At 0925z, my 500mW 10m WSPR was turned on. So far, no spots.
UPDATE 1021z: 13 spots of me from the Canary Is.. Some reports have 22dB in hand, suggesting I could have been copied with just 5mW (or lower) if the RX noise floor was low enough. On previous days, signals have been even stronger at times!
Many years ago I read somewhere that there is a great deal of difference between being clever and being wise. My Auntie Kitty was definitely not clever, but she was wise.
This quote was in "The Knowledge" yesterday.
At the 1937 Soviet writers’ congress, Boris Pasternak, author of Doctor Zhivago, faced a terrible dilemma: to speak or not to speak. This was at the height of Stalin’s purges; writers who deviated an iota from the regime’s view risked being “disappeared”. On the final day, more than six feet tall and “incredibly beautiful”, Pasternak went to the lectern. The silence, it was said, could be heard “all the way to Vladivostok”. When he finally spoke, he began with just one word: the number “30”, denoting Shakespeare’s famous sonnet. “When to the sessions of sweet silent thought / I summon up remembrance of things past…” All 2,000 people in the hall rose to their feet and recited the rest of the poem by heart. The sonnet “said everything” – you can’t touch what we hold in our heads.
Although for radiated DX below 9 kHz very big antennas are needed for TX, on RX some tiny antennas can work perfectly well such as an E field probe which is tiny. What is needed is very high stability and very narrow bandwidths, usually achieved by locking to a VLF MSK signal or GPS. Some years ago DJ8WX was spotted by locking to a VLF MSK signal (see photo). All this was possible with free software. Sometimes it is necessary for signals to be integrated for hours or even days.
It is some years since I have experimented at real VLF.
It is now 1625z and I have been on 8m QRP FT8 for about 30 minutes. So far, no spots.
UPDATE 2025z: QRT now. No spots all day.
When we got back from Peterborough (at about 1550z), I turned on my 500mW WSPR beacon. So far, at 1620z, 5 spots from the Canary Is..
Looking on John's blog I see the recent Bouvet Island DXpedition did not use SSB on some of the major bands, concentrating on FT8 instead.
No wonder some bands appear quiet. Because of my poor voice, I use FT8 quite a bit. However, in the long run, I can see few coming into the hobby by just chancing upon radio amateurs. FT8 needs special (free) software. If our hobby is to be there in 20 years' time, we need something else to attract and keep people.
In truth, far smaller amateur bands could accommodate us in future. I know to say this is heresy, but is it true? Personally, I would prefer more, smaller, bands throughout the spectrum for the Amateur Radio Service. In 20 years'time I can see many differences coming.
At this price, I really cannot see huge sales. Remember the GPS receiver and a 10 GHz transverter are extras on top. I cannot see change from £4000. This sort of price is only for the well off. Also, microwave antennas are on top as well!
No, I predict this will flop and be withdrawn within 2 years.
ICOM make some very good products and I really hope I am wrong. Sadly these manufacturers and dealers are, ultimately, in business to made profits. I just cannot see how this will make them money. They will sell a few to the well off, but I cannot see this ever becoming a mass seller.
See https://www.hamradio.co.uk/icom-ic-905-vhf-uhf-shf-transceiver-deposit-only .
My 17m QRP FT8 (about 4W) was turned on at about 1618z. Within a few minutes, I was spotted by 33 stations, See map.
