11 years ago on 137 kHz

This was in 2013 at the old QTH.  At the time I was seeing how far away I could be spotted on that band. Not much later, I got to the Netherlands.

Sunspots- Friday January 26th

 Solar flux is 161 and the SSN 101. A=6 and K=0.

Rally this Sunday

The following has been notified to me.  As I always advise, contact organisers to avoid disappointment if travelling far.

Sunday January 28th  -  Lincoln Short Wave Club Winter Radio Rally, Market Rasen, LN8 3HT. Contact m5zzz@outlook.com .

500uW 10m WSPR (Thursday)

As I have had no 10m WSPR spots at all this week at 500uW, it would appear conditions have to be very good to get spots at this very low level. 

It will be interesting to repeat this test at 500uW in the Es season, as signals can sometimes be very strong by Es.  It is my expectation that I shall get 10m WSPR spots all over Europe with 500uW 10m WSPR in May and June. Quite a lot more would have been possible at 500mW (30dB stronger), but spots.

It is my view that everyone in the UK may legally use 10mW WSPR between 40.660 and 40.700 MHz in the ISM band without a licence. I am quite surprised more people have not taken advantage of this. This is NOT amateur radio. The ISM bands are internationally allocated and power restrictions are intended to reduce the chances of harmful interference. Callsigns can be made up, and if the format is OK, WSPRnet shows where you are being spotted. Each country has interface specifications (IR2030 in the UK) to agree power levels and other parameters.

WSPR Rocks

This is an excellent site. With it, you can see WSPR spots as maps and look back easily over the last 5 weeks. 

Yesterday, using SQL, the owner (Phil VK7JJ) kindly showed me how to go back to 2008! I had been hoping to use it to do a map of all my 500uW spots, but then I realised the snag! 

My little beacon is pre-programmed to report all spots as 500mW, so spots with the PA off (500uW) cannot be distinguished if over 5 weeks old. In the last 5 weeks I have, as an experiment, just been running 500uW (0.5mW). It has been an eye opener.

See http://wspr.rocks/ .

Not long now - NOT amateur radio

We are in the depths of winter and, in this part of the UK, we have not had any snow yet. Despite this, snowdrops, aconites and hellebores are coming out. I have even seen a few daffodils in flower. 

Spring is just around the corner.

Overnight on 630m QRP WSPR

In the last day 19 stations have spotted my 10mW ERP  from the almost invisible earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground (see table).

Sunspots- Thursday January 25th

 Solar flux is 172 and the SSN 108. A=10 and K=1.

My impression of speed - NOT amateur radio

Back in 2013, I had a stroke and was in hospital for 3.5 months. Apart from feeling giddy and my poor voice, I made a good recovery. In the car I drove hundreds of kilometers with no problem.

In the last few years, it is as if my concept of speed has changed.  Glancing down at the speedometer when I think I am going 60-70mph and see I am only going at about 46mph!! Everything on the roads seem to be going fast.  My wife says it is all in the mind, but I go at what think is the right speed, but actually it is slow. It also my worry that my reaction times are slower.

Now, this could just be old age or it could be a result of my stroke 10.5 years ago.

I am wondering others would are "old" also experience this?

Driving is no longer fun.

Anglesey Abbey - NOT amateur radio

We go for a walk in the grounds of this National Trust property near Cambridge every month probably. Parts of the house are very old. The gardens have something to see in every season. 

Being only a few kilometers away makes it very convenient. Should it ever be closed, there are some great walks in the village of Lode nearby.

See  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cambridgeshire/anglesey-abbey-gardens-and-lode-mill.