Amazing Ali-Express deal

In case you missed Keith's comment on a post yesterday, you can now buy a complete 40m Pixie CW transceiver kit for just 42p with free shipping!!  They cannot make any money on this at all.

See https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32659942384.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.798d3e717zW8OZ&gps-id=pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.40050.354490.0&scm_id=1007.40050.354490.0&scm-url=1007.40050.354490.0&pvid=cf2c5bcb-d6d5-46a0-82f8-937ee83d86b6&_t=gps-id:pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller,scm-url:1007.40050.354490.0,pvid:cf2c5bcb-d6d5-46a0-82f8-937ee83d86b6,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238113%231998&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21GBP%214.20%210.42%21%21%214.96%21%21%402101e9a216958169374761959e95a7%2159889805406%21rec%21UK%21%21AB

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Wednesday)

 As I am not using the 10m antenna, I am on 10m WSPR with my QRP TX beacon.  So far local G4KPX (14km) and the 2 monitors in the Canaries. 

UPDATE 1035z: More spots by the same stations.

UPDATE 1249z: 5 stations have spotted me today. Mostly F2 I think.

UPDATE 1351z: Spotted in Antarctica yet again on the German research station DP0GVN (13685km). I think this is the third or fourth time this has happened. USA (SE) spotting me now.

6m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

This morning, I am on 6m QRP FT8 with my 2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni antenna. At 0831z, I have been spotted by 2 stations and I have spotted 1 station. All these were in England.

UPDATE 0927z: Still just 2 UK stations spotting me. I have spotted 2 stations on PSKreporter and I spotted EI2CN working a French station.

UPDATE 1037z: 3 English stations have spotted my 6m QRP. No further spots on RX.

UPDATE 1250z:  No further spots.

UPDATE 1402z:  5 English stations have spotted me today. I suspect these are by tropo or aircraft scatter? No spots outside the UK.

Our garden - NOT amateur radio

 

Our rowan berries are at their best at the moment. Against a blue sky, they look great. 

The windmill is right next door, about 15m from our house.

630m WSPR last evening

As I have still to fix my 630m transverter, I went on 630m WSPR RX last evening. 4 different stations spotted. 

Sunspots - Wednesday September 27th 2023

 Solar flux is 165 and the SSN 179. A=32 and K=4.

630m (472 kHz) WSPR RX (Tuesday)

At about 2015z, I QSYed to 630m WSPR RX with my earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. So far (at 2027z) just G1GKN (54km) and DC0DX (467km) spotted. 

DC0DX is stronger than I have ever spotted him so far this autumn.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)

When I am on 8m FT8, I can also go on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW WSPR beacon. I keep forgetting! Some of my reports from the Canary Is are very strong.

UPDATE 2020z: 10 stations have spotted me. Now QSYed to 630m WSPR RX.

8m in a few years?

OFCOM (and the RSGB) and the FCC seem to be dead against allocating even a tiny, low power, amateur allocation at 8m. There must be a very good reason for their position, but they seem unwilling to share their reasons. As an outsider, the position seems stupid and illogical. 

It is my hope that, over time, many administrations will allocate 8m to amateurs. As I understand things, most on 8m now, in any country, are interested in propagation and research, not chatting. By restricting modes to narrow digital only (modes like FT8, WSPR and CW) it is extremely unlikely this band would ever be used in this way i.e. for chatting. I cannot see why every administration cannot make, say, 5 kHz in the ISM section available to radio amateurs that apply, especially if secondary, low power, and assuming interference must be accepted and not caused to other services.

Will many more administrations grant amateurs access to 8m? I hope so.

QSYed to QRP 8m FT8 (Tuesday)

10m FT8 was too easy, so I have QSYed to 8m QRP FT8 hoping to catch some F2 propagation. I QSYed at 1423z to 40.680 MHz first period TX.

UPDATE 1818z:  No spots.  There seem to be a lot of people monitoring 8m today (see map).

UPDATE 2043z:  No spots. QRT.