Windose??? - NOT amateur radio

Just now (well actually 20 minutes ago!) I turned on my Windows 10 PC as this has all my RSGB activity contest details stored. I am still waiting for Windows updates to install. In this time, I could have cut the grass, had breakfast, washed the car, etc...

18 months ago I bought a Chromebook and this must be 20 times faster. I am totally pleased with my choice.

I thought the Windows 10 PC needed a defrag, but apparently this already happens automatically every week! The PC has gathered bloatware it does not need, I suppose. It is about 4 years old.

Anyone have recommendations what to do please?

BTW, after 30 minutes of my life - zzzzzz - I am still waiting for this heap of junk to start! It now tells me it is "cleaning up". More waiting..... zzzz.

BTW, I use Avast anti-virus.

PW 2m QRP contest today (Sunday)

Later, I hope to be on 2m SSB briefly to give away a few points in the PW QRP contest. I entered last year and will do so again, although with no chance! It is on 0900-1600z. I know G2XV will be active for the Cambridge Club (CDARC)

See http://www.pwcontest.org.uk/ .

UPDATE 1533z: as we had a family BBQ I only worked G2XV.

6m FT8 RX (Sunday)

Monitoring 6m FT8 again with the FT817ND and the V2000 omni vertical antenna. Most are UK so far this morning with just a couple of EU stations by Es. 

UPDATE 1530z: 99 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX (see map).

UPDATE 1805z:  183 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX so far today.

UPDATE 1929z:  252 stations spotted today.

Sunspots - Sunday June 13th 2021

 Solar flux is 78 and the SSN 0. A=10 and K=3.

New Chinese portable transceiver?

It looks like the Chinese manufacturer Xiegu is going to launch a new product called the X6100. 

Apparently their quality control on earlier products was not good. At the moment this still puts me off Chinese made amateur radio products. If I was spending good money I would expect it to be reliable. 

They'll get there, but still not there yet. 

OK I failed

This photo was taken in 2010.  It shows our grandson who was 2.5 years at the time in my workshop at the back of the garage in our old QTH. 

He is now 13 and shows no inclination towards engineering! 

Oscar 100 activity

Regular readers will know that every few weeks I check activity on the narrowband transponder of this geosynchronous satellite. 

The last time I looked was at 0832z on a Saturday, which is when I would have expected it to be quite busy in Europe, being a weekend Saturday morning. 

It was quiet. If anything, activity is lower than it was with very few stations on. I guess it is just too hard for black box operators!! I have no doubt that if Yaesu or ICOM made a simple solution then activity would suddenly rocket!

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .

Yesterday (Friday) on 6m FT8 RX and Japan on 6m maybe?

The Es season is in full swing. 388 stations spotted yesterday. 

This is the time of the year when better equipped 6m EU stations make contact on 6m with Japan. This regularly occurs at this time of year and may be linked with the formation of noctilucent mesospheric clouds that form at this time of year.

6m FT8 RX (Saturday)

Once again I am monitoring 6m FT8 RX with the FT817ND and V2000 omni. So far, in the last 2 hours, 10 stations spotted.

Another bee - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday I posted a photo of a bee. I couldn't resist this one.