Electric cars - NOT amateur radio

Compared with a few years ago, there are about twice the number of electric cars on the road. Having said that, I would guess only about 1% of cars are electric. 

At the moment, electric cars are not good value. They are expensive, the range is not good enough, they use battery materials that are not commonly available and their insurance is high.

In my view, there will be lots of battery research leading to batteries that have far greater range and far lower cost cars. 

I expect a tipping point in a few years from now when electric cars will be similarly priced to fossil fuelled cars with ranges that mean charging will be infrequent. Many will charge at home on low energy deals and cars will only need charging every few weeks.

My feelings are "not yet, but soon".

It would be a great shame if the Chinese and Americans got there first and guarded all the patents.

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

 My QRPP WSPR is on again. So far, no spots, although I am not surprised.

6m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

 

My 2.5W to the V2000 vertical omni antenna is on. So far spots from 6 English stations (see map).

UPDATE 1840z: 14 stations spotted me today and 3 stations in South Africa were spotted here with the furthermost ZS6NJ (9115km). This is the first time I have spotted South Africans on 6m since the 1980s I think.

630m QRP WSPR in the last 2 weeks

My 10mW ERP WSPR from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground has been spotted by 56 stations with OH1LSQ (1733km) spotting me 12 times! In the last 12 hours 22 spots.

Sunspots - Tuesday February 27th

 Solar flux is 172 and the SSN 133. A=11 and K=3.

The human brain - NOT amateur radio

There about 100 billion neurons in an adult human brain. This is quite staggering. By any analysis the brain is incredibly complex.

500uW (0.5mW) 10m QRPP WSPR

 Although my beacon has been on most of the daylight hours, no spots.

630m QRP WSPR (Monday)

 My 10mW ERP 630m WSPR from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground was turned on about 1520z.

UPDATE 2041z:  12 stations have spotted me.

Cambridge waking up - NOT amateur radio

After what has seemed a long and dark winter, Cambridge is becoming alive again.

8m

At the moment I am undecided what to do about my 8m TX permit. 

If I want to get a permit after April, it costs me £50 per year. Running 10mW ERP WSPR under ISM rules would be free. From an experimental viewpoint running QRPP WSPR, although much harder, would be a better experiment. I am appalled that OFCOM and the RSGB seem uninterested in genuine research unless I pay!

At the moment, my inclination is to TX 10mW WSPR without a permit.

My antenna wants renewing, as I currently have a high SWR.