Infected blood - NOT amateur radio

At the height of the AIDS epidemic, the UK government effectively gave infected blood to people suffering from hemophilia and other conditions.  Many caught AIDS. Many died.

Years later those affected are still awaiting full compensation. Last night the government suffered a defeat in Parliament as many MPs sided with the opposition parties on this scandal, demanding that compensation be paid within 3 months of the bill passing.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-67615379 .

Unexploded bomb - NOT amateur radio

On the news was a piece about a couple that had an unexploded bomb in their flowerbed. It had been there for many decades and they always assumed it was safe. It was found to be live after all! The wife frequently used it to bang her trowel on!

Oscar 100 narrowband activity

Every few weeks I take a look at activity levels on Oscar 100, which is a geosynchronous amateur satellite. 

Personally, I was expecting activity to be far higher. Indeed, it has encouraged some to experiment with microwaves, but it has not really caught on with DXers. There are many advantages: DX without QSB at any time within the footprint of the satellite, no need for linears, neighbour friendly fixed antennas that could be at ground level, etc..

There are no rigs from Japan probably as the satellite does not cover the USA and Japan. I suspect this is one reason why they have not bothered.

See  https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .

LoRa

LoRa modules are available from Amazon and I expect quite a few other sources. To my knowledge, two people locally have experimented with 868 MHz LoRa modules. I am not sure if this was for commercial reasons or just for fun. 

As far as I know, anyone  may use the licence free ISM bands (certainly in the UK) as long as the interface conditions are met. This often means low power and the acceptance of interference. At 868 MHz there are some odd duty cycle limits I think.

If you do not have an amateur radio licence, this may be a route to experiment.

Sunspots- Tuesday December 5th 2023

 Solar flux is 138 and the SSN 113. A=9 and K=3.

Packhorse bridge - NOT amateur radio

This bridge was once on the main route from Cambridge to Bury-St-Edmunds. It is in a village called Moulton, near Newmarket. Right next to it is a ford.

See https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/moulton-packhorse-bridge/.

630m QRP WSPR (Monday)

My 10mW ERP 630m WSPR from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground was turned on at about 1750z. 

UPDATE 2130z:  Spotted by 6 stations. Spots by Dave G4FEV (57km) make a change from 70cm SSB!! I am wondering if there are fewer WSPR 630m users as more people are using some of the newer modes in WSJT-X?

SAQ , Sweden

SAQ is a 17.2 kHz CW alternator TX at Grimeton in Sweden. It is the oldest alternator TX in the world at about 100 years old. They have test transmissions with the next one scheduled for Christmas Eve. It is a good test of VLF receive setups. It is usually widely heard in Europe, and sometimes further.

See https://alexander.n.se/en/the-radio-station-saq-grimeton/saq-transmissions/ .

University of the Third Age - NOT amateur radio

The U3A is an organisation to allow older people to enjoy learning just for fun. Unlike years ago, there are no exams and no swatting. Learning is purely for fun. I often choose things that I know little about. It makes so much difference just learning for fun.

Every Thursday, I attend a talk about the Low Countries. Last week it was about Bruges.  The speaker is excellent. We are lucky in Cambridge to have a very wide choice. Often the lectures are by ex University of Cambridge lecturers!

Walk - NOT amateur radio

 These ducks were on the river when we went for a walk last week.