UK Prime Minister - NOT amateur radio

In the last few weeks the UK's new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, has had a very bad time. 

Firstly she introduced a mini-budget intended to encourage growth. The markets tanked. Her authority was in tatters. Then she replaced her Chancellor. The new Chancellor cancelled most of her changes, further undermining her. The opposition parties want a General Election.

The next crunch moment is October 31st when the new chancellor has to explain how he will fund the mini-budget. It is likely this will involve cuts to public services. This is likely to anger people both in the general public and Conservative party.

8m FT8 (Tuesday)

Most of the morning I have been on 40.680 MHz QRP FT8 TX and RX. So far, no spots.

UPDATE 1612z:   2 stations have spotted me today and I have spotted one on RX.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)

As the 10m antenna is available, I have been on QRP (500mW) with my WSPR beacon most of the morning. It is now 1213z and so far 9 stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 1920z: 45 stations have spotted my 10m 500mW QRP WSPR today.

Punting on the Cam - NOT amateur radio

On a decent, sunny, day what is better than a lazy punt on the Cam looking at the colleges go by. 

DMR journey

At the moment, I am trying to get going on DMR. Although without a DMR radio or hot-spot, access DMR should be possible via my Android phone. 

Some advice has been forthcoming and am working through this. As I get though this, I shall report back. 

UPDATE 1914z: What a mess!!!  Getting active on DMR is complicated! You first have to get a DMR ID (done), register on Brandmeister (done) and get a vocoder. If I am struggling, I imagine many will be too. I am still not connected. Hopefully tomorrow ......or 2030?? Getting going on Echolink was so much easier.

Sunspots - Tuesday October 18th 2022

Solar flux is 126 and the SSN 84. A=6 and K=1.

The future of our hobby

Unless things change, I can see our hobby radically changing in the next 10 years. Most of us are old males.

Some time ago I posted this photo of my grandson in the back of my garage. It must have been earlier than 2013 as we moved QTH. He failed to get interested. He is 15 soon. 

Unless young people like him are attracted, our hobby will die 

The very last - NOT amateur radio

The last butcher in our village has closed after 150 years. The person who ran it retired and nobody wanted to take it on sadly.

We ate his last sausages yesterday with all the trimmings. Sad. 

Sunspots - Monday October 17th 2022

Solar flux is 119 and the SSN 59.  A=16 and K=1.

Heathkit HW family

An early Heathkit advert

As a teenager I always wanted a 2m HW30 kit. Goodness knows why, as by modern standards they were poor! 

Heathkit made a family of what became known as the Benton Harbor Lunchboxes. In many places they were the mainstay of VHF activity, way before FM, SSB and FT8.

They were valved and had a 5W AM TX and a super-regen RX. Most of the time this was fine for VHF at the time.

I cannot remember when they stopped being available, but I would guess mid 1970s.

At one time I had the manual, but never the rig.

The style I still like and in later years (before my stroke) fancied doing a modern equivalent for 10m with transistors and far smaller on a single PCB.

See http://www.radiomanual.info/schemi/Surplus_Radioamateur/Heathkit_HW-30_review_QST_2013.pdf