Endings - NOT amateur radio

 All my life I have not been good at endings. At this stage in life, I am feeling that lots of things we have just taken for granted are coming to their ends. 

At the end of next month I hope to travel to Devon, where I come from,  to see my brother who is 77. How long will he and his wife be there in good health? My wife and I are ageing. What happens if one of us dies? Lots of our relatives, friends and neighbours are now older. I can no longer drive a long way.

It seems we have no choice but to accept that everything passes. Life as we know it is an illusion of stability. Everything changes. I guess we have no choice but to accept this.

Spring sprung - NOT amateur radio

This was me in the cow parsley yesterday on our walk.  The cow parsley looks great at the moment. 

In a few weeks it will be past its best.

8m experiment (Wednesday)

The last few days have been poor here with no Es evident here and no spots on RX or TX. Let us hope today is better! 

UPDATE 0803z:   On 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 first TX at 0757z.  Ever hopeful!

UPDATE 1120z:   EI9KP (649km) in the west of Eire has again spotted me.

UPDATE 1742z:   No further spots given or received today. Better than the last few days, but still pretty poor.  Now QSYed to 70cm FT8 RX.

Sunspots - Wednesday May 11th 2022

Solar flux is 116 and the SSN 62  A=3 and K=1. 

Hebrides - NOT amateur radio

One of my fellow radio amateurs is doing a cycling/camping tour of the Outer Hebrides. This is one of his Facebook photos. 

National Mills Weekend - NOT amateur radio

Last weekend was National Mills Weekend. Our local museum and windmill across the road had free entry and had 150-200 visitors. It was a good, happy, occasion as the photo shows. 

Our fully restored windmill is over 200 years old.

The joy of QRP

In our hobby we all have different interests, and that is only right: it would be a sad world if we were all the same. Some like ATV, others chasing DX, others just talking with old friends on 80m. I cannot say how you get fun. Neither would it be correct.

My own "thing" is QRP (low power). Now, I freely admit that at times more ERP helps. However, especially on bands like 10m in the better solar years, the world can be worked with low power and simple antennas. This is even more true with modern modes like FT8.

Perhaps my G3XBM website may give you some ideas. Whatever, the next few years could be the time to give QRP a go. You might be surprised.

10m WSPR QRP TX

 Yet again (at 0850z) I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from my W5OLF beacon. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1115z:   Still no spots of me today.

UPDATE 1845z:   Just local G4WSZ and the 2 Canary Is stations today. These latter 2 look like F2. Again, no Es here today.

Colourful border - NOT amateur radio

We pass this colourful border on one of our walks around the village. 

8m experiment (Tuesday)

Yesterday was dire with no stations spotted on RX and nobody spotting me on FT8 TX on 8m. Even 10m had no Es here. Hopefully today will be better. Well it can't be worse!!

Currently on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 TX. 

UPDATE 0951z:   No spots yet on 8m TX or RX.

UPDATE 1025z:  Still no spots on 8m FT8 TX or RX today. Apart from the remote chance of contacting some of the USA experimenters by chordal hop Es this summer, I think I have exchanged reports (won't say QSO!!) with all the stations I am likely to. The ZS stations are unlikely to spot me with my low ERP, even though I have spotted ZS6WAB on 8m FT8. I suspect the latter was TEP and Es together, as we are a bit too far north for pure TEP.

UPDATE 1855z:   No Es today, in fact no spots again on TX  or RX.