Personally I think this is indeed E layer propagation but not Es. I think it has something to do with E layer ionisation due to noctilucent clouds which form about now. Signals are usually weak and there in the early morning. This is a regular thing.

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

Overnight on 6m FT8 with 10W and the V2000 vertical omni

As central Europeans were calling Caribbean stations, I turned off auto sequencing to see if I could get any transatlantic spots on 6m FT8. The last time I got "across the pond" on 6m was 2007 with 1W ERP of CW. I worked a K1 and have the QSL card to prove it. FT8 should be some dBs better than CW so with more power and FT8 I thought I had some chance last night.  Sadly no DX.

Sunspots - Thursday May 28th 2020

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