Sunspots - Monday June 22nd 2020

Solar flux is 68 and the sunspot number still 0. A=4 and K=1. Basically poor!

Optical communications

Because of my health, it is some years since I experimented with optical communications.

Although I have had line of sight speech contacts, my special interest was weak signal "over the horizon" communication using a PC to decode the signal.

Results surprised me as signals could be decoded with no visible sign in the sky of a signal. The photo shows my RX kit and PC on a dark night.

East Anglian skies - NOT amateur radio

Compared with some parts of the UK, East Anglia is flat, but we can get some great skies. On our walk earlier it threatened rain although we missed it.

6m FT8

Transmitting in the first period on 50.313MHz I am about to start FT8 on 6m with 10W to the V2000 vertical omni. It is now 0802z.

As I am now Txing when most Europeans are calling CQ, one consequence is I spot fewer Europeans!

UPDATE 0906z: Spotted by 62 stations, but no QSOs yet today. Best DX is a spot by RA4DX (3071km).

UPDATE 1145z: Spots received from 88 stations on 6m FT8. No QSOs. On RX, 150 stations spotted here.

10m WSPR TX beacon

Just about to start the 10m WSPR beacon (500mW to the tiny indoor loop antenna). It is 0800z.

UPDATE 0905z:  3 spots of me by OZ7IT (853km) so far today.

UPDATE 1144z: 13 stations have spotted my 10m WSPR so far today. All in Europe.

Near Riga in Latvia - NOT amateur radio

A few years ago we went to the Baltic on holiday. We were pleasantly surprised by Riga and Jumala on the coast nearby. The photo shows me having a drink on the beach in Jumala.

Old photo - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows the village where I live long before I was born and before our house was built.

Thatcher's signature - NOT amateur radio

People who thatch roofs often have a signature. Sometimes this is a pheasant made of straw. The photo shows one of a cat seen on a walk yesterday.

Sunspots - Sunday June 21st 2020

Solar flux is 68 and the SSN 0. A=6 and K=1.

SAQ (17.2kHz CW)

SAQ is an historic VLF CW transmitter on 17.2kHz that was first fully operational in 1924! The next transmission is scheduled for Sunday July 5th 2020 and they do QSL. It is a good chance to try your VLF kit. There are some ideas on my websites. One of their QSL cards is a prize possession on my wall. The transmitter is based on an alternator.

See https://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/software
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vlf/vlfconv
See https://alexander.n.se/the-radio-station-saq-grimeton/saq-transmissions/?lang=en
See http://www.dl1dbc.net/SAQ/