St John's College, Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows the main entrance to St John's College, Cambridge on Monday. 

Sunspots - Wednesday December 7th 2022

Solar flux is 144 and the SSN 123. A=4 and K =0.

OFCOM and mobile data

OFCOM has consulted on spectrum for mobile data. See the OFCOM website for details. 

8m amateur band?

Recently I approached the RSGB to enquire about their position on a very tiny 8m amateur band (just 5 kHz wide) by NoV. The response from the VHF manager was to point me to the RSGB's statement back in March. At this rate experimenters will again have to pay to do research on 8m in 2023 in the UK. It sounds like both the RSGB and OFCOM are dead against even a tiny 8m amateur band. To me, this is illogical. 

By some means I intend to continue my 8m propagation research in 2023.

Also sought was clarification on research in the ISM bands in the UK from OFCOM. Their reply on this is awaited.

It would be really good if true researchers could gain access to 8m without having to pay, especially around solar maximum when there is so much to be explored.

It would be really good if many more stations and countries were permitted access to the 8m band, ideally FT8 with 40.680 USB dial. More stations would certainly make research more interesting.

Once again, this is about research and self training, which is surely what our hobby is really about? 

Personally, I am not particularly interested in 2-way communications at 8m. What interests me is radio science, particularly propagation.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)

 For about and hour or so, I have been on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW beacon. 6 unique stations have spotted me today.

UPDATE  1443z: 10 unique stations have spotted me today.

8m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

 For about an hour, I have been on 8m QRP FT8. It is on 40.680 MHz but I am TXing second (running 2.5W) in the hope of being spotted in the USA. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1446z: No spots.

Some amazing numbers - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday was the last lecture on cosmology as part of my U3A sessions in Cambridge. We heard some truly staggering numbers which I shall share here.

• There are at least 100000000000 (100 billion) galaxies in the observable universe.
• Each galaxy contains at least 100s of billions of stars.
• The universe is mostly empty space.
• 5% of the universe is atomic matter. The rest is mostly dark matter or dark energy. We do not know what these are.
• Many stars have planetary systems.
• The universe is at least 41 billion light years across.

It was an interesting series of lectures, but my "take away" thought is just how little we really know.  Many of the theories fit, but many are incomplete.  Some theories involve multiple universes.  We really know nothing. Humans are a speck.

Back in the 1960s there was a series of books by Eric von Daniken. His basic theory (I seem to recall) was religious events were the result of visits from other worlds of beings different from us. Events at those times long ago were interpreted as supernatural. Remember, we still believed in witches just a few centuries ago!   Now, I am not saying he was right, but it an interesting thought.

What I do know, is that whatever we think now is most probably wrong. It is our interpretation of things by our (small) human brains. The truth is we do not know. All we can do is live kindly. Most religions have kindness to others at their hearts.

Plans for Tuesday

At lunch I intend to go on 8m QRP FT8 on 40.680 MHz in the second TX period. As many in the USA seem to be TX in the first period, this may help my chances of being spotted over there with my 2.5W and low dipole. Yesterday I was first period and spotted by 2 in England and 1 in Eire.

I also intend to go on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW beacon.

Sunspots - Tuesday December 6th 2022

 Solar flux is 150 and the SSN 89. A=8 and K=1

2016

This photo was taken in 2016 and shows my wife and my brother outside a local cottage.