6m FT8 QRP (Thursday)

V2000 Vertical

At the moment I am on 6m FT8 QRP TX with 2.5W to the V2000 omni vertical. So far, 2 stations (both G) have spotted me on TX and I have spotted 25 stations in 5 countries in the last 3 hours on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1324z: 5 stations have spotted my 2.5W 6m QRP FT8 TX. I have spotted 49 stations in 8 countries on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 2100z:  58 stations spotted on RX and 5 stations have spotted my QRP TX.

Spring afternoon - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows the view towards Burwell Church yesterday afternoon.  It was a decent, if cool, spring afternoon. 

We had just returned from tea in a friend's garden. Nice to visit someone again!

6m FT8

Disappointed with the Lyrids. I stayed on 6m FT8 RX overnight but spotted nothing new. Either FT8 was the wrong mode to use or there were few meteors. 

UPDATE 0847z:  Puzzling. I just resynced to internet time so the internet must be working. Two stations recently spotted did not appear on PSKreporter. Do they have a problem at their end?

UPDATE 0855z:  All now working. Not sure what was happening, but 9 stations just spotted and on PSKreporter. Furthermost OE9KFV (855km).

IC-705 features

Every day, I seem to discover something new. It seems that now there is an SD card inserted it records both RX and TX. Imagine my surprise when I could play the East Cambs Net from last Monday. 

My USB-C lead has come so I hope to try FT8 in the coming days. No doubt there will be some surprises there too!

Sunspots - Thursday April 22nd 2021

Solar flux is 78 and the SSN 47. A=7 and K=2.

Lyrids MS on 6m

The next few days sees the peak of the Lyrids MS shower.  I am not sure which mode is the best for MS on 6m. 

FT8 was chosen and I shall remain on 6m FT8 RX overnight using the FT817ND and V2000 vertical omni. Within a few minutes several stations were spotted with the furthermost EI4DA (578km), although I am not sure of the propagation mechanism.

See https://www.independent.co.uk/space/lyrid-meteor-shower-2021-tonight-b1835168.html

Trains - NOT amateur radio

 

Way back in Christmas 2012 we went on a "Christmas special" steam train in Kent as the photo shows.

The English love their steam trains! There are quite a few preserved steam railways in the UK.

2m RSGB activity contest results published

Once a month the RSGB organises a 2m activity contest (UKAC) on Tuesday evenings lasting up to 2.5 hours. I usually manage an hour with my QRP, omni antenna and poor voice. Results have just been published for the year including the April session.

See https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/vhfresults.pl?Contest=144MHz%20UKAC&year=2021

Salcombe - NOT amateur radio

This is where I grew up until the age of 10. The photo was taken about 60 years ago when there were fewer boats belonging to visitors.

Inter G on 10m

Many years ago, the RSGB ran a competition in the quiet years on 10m in the evenings. Even with 10W SSB and a low dipole, I was regularly able to work stations nearly 200km away. With more power, better antennas and modes like FT8 these sort of distances should be easy. 

With 4W of FM and a CB vertical 30km was possible to other locals.

What I am saying is do not neglect 10m when there is no DX around. We have plenty of space and much of the time it is under-used.

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