Looking busy

Earlier today, I was sent this photo of G3TFX as he was in 1974.  

I speak to him on 2m FM most weeks.

He is using a Marconi 995 signal generator. These were common in the early 1970s. They drifted a lot and we had to wait hours for these to settle down!

Voting - NOT amateur radio

In the UK, we have been voting in some elections. These are not for seats in the House of Parliament. We voted this morning. The polling station was set up to ensure Covid-19 security.

10m FT8 RX with the 10FT8R and tiny loop

At 0930z, I turned on the homebrew 10FT8R receiver and the tiny indoor loop. Just M0NKR (27km) spotted so far.

UPDATE 1208z: 7 stations spotted so far today.

Sunspots - Thursday May 6th 2021

 Solar flux is 70 and the SSN 0. A=2 and K=1.

Yellowhammer - NOT amateur radio

This migrant bird was seen on our walk earlier. 

No swallows, swifts or house martins seen. 

Unsuccessful field test on 137kHz TX CW

As it was a nice sunny morning we decided on a walk about about 1.5km from home. I put my 137kHz CW beacon on at home into the earth-electrode antenna and took my E-field probe and FT817ND with me. I put the EFP on the car roof. I listened without success for my signal. Not a squeek. I was expecting this to work.

This was my first field test on LF since 2013. 

10m FT8 RX again

Once again, I am monitoring 10m FT8 RX with the 10FT8R and the tiny indoor loop antenna. No spots yet at 0759z.

UPDATE 1119z: Just one LA spotted so far today. An EA7 did not get uploaded to PSKreporter for some reason.

UPDATE 1230z:  Just 3 spots so far today. 

Stagecoach - NOT amateur radio

Not too long ago a stagecoach ran from Kingsbridge to Dartmouth in Devon as the photo shows. 

2m activity contest last night

I didn't realise that I needed the same connector for my big-wheel and the 10FT8R RX, so I only stayed on 2m for about 30 minutes last evening. 3 stations worked with the best DX being G4CLA (105km) with 10W and the big-wheel omni antenna. 

10m FT8 RX with the 10FT8R yesterday

147 stations in all with the tiny indoor loop antenna yesterday with the best DX Sao Paulo in Brazil.