10m (28MHz) - my best band

Although, at the moment, 10m is not a great DX band, this will soon change. Within a few years it will again be one of our greatest DX bands. Even with simple antennas and low power, worldwide DX should be possible. Being 1.7MHz wide there is space for all modes. Even a wire dipole is very small.

With my poor voice I find FT8 better than SSB or AM or FM. It will be interesting to see the impact of FT8, which is already very popular on many bands. I like it as most DX is concentrated in a few kHz and there are lots of people monitoring.  It works with signals weaker than SSB or CW. Being a very narrow-band mode (each TX takes about 50Hz only) it seems better with man-made noise than wider band modes. 

I suspect there may be less AM activity this cycle, which would be a pity: often operators use old "boat anchor" rigs with beautiful modulation. In the last (poor) sunspot cycle several USA AM stations were copied well in the car with just a super-regen RX and a base loaded whip.

In the past I have well exceeded DXCC with 10W SSB on 10m with low dipoles. 

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

Sunspots - Monday December 28th 2020

Solar flux is 88 and the SSN 26.  A=6 and K=2.

Homemade trifle - NOT amateur radio

My wife likes to make homemade trifle at Christmas as shown in the photo. 

They always taste delicious.

Village houses - NOT amateur radio

We have lots of different house styles in our village as the photo shows. 

Some houses go back many centuries and some were built this year. One old house dates to the 1100s I think.

Muddy walk - NOT amateur radio

We have just got back from a walk. It was very muddy! Part of the walk is through a wood planted for the millennium making the trees about 20 years old. 

I don't get tired walking, just being giddy all the time: it feels like I am always about to fall: this exhausts me.

10m FT8 RX

It is now 1013z. A short while ago I turned on my 10m FT8 gear using the FT817ND at the tiny indoor loop antenna. So far 24 stations spotted here on RX. Winter Es?

UPDATE 1623z:  79 Europeans spotted. Good. 

UPDATE 1724z:  88 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX.   Unless there are surprises I expect this is it for the day. Still, this is good for 10m in winter at this part of the solar cycle.

UPDATE 2047z:  QRT.  95 stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX.

Sunspots - Sunday December 27th 2020

Solar flux is 88 and the SSN 31.  A=4 and K=2.

Morons? - NOT amateur radio

This cartoon appeared on Facebook earlier. No idea who the moron could be or where the cartoon originated  😉. 

IC-705 warranty again

It appears that ICOM Australia offers a 5 year warranty if you ask whereas the standard UK ICOM warranty is just 2 years. If all UK dealers offered a 5 year ICOM underwritten warranty this might make buying decisions easier.

See https://icomuk.co.uk/IC-705/Mobile_Amateur_Radio_Ham

Snowdrops - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows the snowdrops coming out in our village. They are starting to appear now.