10m QRP WSPR TX with 500mW (Thursday)

Most of the morning I have been on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW. Apart from lots of local spots by G2XV (18km), nothing yet.

UPDATE 1455z:  DK6UG (633km) has also spotted me this afternoon.

6m FT8 (Thursday)

Most of the morning, I have been on 6m FT8. apart from a few moments earlier on QRP TX (8 G spots), I have been RX only. 41 stations copied by what seems like Es.  Antenna still the V2000 vertical omni.

UPDATE 1452z: 84 stations spotted, but quite a few from North America. The map show the stations spotted so far today on 6m FT8.

Long tailed tit 5 years ago - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows a young long tailed tit on our bird table in 2016.

Sunspots - Friday July 22nd 2021

 Solar flux is 94 and the SSN 86.A=6 and K=2. 

Video channel

Periodically, I like to remind people of my G3XBM video channel that includes more details about quite a few projects.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/other-amateur-radio/video-channel . 

10m WSPR TX (Wednesday)

Since about 0820z, I have been on 10m WSPR TX (100%, 500mW).  So far, no spots of me.

UPDATE 0934z: Just 1 G spot so far from G2XV (18km).

UPDATE 1217z: Spots by 3 stations so far today. 

6m FT8 QRP (Wednesday)

After a very brief period on TX with 2.5W and the V2000 omni (6 G spots of me), I am now on RX only. So far, at 0830z, no spots of others. I guess 6m Es openings will be far less often now.

UPDATE 0937z: Some Es, but not much. So far this morning 9 spots with the furthermost IW7DLE (1860km).

Stations spotted
to 1020z

UPDATE 1020z: 25 stations spotted. 

UPDATE 1222z: 45 stations spotted. Es after a slow start. 

50th wedding anniversary - NOT amateur radio

This weekend we will have been married 50 years. We're did the years go? 

This is a photo of us in our garden yesterday. 

We look a bit older than we we got married! 

Resurfacing - NOT amateur radio

They are resurfacing some of the roads out of our village and closing some roads whilst they do this. The photo shows the roller used.

What Yaesu SHOULD have done with the FT818

When their replacement for the FT817ND was announced most people groaned that they could miss out on such an opportunity. 

Way back in 2010 I suggested a possible successor. They did something that, in my view, was totally pathetic and underwhelming totally "missing the boat" and doing the minimum to overcome supply issues and nothing to make it a decent step forward.

The photo shows what many of us were hoping for 11 years ago!!

Since then they have had some fine SDR transceivers, but no attempt to get into the QRP portable market leaving many people to wonder if they have lost their way or have no money or are considering leaving the market. 

My message is simple - Yaesu wake up!!