At 0720z I turned on the FT817ND and indoor loop on to 10m FT8 RX. In the last few days my results have been disappointing. I suspect the loop is quite a bit less efficient than a dipole.
UPDATE 0847z: G0FWX (160km) spotted. As he was quite strong, I wonder if this was aircraft scatter
UPDATE 1330z: 4 stations spotted with some Es in the form of IK7LJZ (1664km). After comparing my RX results with G0LRD who is using just a low dipole on 10m, I think my loop must be at least 6dB down.
Thankfully, I have managed to locate (in the house) a lead that connects the PC to the IC-705, so may be able to try communicating later. This can only be to see if it works as I need the wire for other things. I shall have to buy a suitable cable longer term.
The function of the new icons has been found after reading the manual again. One is speech recording and the microSD symbol flashes when it is being used. Possibly some of last night's 2m net is recorded?
Following the instructions in "The RadioToday Guide to the IC-705", I have successfully upgraded the firmware from V1.12 to V1.24. All appears to have gone correctly. The next thing is to get a suitable interface cable from the rig to the PC and try FT8 and rig control. Some have used cables with ferrite toroids on or isolators to minimise ground loops.
As you can tell, I am taking things very slowly. With my "brain fog" (probably as a result of my 2013 stroke) it is all too easy to make mistakes. Jobs that would once have seemed trivial are now quite hard. Even just unpacking the microSD card from the packaging was a challenge!
UPDATE 2029z: Since doing the firmware update, a couple of new icons have appeared. The SD card is there, but flashing (why?) and there is an adjacent red circle. I am sure I shall find out what these are soon! I was able to have a 2m FM net OK this evening, but avoided touching anything just in case it all went wrong! Investigation needed, HI.
It is comforting to hear the church clock chiming again. Sadly, the chimes are about 13 minutes early! I am not sure how old the clock is.
The main tower bells have not been rung very often in the last year. When they return we will be back to "near normal".
NASA has successfully test flown its helicopter on Mars.
See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56799755 .
These days, you can buy a whole SDR transceiver covering 160m-70cm with all modes plus Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS in much the same size. Mind you, the AT5 was a lot less expensive!
