Yaesu up to date?

As I was considering purchasing the Yaesu FTDX-10, I thought I would look at the Yaesu Japan site for more data. I was invited to do a download. Imagine my horror when I was looking at a 2011 (yes 2011) catalogue!! Does not exactly fill you with confidence. Perhaps this explains why we have seen no decent FT817 replacement.  

Hello, hello - anyone there??

At this rate I expect a spark TX and coherer RX soon - latest Yaesu technology. My fear is that if I buy an FTDX-10, will Yaesu still be around in 5 years time? I really hope so, but I have my doubts, seriously.

5m recording by G5UM

Many years ago Jack Hum G5UM gave a talk to the Cambridge radio club (CDARC). In the talk he mentioned he had made a recording in the late 1940s of the last hours on 5m in the UK. I am not sure if this was a disk, wire recorder or tape, probably a disk.

I am wondering if copies of this historic recording still exist? At the time I think G5UM lived in London.

Many will remember Jack as the columnist of the "Four Metres and Down" column in RadCom.

Sunspots - Wednesday August 24th 2022

 Solar flux is 101 and the SSN 52. A=4 and K=1.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)

Unsurprisingly, many have now moved over to 10m FT8. 

This is not as good as WSPR on weak signals but WSPR takes about 8 times longer to send a message, although it only needs about 6 Hz bandwidth whereas FT8 needs about 50 Hz. I enjoy both modes. 

My little stand-alone 500mW W5OLF beacon does not need a PC at all.

What has surprised me this summer is how many are still using WSPR. Even with my 500mW QRP WSPR on 10m, I usually get several unique stations spotting me. FT8 allows very basic QSOs.

UPDATE 1405z:  Already today my 10m QRP WSPR has been spotted by 4 unique stations.

2m activity contest (August) results published

Every month I enter this UKAC activity contest. I can only run 10W to my big-wheel omni and because of my poor voice I manage an hour. Results were published today and, surprise, surprise, I am in the top half of the low power section. My points go to the Cambridge club CDARC. In the 70cm UKAC I gave up.

1947 - NOT amateur radio

With the UK having recorded record high temperatures lately, it is hard to think of harsh winters in the past. One was 1947 before I was born. The photo shows my uncle clearing snow drifts in Salcombe Devon where snow is rare. 

8m experiment (Tuesday)

Shortly, I hope to be on 8m QRP TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 again. 

In the last few days I have been spotted by 4 stations across Europe with the best DX 1808km. Es may be quieter, but there are still good times!! 

UPDATE| 1259z:  EA3ERE (1153km) has spotted my 8m QRP FT8 again.

UPDATE 1340z:  Off cooling. Back on about 1415z, I hope.

Hidden disability - NOT amateur radio

This was written in 2016, but little has changed for me.

EI7GL - more

It would appear that EI7GL was spotting on 10m WSPR RX yesterday. Assuming this was indeed John and not a pirate, I am puzzled. I have no further information.

UPDATE 1915z: Just had an email from John. All is well, but he was too busy to blog over the summer, but hopes to resume in September. Basically good news. 

Scooters - NOT amateur radio

When we were young, scooters were popular, probably as most young people could not afford to buy and run a car. 

These were on display last weekend at our Classic Car Day at our local museum. 

The windmill is on the left and our house in the background on the right.

We need rain, as the photo shows!