Sunspots - Saturday November 21st 2020

 Solar flux is 82 and the SSN 11. A=8 and K=2.

Huge EME dish going

Back in the mid 1960s, the huge dish at Arecibo, Puerto Rico was used for amateur EME experiments. As the gain was so large, this gave more modest stations a chance "via the moon". Sadly the dish was badly damaged in a storm and it is to be decommissioned according to a piece in Southgate News. FT8 and other digital modes have opened up EME to others now, but this is sad news.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2020/november/arecibo-dish-to-be-decommissioned.htm#.X7fYl2iTLrc

Muddy walk - NOT amateur radio

 

This morning we did another walk. In parts it was very muddy as the photo shows!

Mushrooms? - NOT amateur radio

We saw these on our walk earlier in the week. I think they are edible, but as we were not 100% sure, we left them.

2m FT8 QRP - Friday

Since about 1145z, I have been on 2m FT8  with the usual 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. So far, I have been spotted by 5 G stations. It is now 1204z.

UPDATE 1252z:  8 spots of me and 9 stations so far today on 2m FT8.

UPDATE 1400z:  11 spots of me today including GI6ATZ (479km) on TX and 15 spots of others on RX.

Sunspots - Friday November 20th 2020

Solar flux is 77 and the SSN 11. A=3 and K=3.

Early daffodils - NOT amateur radio

As mentioned in an earlier post, we went for a walk at Anglesey Abbey. 

On the winter walk is a small clump of daffodils. A few years ago these were in flower by late November. 

Judging by the photo these should be in flower soon. I quite expect these to be out this month.  

Most daffodils are not out here until late January. January is the month of snowdrops.

10m Simple Sideband

In the next 12 months, 10m is returning as a great DX band. At any part of the solar cycle it can be good for Es contacts in April- August in the northern hemisphere. There is a smaller Es peak in the depths of winter.

When I was fitter, I had the outlines of a simple single band QRP rig for 10m. My idea was DSB based as this was simpler. This was to be paired with a direct conversion RX.

Then my 2013 stroke happened and all development work stopped. 7 years later there may be better options. My hope is that someone else will take this on and try to create a simple, single board, single band transceiver.

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

Dual band FM VHF/UHF rig

According to Southgate News, Moonraker is selling a dual band amateur rig aimed at foundation licencees. It retails for £89.99 and comes preprogrammed with amateur frequencies like repeaters and simplex channels and set to 10W by default, although it can do 25W.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2020/november/new-dual-band-fm-mobile-radio.htm#.X7aFraiTLrc

See also https://www.moonraker.eu/amateur-radio/transceivers/anytone-at-779uv-dual-band-mini-mobile-radio

Anglesey Abbey in dull November - NOT amateur radio

We went for a walk this morning around the nearby National Trust place at Anglesey Abbey. 

At this time of year it looks quite drab. In the summer the herbaceous flowers and dahlias look good and in the winter there are masses of snowdrops and daffodils.

Yes, there are a few autumnal colours to enjoy, but......