2 weeks on 10m WSPR TX (500mW to indoor loop)

This surprised me!

I did not expect many to be on 10m WSPR and I was even more surprised how well the indoor loop performs.

In all, 51 stations have spotted me so far in the last 2 weeks on 10m WSPR, despite the 500mW and the indoor tiny loop.

The beauty of 10m WSPR is that I can run this totally separate from the PC using the WSPR beacon TX which is about the size of a pack of playing cards and was designed by W5OLF. It has given me years of great service.

This means I can run 10m WSPR "in the background" whilst going in 6m or 2m FT8 at the same time.

East Cambs net

Every Monday at 1900z (8pm BST) we meet on 144.575MHz vertical FM in the all modes section of 2m for the East Cambs net. Anyone in the area is very welcome. The oldest is 96 but I do not know the age of the youngest!

Gin and tonic - NOT amateur radio

At about 9pm UK local time yesterday I sat out in the back garden with a gin and tonic. Another week or so and the days will start to get shorter again. Yesterday was warm and sunny.

Sunspot going?

The only sunspot on the side of the Sun facing us looks like it is rotating out of view. When I looked last night it was still there, but about to disappear. Unless there are others rotating into view or others bubbling up, we could be in for a quiet few weeks.

Sunspots - Monday June 15th 2020

Solar flux is 70 and the SSN 11. A=2 and K=1.

6m FT8 (10W and V2000 vertical omni)

At about 1530z, I turned on 6m FT8. So far, nothing spotted on RX and 2 G stations have spotted me. No QSOs yet.

UPDATE 1803z:  Now spotted by 52 different stations so far.

UPDATE 2035z:   QRT.  In the end I was spotted by 84 different stations.

2m - signs of the times?

The 2m PW QRP contest netted me just 3 local contacts. With the same power and antenna (10W and the big-wheel omni antenna) 2m FT8 got me 19 spots with best DX being PE1OPK (378km) within a few minutes. Sad.

UK hereditary peers - NOT amateur radio

Heard today that most UK hereditary peers with vast riches are still living off their compensation for having to free slaves years ago! And they get paid for turning up to the House of Lords!! I am not in favour of revolution, but hearing this crap you do wonder. Personally I would put a windfall tax on all major landowners.

Pre-war TV in the UK - NOT amateur radio

At first, the BBC broadcast 30 line TV.  Later in the 1930s (1936?) they started 405 line transmissions which closed during WW2. Most viewers were in London. YouTube has some historical stuff from 1937.

Polish - Czech border "incident" - NOT amateur radio

The BBC has a piece about a strange incident that was a misunderstanding and was easily fixed. By mistake, Polish guards were guarding a Czech church!!

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53034930