Oscar 100 activity

Every few weeks I try to give an update on activity levels on the narrowband transponder on geosynchronous Oscar 100. I last looked yesterday at activity and I can report that there is still plenty of space and activity looked low. The web SDR at Goonhilly is a useful resource.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .

Sunspots - Tuesday November 16th 2021

 Solar flux is 79 and the SSN 23.  A=9 and K=4.

Sowing - NOT amateur radio

This was a week ago. The fields are being sowed ready for next year. The seagulls behind the tractors are having a field day!

Sound powered TX

Looking back on my emails I see some correspondence from Michael Rainey AA1TJ about a sound powered CW TX he built. I think Michael's TX involved converting sound from his voice into CW RF. I have seen other circuits that convert the action of pressing the Morse key into RF. In theory, this would also work with speech. Of course, physics dictates that low milliwatts only can be achieved.

If you know of ideas, please let me know.

Getting thinner?

Through the post today I got my monthly copy of Practical Wireless. It seems a lot thinner. To my mind this says one thing: they are in trouble and are trying to save money. 

Not looked inside yet. It may be fewer adverts or fewer articles or both.  I have been a faithful subscriber for many years, but may stop.

In Rob Mannion's day I wrote articles for PW.

How much longer will it continue?

UPDATE 1700z: I am puzzled. Several issues have had a similar number of pages, yet it feels noticeably thinner to me. Is it thinner paper?

UPDATE 2156z:  It has been this thin for several months, although this is the first time I have noticed.

10m FT8 RX (Monday)

A few minutes ago, I turned on my 10m FT8 system. So far (at 1137z) 2 stations spotted.

UPDATE 1340z:  19 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX with the furthermost ZS4JAN (9386km).

UPDATE 2147z:   64 stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX. QRT soon.

UPDATE 2158z:   QRT.

Time - NOT amateur radio

Time puzzles me. It seems to flow from the past into the future, but this can be an illusion. It could be that all our memories of the past are not there at all, but fresh every day. We make wake up every day with all our memories there, but they are actually new. It may be that my universe is unique to me. It is impossible to know what others experience.

What is certain is just how little we know or can know. Think of Schrodinger's cat. I am pretty certain we will look back in amazement at what we believed, much as we do now about witches and fairies.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat .

Sunspots - Monday November 15th 2021

Solar flux is 78 and the SSN 23. A=4 and K=1. 

15m Pipit transceiver

This design is now very old. It dates from way before the end of the last century. It appeared in GQRP SPRAT magazine. This was way before digital schematics, so the schematic was hand drawn. It worked some impressive DX.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/15m-qrp-cw-pipit .

Futility of war - NOT amateur radio

As I mentioned recently all those who fought in WW1 are dead as are most who fought in WW2. Many fought in Iraq and Afghanistan or other conflicts. 

This is Remembrance Sunday when we think of those who lost their lives or were badly maimed. 

In my view nothing, absolutely nothing is ultimately solved by wars.  When we look back think forwards too: how can we avoid wars in future?