For a very long time, I have owned an SDR dongle. One of the things I really must do this next few weeks is to get this set-up.
My birthday is just before Christmas and my XYL (well actually me!!) got me a manual QRP ATU. I shall use this to try WSPR or FT8 on some different bands.
This appeared in The Knowledge today. This comes as a daily email using various sources for this news compendium. As far as I can tell, it is pretty neutral.
" Most Americans think their country is in decline,” says Fareed Zakaria in Foreign Policy. The share who are “satisfied” with the way the country is going has not risen above 50% in 20 years; today it stands at a miserable 20%. Donald Trump won in 2016 by capturing this mood and preaching “doom and gloom”. Now he’s at it again – three months before entering the 2024 presidential race, he released a video titled “A Nation in Decline”. The Biden administration isn’t much better, blaming decades of globalisation for “hollowing out” American industry and exporting manufacturing jobs. The suggestion is that poor old Americans need protecting with epically expensive subsidies and stiff tariffs. |
Yet for all the talk of “dysfunction and decay”, the reality is that American supremacy has never been greater. In 1990, US per capita income was 17% higher than Japan’s and 24% higher than Western Europe’s. Today, it’s 54% and 32% higher respectively. The US economy was roughly the same size as the Eurozone’s in 2008; today, it is nearly twice the size. Nine of the 10 most valuable firms in the world are American, up from only four in 1989, and the US is the world’s largest producer of oil and gas. As for the industries of the future, American AI startups have attracted six times more venture funding than their Chinese equivalents. Why don’t we hear more about any of that? If Washington keeps turning inward, tyrants will be emboldened and the rest of the world will suffer. The only danger to American dominance is the myth that it’s on the wane." |
Today I decided to continue my 500uW (0.5mW) WSPR TX tests on 10m. No spots today at 0945z.
UPDATE 1527z: No spots today.
Yesterday was a surprise with 2 spots of my 2.5W QRP from the Caribbean. My QRP FT8 is already on 40.680MHz (at 0930z). Who knows what today will bring?
UPDATE 1555z: No spots. I get the feeling there will be no spots today.
Looking back on 2023, the stand-out things are my 8m QSOs with 2.5W and a dipole with stations in the Caribbean and my 0.5mW WSPR tests on 10m. At the moment, I have no firm plans for next year. What is clear is that I prefer WSPR and FT8. There are several reasons.
1. My voice is poor and it is a strain to talk.
2. DXCC was worked back in the 1980s with QRP SSB on 10m. DXCC is no longer a priority.
3. I prefer experimenting to just talking with stations.
4. One-way signals (looking on the internet to see when I am being received) are as important for me than two-way QSOs.
Everyone is different and I can totally understand that working DXCC and new countries is important to some. It is just that, for me, it is no longer important. When I was fitter going out in the wilds on 481THz or VLF was good fun. These days I try to do experiments from home.
It won't happen in my lifetime, but I can see Ireland and Ulster becoming united again at some point this century.
Power sharing has been suspended for 2 years because the DUP is not happy with the BREXIT deal. They are already the minority party. Over time, they will be even smaller as a result of the birth rate.
There will be some political fudge that ensures the Protestants in Ulster are safeguarded.
I have no strong views on this. All I want is peace and fairness for all.
My 8m FT8 2.5W is currently on. No spots until 1330z (TX or RX).
As there is a small Es peak in mid winter, there is a chance of some European spots if there are people monitoring. I suspect there are fewer people monitoring at this time of year.
My 500mW WSPR TX beacon is on and has already been spotted by 4 stations. The best suggests I might have been copied with the PA off.
UPDATE 1123z: I have reverted to 500uW as it was too easy at 500mW!! 😄😄
UPDATE 1730z: No spots at 500uW.
