Frustration

Since my 2013 stroke, I have not really been able to do field work. I used to enjoy tests at VLF and 481THz "in the field".  Instead, I concentrate on what I can do. Our hobby has many faces and there is so much to enjoy. My main interests are WSPR and FT8, which don't tax my voice.

I still enjoy 2m and 70cm activity contests and go on our club net most weeks on 2m FM.

Building things was one of my pleasures, but sadly my eyesight and fine motor skills make this very hard. I won't say impossible, but it is now far from easy.

15m FT8 RX (Saturday)

At the moment I am monitoring 15m FT8 RX with the 10m antenna.  After about 5 minutes, at 1147z, 38 stations already spotted. 15m is a great band!

UPDATE 1208z:  87 stations spotted including 2 in South America.

UPDATE 2205z:   882 stations spotted on 15m FT8 RX. Now QRT.

Innovations and Trials Licence 8m application

Thanks to the generosity of total strangers (thank you all) I now have covered the costs of my application to OFCOM. 

My fund raiser is now closed. 

Every penny over the licence costs (a few pounds) is going to charity (any suggestions?) and I do not profit at all from this. To do so would have been totally wrong and was never my intention. If OFCOM had just granted me a simple NoV, none of this would have been necessary.

The application is going in today.

UPDATE 1445z:  Apparently an Innovation and Trial licence is £50 per month, which is stupid!! I shall apply for an Innovation and Research Licence that is £50 annually. 

UPDATE 2140z:  A couple of really nasty comments have been received which I have marked as SPAM and I shall not publish. For the record, (1) nobody had to contribute, (2) not a single penny goes to me, (3) my only reason for doing this is to further radio propagation research, (4) in the future I hope all radio amateurs can gain access to this most interesting part of the spectrum.

Storm Eunice - NOT amateur radio

We had some very strong winds in the UK yesterday. A wall not far from us was blown over. I think the wind gust caught the lattice fence that put force on the brick wall.

Sunspots - Saturday February 19th 2022

 Solar flux is 93 and the SSN 92.  A=6 and K=3. 

That wind - NOT amateur radio

We have wind gusting to 80 miles per hour here with Storm Eunice. It is even stronger in the west of the UK. The daffodils under the tree in our close are struggling. 

10m FT8 QRP (Friday)

After a very brief TX period at 2.5W, I am RX only.  At 0915z, 14 stations have been spotted. On TX just a single local spot.

UPDATE 1130z:  75 stations spotted.

UPDATE 1842z: 482 stations spotted on  FT8 RX. 

Thank you

Thanks to the kindness of people I don't even know, I shall apply for that 8m permit this weekend. Obviously, I know the permit, if granted, will be at least £50. If it is more, I shall not go ahead. 

"Windbag" need not bother sending me nasty anonymous comments as these will be rejected as SPAM unless he offers his name. He might want to reflect on the fact he is traceable and IP addresses used are known.

Once again, thank you.

2m operation

 "Guilty as charged me lud".

When I first went on 2m back in the 1970s, most people were on AM. Then came FM and repeaters and 2m SSB.

These days, 2m seems very quiet. However, appearances can be deceptive as many are now using FT8 . This can give the impression of a dead band, although actually it is possible to work stations at great range irrespective of conditions with very modest antennas and power. Very little spectrum is needed.

Activity sessions can be quite busy, but people have found other ways simply to chat using the Internet.

Apart from local nets, the band can appear quiet. I am as guilty as anyone rarely coming on SSB or FM unless there is an activity session or local net. I often use FT8 instead these days.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/2m-operation.

Sunspots - Friday February 18th 2022

Solar flux is 97 and the SSN 103. A=5 and K=1.