At home - NOT amateur radio

Just before Christmas we like to have an "at home" day when the neighbours can pop in for a drink and nibbles. Because of Covid this has not been possible since 2019. It was so nice to have them around again.

This was one of the reasons I did not get around to fixing my 8m antenna/coax issue today. Maybe tomorrow?

8m - military influence?

For some time now, there has been speculation about just why the FCC and OFCOM are so much against even a small amateur allocation at 8m. It is not as if they are neutral. The clear impression is they are dead against this.

One possibility is that the military are doing their best to keep the "riffraff" out. 

Even recent experimental licences in the USA have been turned down. It is almost as if the real reason for refusals is being hidden.

One possibility is that officials in OFCOM and the FCC have signed the Official Secrets Act or it equivalent and cannot reveal the full truth without fearing prosecution.

Logically, a tiny 8m band could help research. I am convinced we are not being told the whole truth. I suspect the 40.66-40.70 MHz ISM band is a real embarrassment.

I wonder if OFCOM will renew my 8m permit?

Extreme QRP?

In my emails today was the Elecraft Newsletter. 

One of the articles was about "extreme QRP". This looks interesting I thought, only find out it was about 1W. To my mind extreme QRP is microwatts, not watts. I would have been more impressed if this person had got spots with 100uW rather than 1W!!

From my own tests years ago, well below 1W can get spots.

I know of at least one person who has been spotted across the planet with 20mW on 30m.

Salcombe, Devon - NOT amateur radio

In the late 1960s, I worked as a barman in the Great Gates Hotel in Salcombe, Devon during my summer vacation from university.   This hotel was converted to flats many years ago. It had a great view, as you can see from the photo.

My future wife washed dishes. She reckons the person she worked with broke crockery worth more than she earned that summer!

Salcombe is where I was brought up as a child.

2m FT8 QRP (Saturday)

 Most of the day I have been on 2m QRP FT8.  

UPDATE 1741z: As PSKreporter seems not to be working at the moment, I am not sure where I have been spotted today.

UPDATE 2222: 59 stations spotted today including EA and SP. Not bad for an omni antenna.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Saturday)

Yet again I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. 18 unique stations have spotted me as the table shows.

Cambridge Winter Sun - NOT amateur radio

This was Cambridge earlier in the week in the winter sun. It has been very cold for the last week. 

Next week should be milder.

I think the senate house on the left is where degrees are presented.

Sunspots - Saturday December 17th 2022

Solar flux is 163 and the SSN 0 (I suspect this is an error, although it still shows 0 at 1939z).  A=6 and K=0.

8m tomorrow

For some reason, I am now seeing a very high SWR on 8m. I think it is the coax plug to the rig. I have a way of checking this that I shall try tomorrow. If this is successful, and the problem is fixed, I intend to do more QRP FT8 tests at 2.5W and the low dipole. 

My 10mW ERP WSPR tests have now (successfully) concluded. 10mW ERP can definitely cover the local area (to at least 17km) on WSPR even with antennas that are not 8m antennas at the RX end. With proper 8m antennas at the RX, who knows what the range would be?

In the car - NOT amateur radio

This was the view through the car window yesterday on the way into Cambridge. We do not get much snow these days. 

We have had snow on the ground since last weekend, then it froze. Lovely to look at, but hard to walk on.