Bad Es day?

Unless things suddenly change for the better, today looks like being a very bad day for Es on both 10m and 8m. 

On 10m I have received just 2 spots of me (from the same station!) and on 8m FT8 I have been spotted by no-one and spotted no-one. 

Es can be like this: here one minute and gone the next. It is quite possible it will be very good tomorrow, or remain poor for days. Also a very small movement can make a lot of difference. Move just 20km and it could be completely different. Hence the name "sporadic-E".

Things might change, although I am not holding my breath!

Experimenting

This is just to encourage you to experiment. 

Ideally, you can build something, but experimentation does not have to mean building. As I have found out (the hard way!) there is still a lot we can do in our great hobby just by observing. 

Propagation is a great way to observe, whether it is on any band. Another is to try a new mode, maybe ATV or FT8. Perhaps try QRP or satellites.

What is so great about our hobby is that it can be enjoyed in so many ways. Some enjoy chasing DX whereas others just enjoy a good ragchew. I can only speak for myself by saying that my greatest fun was when I found out something new and challenging.

One thing I have learnt time and time again is there are no experts! Those who claim to be experts are often proved wrong, peddling myths they heard 40 years ago. Observe!!  Over the years I have found out several things myself. One of the joys is finding out yourself and not accepting conventional wisdom.

Two things stand out for me. One is I am convinced there is some sort of chordal hop E layer propagation. I have not (yet) seen this accepted. The other is how effective earth-electrode "antennas" in the ground can be. Over the last few years, these are being increasingly used by amateurs at MF, LF, VLF and ULF.

What myth are you going to disprove?

10m WSPR QRP TX

 Assuming that I go on 8m FT8 TX later, my 10m antenna will be free, so I shall go on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. 

UPDATE 1000z:   Beacon turned on at 0833z. No spots yet. Looks like no Es here, well yet, or it is to where nobody is monitoring!

UPDATE 1221z:  Still just 2 spots of me by EA1FAQ (1249km). Not a good day so far.

8m experiment (Monday)

 With just one station spotting me yesterday and nobody on RX, it is getting harder now the main Es season is coming to an end. Later I hope to be on 8m TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 again. 

UPDATE 1220z:  Turned on QRP TX at 0833z. Nobody spotting me. 

Kingfisher - NOT amateur radio

It is now rare to see a kingfisher in the UK. When seen, they are usually a flash of iridescent colour skimming low across the water. Occasionally they perch on a low branch thinking about their next catch. They are totally unmistakable. This photo was posted on Facebook earlier. Brilliant. 

Sunspots - Monday July 25th 2022

Solar flux is 107 and the SSN 80. A=9 and K=1.

Married 51 years today

We got married in a church (now a roundabout!) in 1971 in Yorkshire. 

This photo was taken today by Richard G3TFX at our local museum. Many thanks Richard. 

30 years old - NOT amateur radio

Our local museum is 30 years old and they celebrated the occasion today.

Consciousness - NOT amateur radio

As human beings we all experience consciousness. To us, this means experiences and memories. We have no comprehension of how other sentient creatures think. What does a pigeon or an ant think? Do they think? What is consciousness?

Linear time? - NOT amateur radio

We experience time as linear, running from the past into the future. 

We assume our brains store our memories. All this could be an illusion, with our experience just of now being fresh every time. We could have no knowledge of anything other than our experience right now. 

So, it is possible that we could unknowingly wake up as a Polynesian in 2000BC!! To us, this could be normal and totally real. We could also be a resident of the planet Zog in a distant galaxy millions of years in the future.

All I am saying is we could experience things very differently and must keep an open mind.