Sunspots - Wednesday December 23rd 2020

 Solar flux is 86 and the SSN 11. A=12 and K=3.

ICOM (UK) warranty?

One UK dealer is selling the ICOM IC-705 with a 5 year warranty at extra cost. At one time (still?) these were "grey" imports that would not be serviced (I understand) by ICOM (UK) but by ICOM (Europe) if the dealer could not fix the issue.

Another UK dealer is making a "thing" about the IC-705s it is selling being "genuine" UK versions with 5MHz enabled.

My question is what is the standard ICOM (UK) warranty?

Should I buy one, I want to be assured the product could be repaired by ICOM (UK) should the dealer leave the market or go bust.  In these troubled times these things could happen.

UPDATE 1847z:   A quick check on the ICOM (UK) webpage suggests it is 2 years for amateur gear. See https://icomuk.co.uk/Icom-UK-Warranty.

Reach - NOT amateur radio

Reach is a sleepy village about 2 miles away.  In Roman times it was a busy port importing much by water.  

The photo shows the Lode (waterway) today. 

OFCOM updates

On the OFCOM website are notices of changes to the licencing of short range radars and DAB multiplexes.

Where I was born - NOT amateur radio

After WW2 this grand place was a nursing home. I was born here in the late 1940s. You may call me "sir" if you insist!! 😉  We were living in a council house at the time.

These days it is retirement flats, so you could die in the place where you were born!

2m FT8 QRP (Tuesday)

At 0810z my 2m FT8 gear was turned on again with 2.5W to the big-wheel omni antenna. So far, at 0837z, I have been spotted by 3 stations and I have spotted nobody yet. No QSOs.

UPDATE 1016z:  Spotted by 5 Gs so far this morning on TX. 7 stations in 3 countries spotted so far on RX with no QSOs. Furthermost spotted on 2m FT8 RX is DL6YBF (471km). He is spotted every day.

UPDATE 1141z: 1 G QSO just over an hour ago. Back on QRP TX again now. 11 stations spotted so far here today on 2m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1950z:  Several QSOs today, all with UK stations so far. On 2m FT8 RX, 33 stations in 6 countries spotted with the furthermost EI8KN (512km). On TX I have been spotted by 15 stations with the furthermost G7RAU (471km).

Sunspots - Tuesday December 22nd 2020

Solar flux is 80 and the SSN 11. A=12 and K=3.

Another Covid-19 cartoon - NOT amateur radio.

This came to me earlier today on WhatsApp. I have no idea where it originated. 

We have certainly had a bad year. We all hope 2021 will be much better. We have a few hard months first. Christmas gatherings in the UK could lead to a January spike and the latest mutation is making a bad situation worse. 

And there is BREXIT!

OFCOM and 700MHz reallocation

OFCOM has announced a review of its plans to clear this part of the spectrum. See the OFCOM website for more details.

Cambridge Radio Club (CDARC) and Zoom

Like many, CDARC has been using Zoom video calls to continue lectures and, last week, for a quiz. I have been very impressed. 

At first, I wondered how this would be, but with 15-30 people typically and screen sharing it has been every bit as good as attending in person. In my case it saves a 26 mile car journey in the dark. Instead I can take part from home. 

The club has even shared meetings with a club in Northern Ireland and last week we had someone in Canada.

Several Zoom meetings with old work mates have also happened with Zoom. Although some are complaining of Zoom Fatigue, I can't agree. To me, Zoom has been an eye opener. I hope CDARC continues to stream lectures by Zoom, when the pandemic is a memory.