US president - NOT amateur radio

It is now 1525z on Saturday days after the US election and still they have not finished counting!! You would think one of the biggest economies in the world could organise this better. Perhaps this goes with the territory and the country that can only find old men to govern them can only find a pathetic system to count votes.

2m FT8 QRP

Most of the day I have been on 2m FT8 using 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. Although I have been on TX, I am mostly on RX. So far today I have been spotted by 26 stations in 3 countries and I have spotted 60 stations in 8 countries.

UPDATE 2246z:  QRT. 

Another Tenner transceiver photo

Some years ago I designed and made the Tenner transceiver for 10m CW. It produced about 500mW but gave me loads of contacts with just a low wire dipole. As 10m starts to get better as we climb cycle 25, this could be increasingly useful.  

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/10m_tenner .

Sunspots - Saturday November 7th 2020

Solar flux is 94 and the SSN 35.  A=8 and K=1.

Things are improving fast. 

Today's village walk - NOT amateur radio

Today has been cold and very sunny, so we went for a walk around the village. In Priory Wood, planted to celebrate the millenium in 2000, they were felling some trees. It was very muddy. We saw a jay and green woodpecker quite close.

2m FT8 (2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna)

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 1615z:  Currently spotted by 30 stations.

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.

Village walk - NOT amateur radio

On Wednesday we did a nice walk around the village, bumping in to several old friends. Like today, the weather was cold and sunny.  

We will be going for another, different, village walk shortly. Today's walk includes some bits that are likely to be muddy!

5G with drones?

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.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2020/november/using-drones-to-beam-signals-from-the-stratosphere.htm#.X6UPuLuTK00

Sunspots - Friday November 6th 2020

 Solar flux is 91 and the SSN 28.  A=4 and K=2.

Yaesu FTDX101D

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!