One QSO with a local when using 2.5W and the 2m big-wheel omni antenna.
Best spotted on RX was DF2VJ (570km). 70cm in truly awful weather!! Amazing. Is this scatter? No beams here.
This is a revelation: I went on 70cm FT8 expecting to find nobody, but instead had a QSO on FT8 and spotted a German station further away than Luxembourg and all with a 2m omni antenna!
It is now 1504z and I have been on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW with the W5OLF beacon for about 10 minutes. No spots yet.
UPDATE 1615z: It helps to connect the PSU! Still no spots of me yet.
UPDATE 1705z: Still no spots.As it is dark here shortly after 1700z, this may be a day with no spots of me.
UPDATED 1850z: QRT. No spots all afternoon.
After a few minutes on 2.5W TX to the big-wheel omni antenna (5 UK spots of me), I am RX only. So far, at 1500z, just 4 UK stations spotted here.
Politics in Ireland has been complex for a very long time.
Every person I have ever met from Northern Ireland or Eire has been delightful. I had no idea whether they were Protestant or Catholic! To me, it does not matter.
What may change shortly, following May elections, is the First Minister in Northern Ireland may be in favour of rejoining Eire. The unionists, who identify as British, would hate this. Whatever happens in the future is complicated. BREXIT made matter worse.
I do not have answers.
There is some logic in becoming part of Eire, but I can understand the fears of the Unionists. Hopefully a solution can eventually be found that keeps everyone happy.
Will this happen in my lifetime? I doubt it.
For almost 20 years now, I have had a free Gmail email address. Overall, it does a good job.
All emails I want to keep I can store in folders and the SPAM folder does a pretty good job of filtering out stuff that is obviously junk. Very, very, rarely it puts stuff in SPAM that isn't, so I always do a quick check before deleting. I usually empty my bin and SPAM folders most days.
Even after all this time, I still have plenty of space. You get 15GB free, which is quite enough for most. Additional space can be bought for a very modest monthly fee.
If need be, one can block certain types of emails by applying filters. Overall, pretty good, especially as one's emails can be checked on any PC or tablet anywhere in the world.
Electronically, I have submitted my 8m permit application to OFCOM. They will be sent a paper copy in the post tomorrow.
At about 1300z, I turned on 15m FT8 RX. So far, at 1320z, 70 stations spotted.
UPDATE 1402z: 141 stations spotted today on 15m FT8 RX.
UPDATE 1627z: Have been QRT for a while now on 15m FT8 RX.
With my homebrew transverter (measured ERP 10mW) it was regularly copied in Norway on WSPR. It has been copied in Finland several times.
In every case the antenna was the earth-electrode in the ground. The transverter was in QST some years ago and produces about 10W into 50 ohms. It was designed by me. Several people have made copies.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/630m-472khz-transverter .
