Sunspots - Sunday July 9th 2023

Solar flux is 161 and the SSN 197. A=8 and K=1.

10m FT8 on Sunday

 Tomorrow, I hope to go on 10m FT8 with 2.5W using the FT817ND.

European Es

 As the summer Es season winds down, there can still be good openings, but these become less frequent. Some days can be good, whereas other days can be quiet. This is where FT8 can be useful on bands like 10m and 6m as the FT8 slots are well monitored and very brief openings can be captured.

As my 8m antenna and coax seem to be sick, perhaps now is a good time to get it fixed before the autumn F2 season really kicks in.

See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/

Yaesu FT-710 and ICOM IC-705

Both are excellent radios. 

On the Sherwood tests the FT-710 came 4th, which is very good.  It is disappointing Yaesu has chosen to, effectively, ignore the QRP market it once dominated. It is almost as if Yaesu has given up. 

The FT818 was really about component obsolescence and really had none of the features expected in a modern QRP rig. To many, it was a total disappointment. 

Yaesu introduced the FT-710 which is SDR based. Personally, I found the ergonomics easier than on the IC-705. The FT-710 includes 4m, but does not do 2m and 70cm which I missed.  It also has an auto-ATU. 

ICOM launched the IC-705 some years ago. It is a 10W portable unit covering 160m-70cms, all modes, but it omits 4m and the auto ATU. It is also too expensive. Having tried 4m both in the Es season and before, 4m has proved a disappointment. Personally, I was expecting more from the band.

In the end, I went back to the IC-705 as I missed 2m and 70cm more than I missed 4m and the auto-ATU. It is a 10W radio and far smaller. As a QRPer, 10W is quite enough, especially on FT8 and WSPR. On its battery it is a 5W radio. Had Yaesu announced a new QRP rig, I might have traded my FT-710 in for one. Sadly, I see no new QRP rigs from Yaesu on the horizon.

Personally, I give Yaesu a maximum of 36 months in the amateur radio business. 

As a Yaesu fan of old, I very much hope I am wrong.  They have had chances and blown them.  To my mind, they are a company floundering.

Pergamon Museum, Berlin - NOT amateur radio

There has long been a debate about returning looted artefacts to the country from which they were looted. The debate goes something like this...

"It is better to remain where it is seen by millions than be returned to its country of origin". 

Basically, though, this is the bad side of colonialism. 

One such questionable "acquisition" is the huge collection of things in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany. Yes, by visiting these in Berlin, it is far more likely I would see them than had they remained in the Middle East. At the same time looting is totally wrong.

In the UK we are under pressure to return the "Elgin Marbles" to Greece. Personally, I think we should make exact copies and return the originals to Greece.

8m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

My intention was to go on 8m QRP FT8 today having returned from our break in Berlin. When I tried, I noticed the SWR was 3:1 (it is usually about 1.7:1), so I went QRT.  Unless it is something trivial, I may need to re-do the BNC plug. The BNC on the coax to my triband V2000 also needs re-doing.

In the past, putting on BNC plugs would have been easy. Now I find it very hard. My fine motor skills are far worse.

UPDATE 1500z:  By a process of elimination (dummy load, change of coax into SWR bridge), I have concluded the rig, SWR meter and coax in the shack are NOT the reason for the 3:1 SWR. This leaves just the antenna and coax. As far as I know nothing has changed since before my Berlin trip. Although I do not possess one, an antenna analyser on the BNC connection to the coax up to the 8m dipole would tell me if something is wrong with the coax or antenna. I am puzzled.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Saturday)

As we have returned from a break in Berlin, I am again on 10m QRP WSPR TX with my 500mW TX beacon. So far, 10 unique stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 1342z: 13 stations have spotted me, mostly by Es propagation.

UPDATE 1700z: 18 stations have spotted me.

Sunspots - Saturday July 8th 2023

 Solar flux is 161 and the SSN 167. A=18 and K=1.

Sunday rally

 The following has been notified to me. Please check the data is correct.

Sunday July 9th - Cornish Radio Amateur Club Rally, Truro TR1 1TN. Sorry, no contact details.

OFCOM explores spectrum issues

 OFCOM is exploring some ideas on spectrum usage and is seeking views. See the OFCOM website.