Sunspots - Saturday November 11th 2023

 Solar flux is 144 and the SSN 93. A=10 and K=1.

Wood wasp? - NOT amateur radio

 

This was on our lounge window today. I think it is a wood wasp. It was there for several hours.

2m activity contest (Nov 7th)

It is Friday and I had forgotten to submit my entry. Usually I am in the bottom third of the low power section as I can only operate for a short while with an omni antenna after which my voice gives out! In all 5 contacts were made because our son called.

OFCOM publications

This is just a reminder that every week OFCOM updates the data held on licences and similar. They also have many other publications. See the OFCOM website for details.

Frustration - NOT amateur radio

As already mentioned, every month a group of friends from work meet up in different pubs for a meal and chat. What I did not mention was my frustration. Let me explain. 

Usually there are about 6 people there. Sometimes there are fewer and sometimes more. Since my 2013 stroke, I have found speaking much harder. To me, my voice sounds fine. What is clear is that others find it quiet and hard to understand! For this reason, I tend not to engage in casual chitchat. 

In the car coming home last night someone mentioned Southampton University. I tried to join by saying that when there many years ago for a Ph.D interview I had lunch with Jocelyn Bell who discovered pulsars. Either because nobody heard me or they were too embarrassed to ask me to repeat myself or speak louder, I got no response. After all this time (10 years) I am very happy to be asked to repeat myself or speak louder. What frustrates me is the silence: did they not hear me at all or could they not understand me?

Some with strokes end up far worse than me.

8m 2.5W FT8 (Friday)

It is now 1132z. I have been on 8m since about 1000z, and spotted by local G4WSZ (12km) and SR4BBX (1217km) so far today.

UPDATE 1410z:  4 stations have now spotted me including 2 in the Caribbean. This sort of F2 DX is almost every day at the moment.

630m WSPR overnight

In all, 9 stations spotted my 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground, including my fist spot from EI this season.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Friday)

My W5OLF 10m WSPR TX beacon has been on since about 1000z. No spots of me yet today.

UPDATE 1557z:  32 spots of me today on 10m QRP WSPR.

Meal out - NOT amateur radio

 Every month a group of old work friends meet up for a drink and meal at a different pub. This was us yesterday. Two are radio amateurs.

Sunspots - Friday November 10th 2023

 Solar flux is 139 and the SSN 93. A=12 and K=2.