USA puzzle - NOT amateur radio

The USA puzzles me. It looks likely that the biggest democratic country will be led for 4 more years by two very old men (both are years older than me!). 

What puzzles me is why can't the USA find a younger set of candidates? Surely, in the USA there are some charismatic younger potential leaders. 

This must say a lot about the people of the USA. Individually, every American I have met has been kind, warm and generous.

King's Parade, Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

Occasionally the sun does shine in an English winter, although we have had far more rain than normal. Please don't say we have a hosepipe ban this summer!  

The photo shows King's Parade on Monday when the sun was shining. King's College is out of shot on the left and the church is Great St Mary's, the university church.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

 

23 stations spotted my 10mW ERP 630m WSPR in the last day and overnight (see map from wspr.rocks by VK7JJ) with the furthermost again OH1LSQ (1733km).

Sunspots- Wednesday February 21st

 Solar flux is 153 and the SSN 50. A=6 and K=0.

Mild, wet winter? - NOT amateur radio

In this part of the UK we are on track for a very wet and mild winter. Things can change. Daffodils are out early. Unless things dramatically alter, we are unlikely to see snow. Perhaps as the world warms this is how it is going to be?

22m ISM band WSPR receive - the so called hifer band (Tuesday)

It is my view following emails with OFCOM that in the UK we are all free to experiment on the ISM bands without a licence or callsign as long IR2030 and any other rules are followed. We have to cause no undue interference and must accept any interference. 

In the UK, this band is mainly used for RFID tags and short ranges. In the UK on this band the power limit is 10mW ERP. Clearly it helps if you use a unique callsign that WSPRnet can use so you can see where your QRPP signal is being received.

On 10m, I have gone QRT and moved to the hifer ISM band at 22m, RX only.  I am monitoring 13.5539MHz WSPR, as always hopefully. 

Pretty sure than those that can transmit are limited to mW powers.

I am not sure what time is optimum to spot USA station on this band.

500uW 10m WSPR (Tuesday)

Yet again, my beacon is on with the PA off.  The output is 500uW (0.5mW).  No spots today, but I shall stick with it and see what today brings. 

In the last few weeks I have only been spotted by 2 stations at this tiny power.

Above politics - NOT amateur radio

When I was first on HF, I recall talking to many stations in the old USSR. Their background and politics were very different, but it did not matter: we were all united by our interest in radio. 

That is one of the things that I like about our hobby.  We can rise above politics. All systems of living have faults - capitalism is meant to encourage people to be resilient. Communism is meant to share wealth equally.

In the end, we are all just humans, with weaknesses. Not one of us is perfect.

Whatever our views on politics and religion, we must all do to others as we would wish them to do to us. Kindness and fairness.

It is very easy to think we are always right and others are wrong. In reality, we are usually all wrong!

6m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

My 2.5W FT8 to the V2000 vertical omni antenna is on. I was surprised to be called by 7S2A. We were unable to complete the QSO as he faded out.

Bookshops - NOT amateur radio

We live near Cambridge which used to have lots of bookshops when I first came in 1970.  These days most people buy books online: these are usually less expensive as there is no need to have a physical shop. Habits are changing and most of us are guilty. 

I miss just thumbing through a book, then deciding whether to buy or not. Bookshops must be struggling, like most retailers.

Many second hand book shops have turned to online.