Plans for Sunday

 Today, I shall try 500uW 10m WSPR again and 8m QRP FT8.

Sunspots - Sunday December 31st

Solar flux is 140 and the SSN 48. A=4 and K=1. 

With the SSN at 48 I wonder if this is just a "blip" or the start of a long decline? 

In the past "appliance operators" keen on working new DXCC entities have been too keen to abandon the higher HF bands. I hope with FT8 they will not be too hasty. 

Often bands are open, but there are too few people on to enjoy them! Just listen on 27 MHz CB.  My plan is to run 5W FT8 on several higher HF bands as an experiment as long as I am able. This will be a very good use of my tiny QDX transceiver.

FT818 replacement?

There is much speculation that the now old FT817/818 Yaesu had been discontinued about a possible successor. When it was first introduced it had no competition. These days there are many competitors, so Yaesu may decide not to bother.

One of the competitors is the DX Explorer TX-500. This is available from MLS. I have no idea where this is made, but it is rugged and feature rich.

As a Yaesu fan I would consider a new Yaesu portable at the right price and with the right features. Sorry, but in recent years I think Yaesu has been reactive rather than proactive. They will have a tough time unless there are some "killer" applications.

Where my ancestors lived - NOT amateur radio

 

We can trace our family history back to about 1550 here continuously. We have one record in this area from the early 1400s. We were probably here thousands of years ago. This is Hope Cove in Devon.

6m FT8 QRP (Saturday)

Just a local spotting is me today so far.

UPDATE 1533z:  14 stations have spotted me. Some possible winter Es in evidence.

10m QRPP WSPR (Saturday)

My 500uW WSPR is on , but no spots today.

UPDATE  1130z:  Already a spot of my 500uW in the Canary Is..

Sunspots - Saturday December 30th

Solar flux is 143 and the SSN 92. A=6 and K=2.

Shetland sun - NOT amateur radio

This was posted recently on 365project (a photo a day) by a friend who lives in Shetland. In the winter, the nights are long and the days short. I think a special person lives up here!  Obviously the opposite is true in the summer!

10m QRPP WSPR TX (Friday)

My 500uW (0.5mW) 10m WSPR TX has been on since 0800z. At 1010z, 4 spots already from the Canary Is by EA8BFK (2880km) and EA8/DF4UE (2876km).

UPDATE 1415z: 10 spots of my 10m 500uW WSPR today in 3 countries. Incredible.  Some of these reports suggest even weaker might have been successful.

6m QRP FT8

My gear was turned on at 0800z.  At 1016z just local spots.

UPDATE 1408z:   11 spots of my 2.5W in 4 countries (see map).