Sunspots - Monday November 28th 2022

Solar flux is 107 and the SSN 56. A=15 and K=5.

Black Friday "deals" - NOT amateur radio

Perhaps I am odd, but I am very distrustful of Black Friday deals. 

This started in the USA I believe as a way of getting us to spend over a longer period. 

OK there are some good deals to be had, but this is really another way to get us to part with our money. As soon as I see the words "Black Friday" like the latest email from a major UK retailer, I delete it. 

10m QRP transceiver

It is hard to think this is 10 years old! It seems like only yesterday. Maybe you can get some ideas from it. It was called the "Lesser Chirpy" as the original version chirped badly.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10m-lesser-chirpy .

Birthday lunch - NOT amateur radio

As my wife had her birthday last week, we ate lunch out with our son, who lives locally, at the Cote Brasserie in Cambridge. The photo shows my wife's desert. The candle was a total surprise to us all and a nice touch.

See https://www.cote.co.uk/restaurant/cambridge/ .

8m FT8 QRP (Sunday)

 Although I have been in for about 40 minutes at 1420z, no spots.

UPDATE 1806z:  No spots. QRT.

Internet Archive

If you have not come across this before it is worth a look. The idea is to archive webpages, magazines and books, often well after the actual pages have long gone from the internet. Using this some time ago, I was able to see one of my long gone websites from the 1990s!

Today I uploaded my Issue 2 G3XBM Project Scrapbook. Really I want to add this to the Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications. Once I find out how, I shall do this, so it is there long after I am pushing up daisies! 

For now, search texts for G3XBM should bring it up.

See https://archive.org/ .

UPDATE 2019z:  Both Issues 1 and 2 of my G3XBM Project Scrapbook are now on the Digital Library of Amateur Radio ad Communications. Searching for G3XBM should find it. My earliest website on the Wayback Machine seems to be in 1996 http: /www.lapr.demon.co.uk. If you search for this URL on the Wayback Macine you should find some captures. This was a very long time ago!!

Thoughts on infinity - NOT amateur radio

We live in a universe that is huge. Some think there may be a number of universes.

Just for a moment ponder these thoughts:

• What if there is an infinite number of universes? 
• What if everything actually happened?  What I mean is that you decided to go on a certain path in life, but there were other choices you could have taken,
• What if in reality all choices made really were made? What I mean is did all paths really get followed, but we are only aware of one?
• What if time is totally an illusion? Maybe we think of us on a path from past into the future, but perhaps every experience is really "now".

We do not have the answers, but we know that we can know so very little. I have the feeling reality is quite different from what we think today.

We find infinities hard to accept.

10m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

Stations spotted to 1008z

At the moment, I am on 10m FT8 with 5W. It is now 0950z and I have been on for about 5 minutes. So far,  16 stations have spotted me and I have spotted 29 stations.

UPDATE 1012z: So far today, 89 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX.

Sunspots - Sunday November 27th 2022

Solar flux is 107 and the SSN 60. A=16 and K=3.

May I operate 8m beacons legally in the UK without a licence?

Since receiving an email from OFCOM in the UK, I have reread the essential requirements shown in https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/1206/pdfs/uksi_20171206_en.pdf written in 2017. 

"Nothing in these Regulations prevents the putting into service and use of radio equipment in the United Kingdom which is in conformity with these Regulations when the radio equipment is properly installed, maintained and used for its intended purpose."

Although if anyone intends to put a product on the market later, there are some onerous requirements including on record keeping, I can see nothing that prevents beacon operation at 10mW ERP without a licence in the UK as long as the essential requirements in the above document and interface requirement IR 2030 are met.   Now, I am no legal expert, but if it is there at all, I can personally see nothing at all that prevents us in the UK using the 8m ISM band without a licence at 10mW ERP for beacons.   Clearly with QRPP beacons we have no intention of putting a product on the market later.

My own personal view is I very much doubt OFCOM really cares!!

As always, I stand to be corrected.