Working DX

DX means different things to different people. 

To some, it is trying to work all countries available today on SSB, perhaps with the full legal power (or more!) and a big beam on a tower. To others it is working across town with uW powers.

Back in the 1980s I owned a Yaesu FT7. This was an HF only 10W rig. I worked DXCC with it and simple antennas (mostly dipoles) on SSB.

These days I am on RX more than TX. I still prefer QRP! If DXCC chasing is your "thing" fine.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commercial-rigs/yaesu-ft7 .

Frost - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows a frosty day some years ago. 

Cambridge punts - NOT amateur radio

In the summer, a lot of people enjoy relaxing on a punt on the River Cam. At this time of year it is quieter. 

Winter sunrise - NOT amateur radio

 

The sun rising in the east.

10m FT8 RX (Wednesday)

My 10m FT8 RX was turned on about 0930z. So far (at 1002z), 61 stations spotted with the furthermost VK1MA (16904km). 

UPDATE 1351z:  311 stations spotted.

160m FT8 RX overnight

With 487 stations spotted on RX overnight with the non resonant 10m antenna and several stations in the USA and one in Japan, it was a good session on 160m FT8 RX. 

Slightly better solar cycle?

According to the updated solar data, it looks like this solar cycle is very slightly better than the last cycle. What does this mean? Expect the next solar cycle to be very similar to the last one.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/images/comparison_recent_cycles.png .

Sunspots - Wednesday February 2nd 2022

 Solar flux is 129 and the SSN 88.  A=7 and K=3.

160m FT8 RX (Tuesday)

I have just QSYed to 160m FT8 RX. 3 stations spotted so far including 2 Germans calling a station in the Far East. It is still daylight here. Probably things will get lively after dark.

UPDATE 1652z: 15 stations spotted on 160m FT8 RX using the untuned 10m wire antenna with the furthermost RD9D (3664km).

UPDATE 1917z:  146 stations spotted.

UPDATE 2140z:  327 stations spotted.

University of the 3rd Age - NOT amateur radio

For about 14 years, I have been attending U3A courses. It is great fun learning new things just for fun. Some involve going into Cambridge and some are on Zoom. The Zoom talks are very effective, and far better than I ever expected.

This year I am studying Medieval History and quantum mechanics, the latter was last done in the late 1960s at university! It is hard!!

Quantum mechanics is spooky. One has to forget what we perceive as reality and accept that sometimes things can be quite different. One aspect is wave functions that seem to imply things exist in all space and all time, past and future included. Things are most probable now, but entangled things even at the extremes of the universe, know about each other instantaneously. Forget the speed of light - instantaneously means just that! Some of these things have been proven by experiments.