Sunflower - NOT amateur radio

We put some supposedly giant sunflower seeds in the garden. They were pathetic. 

At the weekend my wife bought some cut sunflowers. This is one of them.

Media and stories - NOT amateur radio

OK, I can only speak of what happens in the UK, but similar probably happens in many countries.

Have you noticed how the media grabs a story and sticks with it for days on end? 

The latest is RAAC concrete in schools. In the UK this lightweight concrete was used as a cheap material in schools and other public buildings. It was used extensively after WW2. It has been found to have a life of 30 years if poorly maintained and buildings can be vulnerable if water seeps into the concrete. Before this, something else was the focus of the media. Things that were once in our focus just drop out of the news.

I am worried that the media sets the agenda. 

Back in the late 1960s we were told that the Vietcong were evil and those defending South Vietnam were heroes defending democracy from evil communists. Now, no-one is perfect, but we were fed a line. With the luxury of history we can now see through to the truth.

What would be good is neutral, unbiased, news. The best I have found is "The Knowledge" which is a free email, daily, newsletter.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Monday)

 When I am on 8m FT8  I can use the 500mW W5OLF WSPR TX beacon on a different antenna on 10m. So far just local G4KPX (14km) and OZ7IT (853km) spotting me. 

Just been spotted in the Canary Is. I suspect this is F2 propagation.

UPDATE 1859z: 9 spots of me today (see table).

8m QRP FT8 (Monday)

My 2.5W to the dipole has been on since before breakfast. So far just a spot by a local G4WSZ/S (12km).  

UPDATE 1614z:   No further spots.

UPDATE 1850z: 3 stations have spotted me (see map). Es is now getting far less frequent so most of my spots are scatter (aircraft?), back scatter (F2), MS, tropo or local. I think my chances of being spotted across Europe are declining. My best hope is when F2 returns strongly. I have spotted South Africa by TEP, but my QRP has never made it!

Me in the shack 2013

This was me in the shack this time in 2013. There have been some changes! 

Sunspots - Monday September 4th 2023

 Solar flux is 131 and the SSN 79. A=25 and K=2. 

10m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

At about 1555z, I went on 10m FT8 instead of WSPR. One of the issues with QRP FT8 is you do not know if you are being swamped out by a much stronger signal you cannot see. You can choose a clear frequency here, but you have no idea what it is like 1000s of kilometers away. My technique is to choose a clear frequency (I hope!) but move if I get no spots. This is a real problem on the busy HF bands.

UPDATE 1618z:  40 stations spotted, but just 1 spot of me. I  am being swamped! QSY called for!

UPDATE  1653z:  Now QSYed and more stations spotting me (see map).

UPDATE 1855z:  24 stations have now spotted my QRP.

UPDATE 2046z:  83 stations have spotted me. Now QRT. Furthermost was PY2BL (9531km).

Belgian 8m AMATEUR band

Since September 1st, Class A amateurs in Belgium have now got access to the 8m band. This is an additional AMATEUR band. 

I hope this is a model that other PTTs soon follow. 

PSKreporter

When I go on FT8, I usually check PSKreporter maps to see if anyone has received me. Some people report spotting, but these sometimes do not appear on PSKreporter. There can be a number of reasons.

PSKreporter might be down, the internet link from the reporter to PSKreporter may be down, PSKreporter may have a delay. There may be other reasons too.

All I am saying is PSKreporter is not infallible. Just because you are not reported does not mean you are not being received far away.

Blackberry picking - NOT amateur radio

For breakfast this morning I picked some fresh, wild blackberries. They are on some bushes about 20m away. With other fruit they were delicious. I guess there are enough for several days. 

Later we hope to go to the next village. With luck these blackberries should be ripe ..... assuming nobody else has picked them all!

UPDATE 1403z: We went blackberry picking at Reach just before lunch. There were thousands. Plenty for another day.