The end of a momentous year for the whole world. At least the sunspot count has started to rise.
Sunspot count is 83 and the SSN 26. A=9 and K=1.
31 Dec 2020
OS maps - NOT amateur radio
In the UK, the definitive maps for over 200 years are produced by the Ordnance Survey.
We have a local nature reserve near here. I have the latest paper 2.5 inches to the mile OS map and it makes no mention of this: it is as if this is a top secret place! No wonder so many locals have not a clue it is there.
On the OS map app it is only there if you zoom in.
30 Dec 2020
Yesterday on 6m FT8
Yet again, yesterday was a good day on 6m. Although not as many as the day before, there was still evidence of winter Es with spots of my QRP from stations in Europe on QRP TX (2.5W to the V2000 vertical omni), and several Europeans spotted here on RX.
Local church - NOT amateur radio
Already at the end of December the corvids are nest building! I think these are rooks.
6m FT8 QRP (Wednesday)
At 0900z, I turned on the 6m FT8 QRP gear with 2.5W to the V2000 vertical omni antenna. Already, after just a few minutes, spotted by 4 G stations. Nobody yet spotted on RX.
UPDATE 1515z: Certainly up to now, just UK stations spotting me and being spotted with no winter Es.
UPDATE 2202z: My QRP was spotted later in Portugal and Sardinia, so there was winter Es later. Not as good today as yesterday. Now QRT.
Astronomical Numbers - NOT amateur radio
According to Google there are 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets in the visible universe. This is a huge huge number.
Only some of these planets may have intelligent life, but even if this is just a tiny fraction of the number of planets, this is still a huge number.
I find it mind blowing that I am here at all. One of the greatest puzzles is human consciousness. On Earth we have about 8000,000,000 people. In such a vast universe, you would think kindness and love would have no meaning, yet nearly every human knows this is not the case.
Although we have being trying for about 50 years via project SETI, we have still not found any signs of interstellar intelligent life as far as I am aware.
Covid-19 vaccine approvals - NOT amateur radio
In the last hour the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved. This can be stored at normal fridge temperatures and is low cost.
29 Dec 2020
7 years ago - NOT amateur radio
This photo shows me with my younger son and one of our grandchildren in 2013 on a rare visit home. I went in hospital in September and came out in January and lost 1.5 stone.
Looking back I was so lucky. I could so easily have died or suffered horrendous disabilities. Apart from feeling giddy all the time and my poor voice, I am mostly fine.
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