For about 20 minutes I have been on 2m FT8 QRP. So far 22 stations in 6 countries have spotted me with the furthermost being EI2FG (565km).
UPDATE 1825z: 36 stations have spotted me today. G0LRD has a 2m grabber that I find useful (see photo).
UPDATE 2220z: 1 QSO today. Now QRT.
Southgate News has piece about using drones that stay up for 9 days to act as 5G base stations. I guess this could be less expensive than 5G microwave base stations every few hundred metres. It could also offer 5G in rural areas, which otherwise could lose out.
The new Yaesu flagship radio is far too expensive for me to even consider, although for some it is within their budget. It is also not a QRP radio.
This is probably the first of a range of SDR based Yaesu radios. What strikes me is that Yaesu has become a follower rather than a leader.
I have been a Yaesu fan since the 1970s, but at the moment ICOM seems to be the leader. It is almost as if Yaesu is rudderless and drifting. In my mind, they seem half-hearted about the amateur radio market. Come on Yaesu - prove me wrong!
Like many, I started my hobby as a short wave listener (SWL) on medium and short waves. Hearing the sounds of the interval signals of distant broadcast stations was very thrilling. Gradually this changed to listening for amateur signals.
This afternoon I scanned some old photos for an album my wife is making for a 90th birthday present. I tried scanning at high resolution as I wanted some scratches editing out. The Windows 10 was so slow! Compared with my Chromebook that I've had for about a year it is so slow. I am totally impressed with the Chromebook.
OFCOM has agreed a spectrum swap between users at 2.6GHz. See their website for details.
At the moment I am on 2m FT8 RX. So far this evening 18 stations in 3 countries spotted with the furthermost being DD7DAC (520km). In all, 3 Germans spotted.
UPDATE 2300z: QRT.
