Sunspots - Monday June 20th 2022

 Solar flux is 144 and the SSN 120. A=12 and K=2.

10m QRP WSPR TX

My 10m 500mW WSPR beacon was turned on at 0810z. Yesterday I got 7 unique station spots all in Europe by what I assume is Es. No spots yet today.

UPDATE 1656z:  32 unique stations have spotted me. This looks like a mixture of Es and F2.

8m experiment (Sunday)

My 8m QRP gear was turned on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 (first) TX at 0810z.

UPDATE 1153z:  Spotted by 2 stations with 1 FT8 "QSO" with a station in Slovenia. As this is a simple exchange of reports and QTH, I am treating this as completely within the terms and spirit of my 8m licence. I want to know how my QRP signal in received in Slovenia. This is a perfect way.

UPDATE 1839z: Spotted 6 stations in 6  EU countries.

UPDATE 2138z: 7 stations have now spotted my QRP on 8m FT8.

Alstroemeria - NOT amateur radio

 

These are coming out in our garden. 

Sunspots - Sunday June 19th 2022

 Solar flux is 144 and the SSN 145. A=13 and K=2.

That book

 This week I was in Yorkshire for my wife's sibling reunion, so progress on the book was limited. My new deadline is June 27th when I hope to go to Devon to see my brother for the first time since 2019. My wife is still at home. 

So, the deadline is now June 27th before I leave. This time I am going by coach as the train may be unreliable. The book is coming on, but there was more work than I expected. In a way it is my legacy. I hope you have as much fun as I had. 

Sheffield Station - NOT amateur radio

This week we went by train to Barnsley for our annual sibling reunion changing at Sheffield. We have met on 19 occasions. 

Rybakov HF verticals

These are end-fed antennas for HF usually. Commercial versions are available. 

Some years ago I bought one from SRC in Wales. Although I believe this is no longer available, they all have one thing in common: the end of the antenna is a high impedance, so a transformer is needed to get the SWR into the range of auto ATUs found on modern rigs. Usually this is an UNUN built into the antenna.

In getting things together for my free PDF book, I realised this was absent from my website! This is now corrected. As mine had been unused in the back of the garage, I swapped mine for an active RX antenna that works well. The swap was with Jason M0NYW. 

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/antennas/x80_1 .

8m experiment (Saturday)

As usual, I am on 40.680 MHz USB dial QRP FT8.  Already spotted very strongly by EA3ERE (1153km) in northern Spain.

My usual pattern is to be on for about one hour. let the rig thoroughly cool and then come on again afterwards. It would seem Es allows modest QRP stations, like mine, to enjoy the fun.

It is now about 0931z.

UPDATE 1230:  Still just EA3ERE spotting me and nobody spotted here. Now QRT as the rig cools.

Sporadic-E (Es)

We are currently at the peak of the Es season in the northern hemisphere. Yesterday 14 stations spotted me on 10m WSPR TX. All these look like they were by Es. My reports on 8m FT8 also look like Es. By the end of the summer the Es season will be over.

The Es season usually lasts from April to August. The peak months are May, June and July. However Es can occur at any time. There is usually a much smaller peak just after Christmas.