Solar flux is 172 and the SSN 133. A=7 and K=1.
7 Jun 2023
6 Jun 2023
Friedrichshafen - mid June
This is the biggest gathering in Europe for radio amateurs. It attracts amateurs from a wide range of countries. I still keep hoping Yaesu will announce a new QRP SDR radio to replace the FT817. I suspect they will not, alas. In my view they have "missed the boat"....yet again. Personally, I fear Yaesu will leave the amateur radio market shortly. They could well be joined by others.
"Times, they are a changing".
The Knowledge newsletter - NOT amateur radio
This has been on before, but I make no apology as I find it so good.
This comes free by email every day and is a digest of news from across the world's press. It usually takes about 5 minutes to read and seems pretty unbiased. If you do not want to buy a newspaper or do not have time to read one, I strongly recommend it.
Shopping - NOT amateur radio
Most weeks we go about 12 miles on the bus into Cambridge. As we are old (!) we have free bus pass, so the journey is totally free. It is also as fast as taking our car. It is a pleasurable ride too.
Like most men, I hate clothes shopping. Instead I had a coffee whilst my wife did the spending!
OXO QRP TX
This circuit was originated by GM3OXX, hence the name. It has become a classic circuit. It produces about 1W CW. It has been built by many people in many forms and is very easy to replicate. You just need to add a low pass filter for your chosen band. I have used it to 10m. This schematic was on the G3PTO website many years ago.
10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)
Once again I am on 10m WSPR with my 500mW beacon. It is now 0820z and, so far, 20 stations spotted. Some are F2 and some Es. A very promising start.
UPDATE 2052z: 54 stations spotted today. Some would have copied me with just microwatts given a quiet noise floor.
8m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)
As the Es looks promising, I am again on 40.680 MHz FT8 (TX 1st, DF about 1950 Hz). No spots yet.
OFCOM and my requested 8m T&I licence changes
I sent an email to Dave Parsons at OFCOM, who has always been quick and helpful. Within 24 hours he came back to me for some clarification. Hopefully, he will unblock things. He is one of the better people there.
UPDATE 1333z: Just a day after contacting Dave, my licence has been amended so I can run 20W if I need/want to on 8m.
5 Jun 2023
Yaesu FT-710 versus ICOM IC-705
My IC-705 was traded in some months ago for the Yaesu FT-710. Both are excellent radios and I have enjoyed them both. The FT-710 has 4m but no 2m or 70cm. The FT-710 also has an auto ATU which I find quite useful. The FT-710 is a 100W radio whereas the IC-705 is a 10W radio (5W with the attached battery). As a QRPer, 10W was more than enough for me.
I was hoping that Yaesu would announce a new QRP SDR transceiver at Dayton as a proper replacement to the FT817. Sadly, no such product was announced. Had one been announced, I might have traded it for the FT-710.
In my view amateur radio is at a crossroads. In many countries, amateur radio appeals mainly to older males. As these age, fewer new rigs will be sold and magazines will lose advertising revenue from dealers. Some will get smaller, less frequent, or close. In my view, several larger manufacturers will leave the amateur radio market as they will be unable to make profits. My prediction in the UK is that amateur radio will cease to be a service supported by OFCOM. I can see (not many years ahead) when CB, ISM and amateur radio will all become a "free for all" as these generate no income and are unnecessary hassle. The watchwords will be "no interference".
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