Mimosa - NOT amateur radio

 

This was seen yesterday not far from King's College, Cambridge.

15m FT8 RX with the indoor loop

At just after 0900z, I turned on 15m FT8 RX using just the tiny indoor loop antenna used yesterday on 17m. So far, 20 stations spotted in just a few minutes.

UPDATE 0933z: 51 stations spotted with several in Japan.

UPDATE 1637z:  446 stations spotted on 15m FT8 RX today. 

UPDATE 1706z: 491 stations spotted on the tiny loop antenna on 15m FT8 RX today.

UPDATE 1835z:  526 stations spotted. QRT soon.

Cambridge Bridge of Sighs - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday, we walked over the Bridge of Sighs in St John's College, Cambridge. The photo shows the view. 

160m FT8 RX overnight

Overnight I stayed on 160m FT8 RX with the untuned 10m antenna. In all, 285 stations were spotted with several from across the Atlantic. 

Sunspots - Wednesday March 9th 2022

Solar flux is 115 and the SSN 93.  A=6 and K=1.

160m FT8 RX

This evening I am on 160m FT8 RX with the untuned 10m antenna.  So far, 161 stations spotted on RX. 

Lightbeam communication

This was much easier than I thought. 

Although my "thing" is NLOS (non line of sight) over the horizon digital comms, I have tried line of sight speech communications. People have managed much further than I have.

One of the beauties is the gear is all homemade. Even the test gear was homemade and simple.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/optical-nanowaves/line-of-sight .

Cambridge sun - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows the view towards King's College Chapel earlier.  

It is all too easy just to accept this view that people come halfway around the world to see.

The punts were on the River Cam outside King's. It is quiet now, but much busier in the summer.

Plenty of cider - NOT amateur radio

This photo shows an event in Devon about 100 years ago. Not sure what they were celebrating, but plenty of cider ready! Cider was made locally on farms and was a popular drink. 

17m FT8 RX with the loop (Tuesday)

At 0615z, 17m FT8 RX with the indoor loop antenna was turned on. This antenna sits on the shack windowsill. See photo. Just one station spotted at 0640z.

UPDATE 0843z:   63 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX with the furthermost JA3APV (9407km).

UPDATE 0926z: A brief QRP TX period resulted in nobody spotting me. 90 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX today so far. My antenna is a modified Whizz loop with central heating pipe instead of wire for the loop. This makes tuning harder (sharper), but the loop is more efficient. I am sure a big beam would be better, but the tiny loop actually performs pretty well!

UPDATE 1610z: 524 stations spotted so far on 17m FT8 RX with this system. I am amazed how well this loop does considering it is tiny, fixed and indoors. Must try it on 15m FT8 tomorrow What has surprised me is not a single station from South America has been spotted.

UPDATE 1830z:   650 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX today. 17m seems a good all round band, until the evening at least.

UPDATE 2154z:   695 stations spotted with the tiny loop on 17m FT8 RX in the last day.