Sunspots - Saturday May 15th 2021

Solar flux is 71 and the SSN 24. A =4 and K=1.

Cycle 25 predictions

We are now on the up-slopes towards the solar peak of cycle 25. I have not seen very recent forecasts but this forecast suggested it looks as if it will be very similar to the last peak i.e. quite low.

See https://www.weather.gov/news/201509-solar-cycle .

10m FT8 QRP (Friday)

10m is wide open this morning with Es. I am told 6m is good too, It would not surprise me if Band 2 FM broadcast opens too. 2m? Probably too high.

I am on 10m FT8 RX at the moment after a brief period on QRP TX with 2.5W, then 1W, and the indoor tiny loop. 115 stations spotted on RX and 16 stations spotted me in my very brief TX period.

UPDATE 1028z:  255 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX today and I have been spotted by 27 stations on TX, most with just 1W to the tiny indoor loop antenna. Probably going down to 500mW soon.

UPDATE 1055z: Now TXing with 500mW. 2 spots of my TX so far. 280 stations spotted so far on RX.

UPDATE 1222z:  338 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX. Even with just 500mW TX I have been spotted by 4 stations. 

UPDATE 1342z: 397 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX with just the indoor tiny loop today. Fantastic Es conditions. Just a handful in Asia and Africa (probably Es).

UPDATE 1439z:  517 stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX with the tiny indoor loop. This is definitely the best day yet this Es season. One was W1JR (5267km). This latter one was probably Es.

Spots of my
1W (sometimes
500mW) 10m FT8
TX with the tiny
indoor loop

UPDATE 1520z: 568 stations so far spotted in 5 continents today on 10m FT8 RX with the tiny indoor loop on the shack windowsill and I have been spotted by 56 stations on TX. I have never used more than 1W and quite often 500mW today.

Stations spotted
today on 10m
FT8 RX

UPDATE 1840z:  887stations have been spotted today on 10m FT8 RX and 104 stations have spotted me on TX despite running 1W or less to the tiny indoor loop.

Felled tree - NOT amateur radio

 

This was seen at nearby Anglesey Abbey yesterday. The blue flowers are Forget Me Not.

More of where I come from in South Devon - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows where I come from in South Devon. 

My brother plays golf nearby. 

The South West Coastal Path runs through here.

Sunspots - Friday May 14th 2021

Solar flux is 75 and the sunspot number (SSN) 24.  A=7 and K=1.

Species? - NOT amateur radio

We saw these flowers earlier at Anglesey Abbey. I am not sure what these are. 

Webcams - NOT amateur radio

There are vast numbers of webcams around the world allowing locked-down people to travel the world virtually. One of these is the webcam of the peregrine falcons at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, UK.

See https://www.elycathedral.org/welcome/peregrines-nesting-in-the-cathedral .

2m FT8 QRP (Thursday)

At the moment, I am on 2m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. It is now 1004z and I have spotted 3 stations on RX and I have been spotted by 7 stations with the furthermost GI6ATZ (479km) on TX.

See http://82.71.9.63:8080/cap/ for a local (to Cambridge) 2m FT8 grabber.

Stations spotting my
2m FT8 QRP to1256z today

UPDATE 1228z: 7 stations spotted on RX and 12 stations have spotted me on TX with the furthermost EI2FG (565km).

UPDATE 1256z:  Now my QRP has been spotted by 13 stations.

UPDATE 2040z: Practically all the spots this evening were G stations. This suggests most of the propagation was "flat band tropo" rather than scatter. Now QRT. I wonder if scatter is linked to no rain. Today was pretty wet.

Hackers? - NOT amateur radio

The number of visitors to this blog has jumped today. 

I am not aware that my posts have suddenly attracted new people. I try to post things of interest, but I have already seen more visits today than I would normally see by teatime! I suspect, again, hackers are seeking soft targets. This happens quite often.