6m FT8 today (Sunday)

After breakfast I hope to go on 6m FT8 with 2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni antenna. Yesterday I was on 10m FT8 and spotted and worked plenty. 

UPDATE 0939z:  I have been on 6m FT8 RX since 0848z. 98 stations spotted with the furthermost HZ1SK (4759km).

UPDATE 1011z: 126 stations spotted so far o 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1825z: 781 stations spotted today on 6m FT8 RX including 14 in the USA and 2 in the Caribbean.

UPDATE 2146z: 801 stations spotted today on 6m FT8 RX.

Time - NOT amateur radio

Over 50 years ago I did a very mathematical course at university on quantum mechanics. It was fascinating. 

One thing I remember was that everything can be thought of as a wave function existing in all space and all time. What we experience here and now is just most probable. Tunnel diodes only work because there is a finite probability of electrons existing the other sides of a wall by a process known as quantum mechanical tunnelling.

Now, I may have some things wrong, but what this taught me is that a very radical view is equally possible. We experience time as going from the past into the future, whereas this may be totally wrong. What if memories are new every day? What if time is just an illusion? One thing is sure: in the next 150 years some of our views and assumptions may prove to be quite wrong. Think how are views have changed in the last 150 years. In the future I am sure we will look back in amazement.

What we know today is fuzzy. As time goes by we may change our world view radically.

Yesterday - NOT amateur radio

One of our grandchildren is mad on churches and has been since he was 2. He is now 13. Yesterday we visited 2 locally by car. Odd, as he and his family are not in the least religious. 

10m FT8 Grabber

 If you want to see what I am spotting here on 10m FT8, look at the grabber on my website. This uses embedding, so may not work on some browsers. If so, you may have to go straight to PSKreporter.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/10m-ft8-grabber .

Linseed - NOT amateur radio

Agriculture is changing in the UK. 

At one time fields of sweetcorn were rare, as were sunflowers. These days we are used to the yellow fields of rape and purple linseed. 

This field was in East Anglia near Westley Waterless.  It was filled with purple flowers for as far as the eye could see.

10m FT8

 At present, I am on 10m FT8 with my old Par antenna and 2.5W. So far this morning, 15 stations have spotted me on TX, and I have spotted 114 stations on RX.

UPDATE 1552z:  40 stations have spotted me on TX and I have spotted 412 stations on 10m FT8 RX with the furthermost ZD7JC (7606km).

UPDATE 2037z: 42 stations spotting my 2.5W 10m FT8 TX today, with the latest W4WIN (6038km) in Virginia, USA. On RX, 508 stations spotted.

South Africa - NOT amateur radio

One of the most beautiful places I have ever been to is South Africa. I was expecting dry and dusty, but it had all sorts of scenery from Scotland to almost desert. 

To this day, I am tickled by seeing baboons on the beach at the Cape. 

It really is a world in one country.  It makes a good place for a holiday, but I would not like to live there.

This photo was taken by a friend and appeared on 365project earlier today.

2m operation

Occasionally I have a go on 2m. Mostly I use FT8 because of my poor voice, but most weeks I also go on FM nets and SSB in the activity contest.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/2m-operation .

10m WSPR (last Thursday)

The last time I was on 10m WSPR was on Thursday when I was spotted by 62 different stations in Europe and South America. And I thought most were now using FT8!! Not bad with 500mW and a low wire antenna. 

In the last week, 74 stations have spotted me on 10m WSPR.

Sunset - NOT amateur radio

This sunset from 2016 was a Facebook memory today. As I recall it was taken in a friend's garden.