Spring in the garden - NOT amateur radio

Spring is a lovely time of the year. Everything springs into life after what seems like a long winter. Summer migrant birds are returning from Africa and the blossom is at its best. The birds are singing and building nests.

On the trees, the leaves are a fresh green, whereas later they look tired. Blossom is ephemeral. In a few days it will be gone until next spring and so the cycle goes on.

The photo shows spring in our garden.

10m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

My tiny QRP QDX transceiver was turned on at 0830z. So far,  just a local spotting me. On RX, I suspect a pirate as the only station spotted so far is in South America where it is still dark and the time is all wrong.

In the last day, 222 stations have spotted my 10m FT8 QRP from all over the world.

UPDATE  0841z:  A few more stations coming through on RX.

UPDATE 1000z:  Sorry, the South American was last night, not this morning as I was looking at the last 12 hours, so was probably genuine. So far this morning, 10 stations have spotted my QRP 10m FT8.

Stations spotting my 10m FT8 QRP today

UPDATE 1325z: 43 stations have spotted me today and I have spotted 55. The photo shows the stations that have spotted my 10m QRP FT8 today.

UPDATE 1516z:  50 stations have spotted my 10m FT8 QRP and I have spotted 73 on RX. I get the impression things are not so "hot" as yesterday. So far, not a single North American has been spotted. Also, I wonder if working the same stations yet again causes people to lose interest in FT8 unless there is some choice new country to chase? On SSB, FM and AM people can chat, whereas they cannot on FT8, although JS8call allows keyboard chats.

UPDATE 1816z:  Switched to the FT-710 from the QDX. This works on TX on 10m but not on 80m. I must be doing something wrong. 6 stations have spotted me so far at 10W on 10m FT8 TX. Maybe the settings are per band?

The current station

The photo shows my current station. On the left is the FT817ND with the SWR meter above. On the right is the FT-710 and tiny QDX transceiver plus the Tigertronics USB interface used with the FT817ND. In the background is the little used MX2 2m SSB handheld. 

Out of shot is the 500mW W5OLF 10m WSPR beacon TX. 

Sunspots - Saturday April 22nd 2023

 Solar flux is 151 and the SSN 114. A=9 and K=3.

VLF earth-mode TX

Looking back over some of my old photos, I came across this photo of my 5W earth-mode VLF transmitter, that was last used over 10 years ago. 

The 3C90 toroid on the left is to match the low impedance output from the TDA2003 to the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. In the centre is the TDA2003 audio amplifier. On the right is the keyer IC that can produce QRSS or CW.

It would be good to do some more experiments in the future, if my health allows.

Doom painting detail - NOT amateur radio

Earlier this week I posted a photo of a "doom"  painting in a local church in Salisbury. It was painted centuries ago before many could read or write. I expect many in the congregation looked at the painting and thought about hell and purgatory.  

The whole painting reminds me of Bosch. It was whitewashed out by the "thought police" and rediscovered in the 1800s. Attached is a small part of the painting in detail.

Salisbury walk - NOT amateur radio

We went to Salisbury mainly to see the cathedral, but it was a very nice place to visit. On 2 occasions we did a lovely walk though the water meadows, where John Constable painted on many occasions.

Rallies this weekend

The following have been notified to me. It is advisable to check first for accuracy before  going far.

Saturday April 22nd - Moray Firth ARS (no location or postcode given). Contact mfars.secretary@gmail.com .

Sunday April 23rd - North ARS  Blackpool, FY2 9AA. Contact dwilson@btinternet.com .

OFCOM updates

 Just a reminder that OFCOM updates its data every week. See the OFCOM website for details.

8m WSPR for all?

Certainly here in the UK and probably many (or all?) countries people seem to have licence free access to the 40.66-40.70 MHz ISM band as long as any national conditions are met. In the UK this means 10mW ERP maximum and full compliance with IR2030. Interference must be accepted and not caused. We know from Australia that 5mW 8m WSPR has been received at 5000km, so much of Europe could be spanned on 8m WSPR by anyone. 

This is NOT the Amateur Radio Service!

This probably means any ISM band may be used licence free as long as national law is followed, although I have not asked OFCOM specifically about other ISM bands.   Remember OFCOM only covers the UK. You have to either be sure of the legality in your country or seek legal advice if you are unsure.