What is reality? - NOT amateur radio

This term I am attending (via Zoom) a series of lectures on the formation of the brain. Once we thought of our eyes like cameras and the brain interprets reality. It turns out this is totally wrong. This led me to a TED talk. It is quite short, but fascinating. I commend it to you.

‘The space-time continuum is a construct’

Sunspots - Friday February 23rd

 Solar flux is 173 and the SSN just 46.  A=6 and K=0

630m QRP WSPR (Thursday)

My 10mW ERP WSPR from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground is turned on. So far, 8 stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 2018z:  One of the advantages of WSPR is it will decode whether the signal is strong or weak as long as the S/N ratio is good enough. With a "decent " antenna and ground system, the S/N may be better, but a weaker signal will decode as long as the S/N is sufficient. 10 stations have spotted me so far this evening.

UPDATE 2145z: Spotted by 11 stations this evening.

Propagation today

 The MUF in some parts of the world is high. It "feels" as if we are at the start of the long decline to sunspot minimum, although there is sometimes a second peak.

See https://prop.kc2g.com/ .

Seen on Facebook - NOT amateur radio

 This was on Facebook earlier.

Cambridge Radio Club (CDARC) talk

About a year ago, I gave a talk at CDARC. Because of my poor voice these days actually I produced the slides and someone else did the talking!  Ovearll, it was quite successful.

See https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16QLftIhUmeL-0y6VytIvgnhbiM9GX2Nz/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104978760719971510470&rtpof=true&sd=true.

Good and evil - NOT amateur radio

When I was younger I believed everyone was basically good and the evil they had was a result of upbringing or genes. These days I am not so sure.  That evil exists is not in doubt. In this world that we share there are plenty of signs.

It is my view that we are all capable of evil. That is what frightens me.  We all have to do our best to replace evil with good.

SETI (the search for intelligent live in the universe) - NOT amateur radio

To the best of my knowledge this has been going on since the mid 1960s at least, without success. 

Now AI has been brought in to help data processing. According to the BBC there are potentially 10-50 billion places where intelligent life could exist just in this galaxy alone. 

There are so many variables like where do you look in the electromagnetic spectrum. Indeed, is this the best place to look? 

If we found signs of intelligent life, it could have profound effects on this small blue dot.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68346015 .

10m 500uW (0.5mW) WSPR (Thursday)

With the sunspot number being so low compared with a few months ago, I think it is very unlikely I shall be spotted today with this tiny power. As a sucker for punishment though my 10m WSPR beacon is again on without the PA.

UPDATE 1710z:  No spots all day. Am I surprised? No.

2200m transverter

Last night I gave the latest version of Google's AI tool (now called Gemini) a try. I tried various family names, without being impressed. Basically, compared with ChatGPT4, it was hopeless. They have a long way to go to catch up in my view.

I then tried G3XBM and it came up with a French site that had a copy of my 137kHz transverter from 2011. I think it was a prototype (no RX preamp) and I cannot even remember producing the circuit. The schematic is the best I have. It shows the loop antenna that I used. Zooming in on the schematic makes it a bit clearer. As I recall, the furthermost I got was the Netherlands on QRSS3.