New OFCOM EMF rules coming in

If you use over 10W, the new OFCOM rules on EMF may apply to you, especially if you are investigated over complaints by neighbours. As a QRP man, I am not bothered! 

If you have a big tower, beam and full power you may have issues. You have to show that people can't be harmed by excessive EMF. If I had my way, all UK licencees would be limited to 100W, or even 10W!

See the OFCOM website for more details.

I quite like the Eire approach. In Eire, amateurs have access to much of the Band 1 spectrum. Why not grant all UK radio amateurs access to big chunks of spectrum at, say, 100mW ERP on a strictly non-interference basis? If you cause interference you get closed down, otherwise carry on. Oh silly me, this requires people with brains!!   

Personally, I'd like access to some VLF spectrum and 40MHz. I guess the main issue is military access. I still don't understand why so much UK spectrum is reserved for the military when most is unused for most of the time.  Views?

15m FT8 QRP (Monday)

It is now 1050z. Today, I am on 15m FT8 with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop antenna. So far, 7 stations spotted on RX and 1 spot of my QRP on TX by SV1HAB (2412km).

UPDATE 1211z: With just 8 stations spotted on RX and just 1 spot of me on TX, I may QSY to 17m FT8.

Updated solar data

My favourite website for solar data is usually updated early each month. Often this is on the 1st or 2nd of the month. Included, usually, is a forecast of the climb towards the next solar peak. It is worth checking.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ . 

Simple circuits

Inspired by "Hot Iron" edited by Peter Thornton GW6NGR I see reference to Rick Andersen KE3JJ. He has several very simple designs on his site.

See http://www.ke3ij.com/ .

Sunspots - Monday March 1st 2021

Solar flux is 78 and the SSN 13.  A=6 and K=6.

It is hard to think we are in March already. According to the UK Met Office we are now in spring. The Es season is only a few months away now.

Stroke update - NOT amateur radio

My 2013 stroke left me outwardly looking fine, but it has had a lasting impact on me. Before I was quite active and healthy, but these days things are far harder. 

In many ways I am more fortunate than many. My voice is poor and driving, and being driven, is far harder. A few years ago I could drive 300 miles to Devon. Even 10 miles is hard these days.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/stroke .

CDARC 80m net

As an experiment I tried to join the CDARC (Cambridge club) 80m net this morning with my 2.5W and the earth-electrode antenna. Although I had no problem hearing people, I could not be heard. My noise level is very low on this antenna, but I needed more power to overcome noise others were probably suffering. 

The SWR is too high for the auto-ATU on my FT991A. It just says "High VSWR" and gives up. On the FT817ND it works fine.

Hare Park Chippenham - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows Hare Park, Chippenham near Cambridge a few years ago. This is open to the public a few times each year. The snowdrops were incredible. 

Reeds - NOT amateur radio

This part of the UK  (East Anglia) is thought of as flat and boring yet it has a unique beauty. 

Often the skies are amazing and the land watery. My wife took this photo a few days ago. 

Ultra simple transceiver for 10m FT8

One of my ideas is for an ultra simple crystal controlled FT8 transceiver for 10m probably. Another option is 15m. Crystals can be quite expensive, but bought in quantity the price comes way down. 

I have in mind a simple DSB rig at 28.074MHz only, a bit like my WISPY transceiver.  The full transceiver version of WISPY was never built, but both the RX and TX versions were built. I wonder if there is a low cost source of 14.040 (easily pulled) or 14.037MHz crystals? This would be simpler than a synthesised source. I don't think pulled ceramic resonators would be stable enough, but they might be.

My health rather precludes me designing and building one these days, but I would be more than happy to share my ideas with anyone who could take this on seriously. Ideally, a PCB could be made as a simple kit. 

In my mind this could be a really simple rig that would be able to work the world very soon once 10m really gets going. Don't forget that 10m is always good in the Es season at any part of the solar cycle. Even very low power FT8 would get all across the world.  10m is an excellent band with small antennas and QRP. I can imagine such rigs being incredibly simple and low cost. In this version I used a 2N3866 PA, but I would use paralleled 2N3904s as these are far less expensive.  For greater TX power, further 2N3904s PAs could be paralleled with low value emitter resistors.  This is a very low cost way of getting useful output.

Very few controls are necessary, probably none! It would need a BNC connector and probably something to show it is on RX or TX. I can imagine it fitting in a low cost, small, plastic box.

QRPguys are offering something similar on lower frequencies. Maybe they will offer higher frequencies later as the sunspot cycle gathers pace? 

See https://qrpguys.com/ .

UPDATE 2020z:  Steve G1KQH has told me of some low cost crystals that would certainly work: https://kc9on.com/product/14mhz-hc49u-tall-crystals/