Rally cancelled

 The Flight Refuelling ARS rally on Sunday (August 8th) has been cancelled.

10m FT8 QRP mostly RX (Friday)

Apart from a very brief period on TX with 2.5W, I am on 10m FT8 RX for a change. 1 person in southern Portugal spotted me on TX and at 0900z I have spotted 7 stations on RX. 

UPDATE 1112z:  46 stations spotted so far today. Furthermost is 5T5PA (3791km). Most look like Es propagation.

UPDATE 2014z:  Now QRT. 120 stations spotted today with the furthermost PU2TXZ (9579km) in Brazil.

UK August - NOT amateur radio

This is the month when the corn is mostly cut. Combined harvesters are busy. 

Sunspots - Friday August 6th 2021

 Solar flux is 74 and the SSN 36. A=2 and K=1. 

Kitten sitting - NOT amateur radio

Our son is away so we are feeding his kitten. Very playful as the photo shows!

2m UKAC activity contest (Tuesday evening)

As usual I took part in the RSGB organised activity contest on Tuesday evening. Because of my poor voice I only stayed on for 46 minutes. With the IC-705 and the big-wheel omni antenna, 8 QSOs were made - see map.

Later I realised I was only on battery power with 5W QRP! So all the contacts were with 5W! JO03 square worked for the first time this year on 2m I think.

Considering the time on, the power, and the antenna I am quite pleased.

Main G3XBM website and YouTube channel

A reminder that my main G3XBM website has far more details of my projects and interests. Also, my YouTube video channel often has useful project information. Most data predates my stroke.

See www.g3xbm.co.uk .

See https://www.youtube.com/user/G3XBM

10m QRP WSPR TX (Thursday)

 As usual, I am running my 500mW WSPR TX beacon on 10m.  7 unique spots already! Quite a few have spotted me many times. Es is promising on 10m today.

UPDATE 1236z: 18 stations have spotted me including FY5KE (7110km) in South America.

UPDATE 2020z:  25 unique stations have spotted me today.  FY5KE has spotted me 37 times! QRT soon.

UPDATE 2030z:  QRT.

Swifts on the move? - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday we went  for a nice walk around the sleepy village of Reach, near Cambridge. Although there were swifts around, there are fewer. At least some have started heading south. 

Screaming swifts in the air are a sound of late spring and early summer in the UK. Sometime in August you just realise they are not there. It will be next April or May until they (hopefully) will be back again.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swift/ .

6m FT8 RX with the V2000 vertical omni (Thursday)

Apart from a very brief period on TX with 2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni (3 UK spots) I have been on 6m FT8 RX. Already spotted a station in the South of France even though it is only 0644z. Es?

UPDATE 0725z:  24 stations spotted.  

UPDATE 2021z: 175 stations spotted today.  TR3MON (4221km) looks like a pirate: according to his QRA locator he is in Gabon although he is apparently in Niger!  

UPDATE 2031z:  QRT.