8m experiment (Tuesday)

 My QRP TX was turned on at 0807z on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8.

UPDATE 0815z: No spots.

UPDATE 1257z:  3 stations have spotted me so far on 8m FT8.

UPDATE 1920z:  6 unique stations have spotted my 8m FT8 TX today. I have now been spotted in 11 countries. Not bad for a few watts and low wire dipole. I just wish the UK had a very small 8m amateur allocation by NoV, digital only. Stupid, short-sighted, OFCOM and stupid, short sighted  RSGB. We need self training and research....and real RF engineers!! 

UPDATE 1932z:  This will probably not happen with my low ERP, but I still hope for an FT8 spot by a station in the USA. I live in hope!!

East Anglian skies - NOT amateur radio

East Anglia is famous for not having hills. Well, there are some! 

However, we have some great skies as the photo shows. 

Super DX at VHF, UHF and microwaves?

On my website there is a page about super DX on VHF and UHF. Most, or every, summer there are 6m openings from Western Europe to the Far East. These are thought to be linked to noctilucent clouds in the mesosphere. It is possible these openings may occur at far higher frequencies. I am surprised nobody seems to be trying as there could be new records galore. 

I am not sure how FT8 works with noctilucent clouds, although I have certainly copied Japanese stations on 6m FT8 by this mechanism with a very poor setup. 

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/super-dx . 

Sunspots - Tuesday June 21st 2022

Solar flux is 137 and the SSN 112. A=10 and K=2.

Back lawn in June - NOT amateur radio

The rear lawn is still green, but starting to turn brown. It usually recovers in the autumn with dew and rain. 

8m experiment (Monday)

Just EI9KP (649km) spotting me today. Certainly here, I am seeing no evidence of Es propagation from mainland Europe. The same is true of 10m. As I am spotted by EI9KP on 8m FT8 frequently, I am wondering if this really is Es?

Loose ends - NOT amateur radio

At the moment, I seem to be busy with loose ends. 

Last week, we had my wife's 19th sibling reunion. Rather than take it in turns at our homes we went back to stay in an hotel in Barnsley, where they all grew up. It was a very successful get-together, but my wife said it was her last time in Barnsley. She also says she will never go to Devon again. I am compiling my legacy book of projects.

It looks like we are preparing for the worst!   Any one of us could be dead tomorrow. On the other hand, we could live for many years. We just don't know.

The moral seems to be to live, and enjoy, every day as your last.

10m QRP WSPR TX

 At about 1330z, I turned on my 500mW WSPR beacon. So far, no spots of me.

Thatcher's tag - NOT amateur radio

Thatchers often have trademarks which they leave on thatched roofs to show they did the work. 

Often these are pheasants, but this unusual one of a cat made of thatch was seen recently. 

The case for a small UK 8m amateur band

It is true to say that I am fuming by the attitude of OFCOM and the RSGB to a tiny 8m allocation. Let me explain. 

OFCOM seems dead against an amateur allocation and the RSGB appears to just accept this. Our hobby is meant to be about self-training. In my personal experience of RF development, without any doubt the best RF engineers were those who were intrinsically motivated  and "turned on" by RF. I have read countless CVs of electronics graduates who, frankly, were totally useless. I knew more at 16 than they did!! I learnt more from my RAE course than they did with a degree!

If we are really interested in future RF designers, we should be doing all we can to promote "self training".

These are my proposals:

• 40.680 - 40.685 MHz (5 kHz only). This is in the ISM band and widely used internationally
• Narrow digital only (e.g. WSPR, FT8, CW and no speech)
• By NoV only
• Strictly non-interference
• Power limited if need be.

Personally, I would happily lose 5 kHz from any band in trade. Such a narrow allocation with no speech is very unlikely to attract "more of the same" and foster the true purpose of our hobby.

OFCOM and RSGB, wake up!!