2m activity contest (UKAC) - February 6th

Better late than never!  Last time, I was rock bottom of the AL (low power) section of this contest that runs every month for a year. One thing is certain: things can only get better, HI.  In all, 5 stations were worked (see map).

630m QRP WSPR (Saturday)

Basically, I am lazy!   

Rather than try WSPR on a different band, I stuck with 630m QRP WSPR all day. My ERP is 10mW from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. At 1455z, just UK stations spotted.

Electric cars - NOT amateur radio

In the end, I suspect many of us will be driving electric cars. In today's Knowledge (it comes every day free by email) was a report in the UK Daily Telegraph. I agree with this.

"The reason people aren’t buying EVs en masse is because “it doesn’t yet make sense”: they’re expensive, their range is too short, and there aren’t enough charging points."

In my view, we will reach a tipping point when battery technology allows prices to drop a lot (bye bye lithium?) and ranges to double or more. This will allow many people to charge at home and infrequently. Like film cameras and cathode ray tubes, fossil fuelled cars will then seem really old. Personally I give it 3-5 years.

Solid state batteries?

Car cleaning - NOT amateur radio

As mentioned in an earlier post, we cleaned the car before lunch. We really ought to clean it a lot more often! My wife did the inside and I did the outside. It looks better for it.  It was probably last cleaned last summer. 

As you can tell, to us a car is just a mode of transport. If it is reliable, we really do not care what it is. So far, we have had Kia's for about 13 years and they have proved very reliable.

RSGB webinars

 Usually, I miss these, but I was recommended to watch the recording of the one last Monday by Hugh HC02 an SWL in Portugal. It was given by G3ZIL in Southampton and focused on the use of digital modes for propagation research. There are definitely people around who are far cleverer than I am! In it, his research has highlighted a new possible HF propagation mode called side scatter. Judging by this talk, these webinars are worth watching.

 

500uW 10m WSPR success again

My intention was to add a 17dB pad so I could run 10mW WSPR on 10m. Instead I cleaned the car and left the beacon with the PA off producing 500uW (0.5mW).  I was not expecting any spots so was very pleased to see a spot from the Canary Is..

UPDATE 1435z:  No further 10m WSPR spots today at 500uW (0.5mW). Sadly my beacon is pre-programmed to report the power as 500mW, when it really is just 500uW. I think my repeat 10mW 10m WSPR test will have to wait until tomorrow.

UPDATE 1846z: EA8BFK (2880km) spotted my 500uW again at tea time!

630m WSPR overnight

20 stations spotted my 10mW ERP  in the last day and overnight on 630m 10mW ERP WSPR (see table).

Sunspots - Saturday February 10th

 Solar flux is 183 and the SSN 105. A=6 and K=1.

OK, I am a masochist! 500uW (0.5mW) 10m WSPR (Friday)

As 500mW 10m WSPR TX was proving too easy, I have turned off the beacon PA again. After 1115z, my power is now 500uW again.

UPDATE 1522z:   No spots at 500uW. I think tomorrow I shall do more tests at 10mW ERP. This time, I shall use the 500mW beacon TX with a 17dB attenuator, so the FT817ND is free for other things.

6m QRP FT8 (Friday)

My 2.5W 6m FT8 to the V2000 vertical omni antenna was tuned on. So far, 4 Gs have spotted me. 

UPDATE 1255z:   DX stations are spotting my QRP with spots from Germany (near Hamburg) and the Netherlands. 9 stations spotting me.

UPDATE 1526z:  13 stations have spotted me. One QSO attempted and successful.