GB3MCB 8m beacon in Cornwall

This beacon on 40.050 MHz began operation this weekend. 

It is situated in mid-Cornwall near St Austell. It should be very useful to indicate when 8m is open across the Atlantic. It has an FT8 sequence, so can be monitored with WSJT-X free software. The antennas are crossed dipoles.

Initially, it is operated under a test and innovation licence. In my view both the RSGB and OFCOM should have just granted them an NoV to the amateur licence as this truly helps propagation research and self training. The RSGB should have made the case and OFCOM agreed.

OFCOM and the RSGB -- just wake up!!!  You are making yourselves look unbelievably stupid! Surely the whole purpose of our hobby is self training and radio research. Is it any wonder we cannot find RF engineers in the UK if there is no support?   

8m need not be "more of the same". It is uniquely situated in the radio spectrum, on the HF/VHF boundary, to offer radio amateurs a real chance to contribute to radio propagation research. Instead, both the RSGB and OFCOM appear to be obstructive.

I am still totally puzzled why OFCOM seems so against even 5 kHz (just 5 kilohertz!!) at 8m being allocated to the amateur service by NoV. They could insist on narrow digital only and make us secondary users with limited power. It just seems so short-sighted. Like the Chinese trying to stop Covid or King Canute trying to stop the tide - there are some things in life that make no sense.

UPDATE 0804z:  No spots overnight.

UPDATE 1556z: Still not a sign of that beacon. My feeling is that this is a complete waste of time.  I thought I might see the odd MS burst, but nothing. Maybe I should remain on until the morning? Probably the 15 second TX period is too long for random MS. In a shower I might have better luck.

Sunspots - Monday September 26th 2022

Solar flux is 135 and the SSN 96. A=6 and K=2. 

70cm activity contest results

These have been published. My position is unchanged in the low power section.

See https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/vhfresults.pl?Contest=432MHz%20UKAC&year=2022 .

Help always at hand

Whenever I ask for help trying to find something, I usually get a positive response within a few hours. There are so many kind people who always offer their help. Thank you! 

Don't ever let anyone say the spirit of amateur radio has gone. It most definitely is there. This week alone I have had kind offers from several people.

Help needed to find a circuit please

Back in the 1970s my first outings on 70cm were using a circuit I found in a VHF Communications magazine. I guess it would have been 1971-1974 sometime. I think the magazine came out quarterly.

The circuit used a varicap diode as a tripler on TX and as a mixer on RX. The IF was 2m and on 70cm it produced about 100mW as I recall. In those days most were crystal controlled AM and on RX we tuned "low to high", or similar, to get a QSO.

Do you recall this circuit?  If you have a copy of the article I would be most grateful for a copy. 

I have no intention of building it, but it would be nice for old time's sake. From an East Anglian "hill" (yes there are a few, HI) it worked as far as Yorkshire with a very small beam.

UPDATE 1341z: Found it!! Thanks Henry.

See https://worldradiohistory.com/VHF_Communications_DE.htm .

M0ZAE was a great help - thanks again. The edition was November 1971. The link takes you to all back numbers and is a great resource.

10m FT8 mainly RX (Sunday)

Later today, I hope to be on 10m FT8. Although some of the time I shall be QRP TX, most of the time I shall be RX only. 

If F2 E-W is very good, I may QSY to 8m FT8.

UPDATE 1134z: Been on RX since about 1050z.  62 stations spotted so far today.

UPDATE 1255z:   152 stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX (see map).

Stations spotted on
10m FT8 RX today

UPDATE 1525z: 401 stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX. As of now I do not think conditions will be good enough on 8m for transatlantic DX.

UPDATE 1628z:  471 stations spotted today.

UPDATE 1835z:  Now QSYed to 40.050 MHz to monitor the new (this weekend)  GB3MCB 8m beacon.

Dragonflies? - NOT amateur radio

 

My wife spotted this on Friday on our walk to Wicken Fen. I think it is 2 dragonflies mating, but I am no expert!

I was going to use other words, but thought the censors might object and ban me.

Back of the garage

This was my workshop at the back of the garage in 2012 at the old QTH. 

Sunspots - Sunday September 25th 2022

Solar flux is 147 and the SSN 128.  A=13 and K=2. 

23cm antennas (again)

At one time, a very popular 23cm antenna, for ATV I think, was the bow tie designed by G8GML (now SK). As I recall it was 2 diamond shaped elements with a solid reflector. I think it had a useful (not high) gain and a fairly broad forward lobe. 

For DX contacts, a decent beam with lots of forward gain is usually essential, but such an antenna might be better for me than the PCB HB9CV that, I believe, is supplied with the 23cm transverter that should come next month.

What I am wondering is does anyone make this commercially and at what price?

Such an antenna might be useful on 70cm too.

UPDATE 1907z:   As David says in the comments, Wimo make such an antenna. It looks expensive.