8m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

At 1454z, my 2.5W 8m FT8 was turned on. Yet again, the antenna is just the low wire dipole. It is again on 40.680 MHz USB dial.

UPDATE  1508z:  Already spotted by Phil EI9KP (649km).

UPDATE 2150z:  In the end just the spot by EI9KP.  Now QRT.

UPDATE 2155z:  I am unsure how to proceed with experiments on 8m. I am prepared to spend £50 for an extension of my T&I permit, but object to having to pay for this. In my view, this should be a tiny amateur band available in the UK by NoV.  It would be really helpful to know just why OFCOM and the FCC are quite so anti this. It is not that they are neutral. They seem to be dead against this.  Personally, I think it is the military and the Official Secrets Act (or equivalent in the USA) that is preventing us being told the full truth. People are scared of prosecution.  If we were just told, "yes the military is blocking all applications" that alone would clear up this apparently stupid situation.  This year's tests have already shown that with Es and F2, great distances may be covered with just 2.5W and a low wire dipole. There is no doubt that a higher ERP certainly improves chances.

Bury St Edmunds - NOT amateur radio

This is a market town in Suffolk. The photo shows the market. Unlike Cambridge, it has lots of locals. We like Bury. 

Sunspots - Tuesday December 20th 2022

Solar flux is 152 and the SSN 132. A=11 and K=1.

Cambridge market - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows Cambridge market last week. There was snow on the ground. There are fewer stalls than there used to be, but it is still a good market.

That thaw - NOT amateur radio

Last week, it was unusually cold. We had snow on the ground for a week. These days, this is almost unheard of.

Nighttime temperatures were very low indeed and some parts of the UK remained below freezing all day. Last night the thaw came and there is no snow at all left. It just went. 

Temperatures today are much milder. Probably it is 10-20 degrees Celsius milder. It is wet and windy. I prefer the sun and snow, but not the temperatures that go with it!

10m QRP FT8 (Monday)

At the moment I am RX only on 10m FT8, 178 stations (at 1205z) so far spotted. 

Initially I was getting very few spots until I realised the coax plug was shorted. Now corrected, the SWR is again very low. This could account why yesterday there were so few reports of my 500mW WSPR TX.

By mid afternoon the band was filled with USA stations as the photo shows. 

UPDATE 1544z:   773 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX. Very briefly, I went on TX for just a very short period. 4 stations in the USA spotted me, but I went back to RX only.

UPDATE 1847z:   1084 stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX.

Shack - December 2013

Back in 2013 I had a stroke that put me in hospital for 3.5 months. Although I had to spent Christmas in hospital I came home for a brief visit a few days before and went in my shack for the first time since September.

Like the heating which failed due to the very cold weather last week (thankfully now fine) you don't realise how important things are until you can not have them. 

Sunspots - Monday December 19th 2022

Solar flux is 156 and the SSN 128.  A=4 and K=4.

8m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

As my 8m coax has been mended, I am again on 8m QRP FT8 with 2.5W on 40.680 MHz. 

UPDATE 2110z: No spots. Now QRT.

Sunrise - NOT amateur radio

Sunrise this morning

Today it is expected to get gradually milder. When I got up this morning there was a great sunrise. It is raining now at 1500z.