Sunspots - Wednesday August 11th 2021

 Solar flux is 73 and the SSN 0. A=7 and K=2.

Re-tarring - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows the 200 year old windmill next door being re-tarred. It was fully restored about 8 years ago.

So far they have covered about half of it. 

10m FT8

 At 0822z I turned on 10m FT8 QRP using 2.5W briefly before going RX only. My signal was spotted on TX by nobody and I have spotted a couple of Spanish stations on RX.

UPDATE 1252z:  39 stations spotted on RX so far. 4 stations have spotted me on TX.

UPDATE 1550z: 44 stations spotted with the furthermost VO1NE (3933km).

Memories - NOT amateur radio

The mind is a wonderful thing. One of my Facebook memories today was from 2015 when a very very old memory was triggered by the sight of a small bell on a neighbour's hearth.

Church bells - NOT amateur radio

 An architypal English sound is the change ringing of church bells. 

Our local church has been silent for the pandemic, so it was lovely to hear these again last evening when they had a practice session as they used to do on a Monday. I hope they can soon ring out across the village again .

See the videos on YouTube by my grandson. Search "Burwell bells". 

Yesterday on 10m WSPR TX

Here was me thinking that 10m WSPR had been taken over by FT8!! Yesterday I was spotted by 17 unique stations (mostly Es) plus FY5KE (7110km) in South America. You will recall I am using my W5OLF 500mW WSPR TX beacon which is tiny and totally self contained. 

Sunspots - Tuesday August 10th 2021

 Solar flux is 73 and the SSN 0.  A=5 and K=2.

Low cost Oscar 100 transverter?

Steve G1KQH has brought my attention to an article in an Indian newspaper. According to the article, a group of amateurs in India is working on a low cost transverter for this geosynchronous satellite. I have no idea about cost or availability.

Oscar 100 provides wide DX coverage at any time, needs a small fixed dish, no QSB, no noise, no tower, no rotator, no linear and very neighbour friendly. Just think you could be chatting on SSB to stations in Thailand, Europe or Brazil without the neighbours even being aware!

Oscar 100 has suffered from a lack of activity and I am quite surprised that one of the big manufacturers has not offered a simple solution by now. For £1k they could do a "black box" solution that could be widely sold. 

Many are put off as it is "too hard".

Competition? - NOT amateur radio

One of my friends said that shopping at Waitrose was an experience. It is certainly not the lowest cost! 

An Aldi (budget supermarket) has recently opened nearby, but, so far, has not really affected sales. 

In fact Waitrose has invested in a new café and redesign hoping to capitalise on the shopping "experience." The photo shows the car park earlier. 

My wife insists on going there. I'd go to Aldi and get the same for less. Darn the experience!

Newmarket (the home of horse racing) - NOT amateur radio

Most of our grocery shopping is done in Newmarket, about 6km away. 

It is world famous as the home of horse racing.  In Newmarket everything stops for horses! It is rare to go there and not see horses!

The ones in the photo were out for their morning exercise on the heath.