8m antenna replacement

All being well, I hope to replace my 8m dipole in the coming days. 

This Es season, as an experiment, I am trying 10mW ERP WSPR under ISM rules. This power should certainly get me into Europe on better days, but will there be people monitoring 40.680 USB dial WSPR? 

When the band is really "open" I shall be competing with other ISM sources! At the other end, there is no knowing what interference levels I shall be competing against.

The MFJ announcement

 As mentioned, there was a major announcement about the future of MFJ. The owner is now aged 80.

See https://mailchi.mp/62e24f2ccc99/a-heavy-sad-heart .

The future of amateur radio

In an earlier post I mentioned that CQ magazine was ceasing production. MFJ can no longer be competetive making on-site.

In my view, amateur radio is reaching a critical point. There is no denying that amateur radio is a hobby that (mainly) appeals to older men. There are a few younger people interested and there are now very few radio magazines on sale in newsagents, whereas there are many about PCs and gaming. In the main, much as many would wish otherwise, younger folk get "turned on" by other things. Younger people are not fascinated by the magic of radio.

As we age, fewer pieces of commercial gear will get made (fewer profits to be made), fewer ads will appear from  dealers, magazines will have less revenue, these will shrink or disappear and amateur radio as we knew it will cease to be.

This sounds gloomy and I hope I am proved wrong, but, so far, everything I expected is coming true.

What will the future look like? Many PTTs are losing interest in amateur radio, preferring to  concentrate on things that can make them money.

If I had to guess, these are what I expect will happen in the coming years:

• Fewer new products dedicated to the amateur radio market will be produced.
• Fewer dealers will remain around.
• Fewer magazine adverts will be needed.
• Fewer magazines will exist.
• Those magazines that survive will become smaller.
• PTTs will "wash their hands" of amateur radio.
• Amateur radio will become a free-for-all.
• National radio societies will issue callsigns to those that want them.
• CB and amateur radio (possibly ISM) will become the same thing.
• All amateur radio frequencies will become CB frequencies and licence free.
• Creating no interference to revenue generating services will be the important thing.

Is it all bad? I don't think so. To many people CB and amateur radio are different ways of chatting. Experimentation will carry on.

Leftover from Easter? - NOT amateur radio

 

This knitting was on the top of a postbox near here.

Wells Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

 

These are the medieval ceilings at Wells Cathedral in the UK.

10m QRPP WSPR (Saturday)

My 500uW 10m WSPR has been on for several hours. By lunchtime, nobody had spotted me. 

UPDATE 1740z:   No spots. Perhaps conditions today are poor or EA8BFK (2880km) is away?

6m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

My 2.5W to the V2000 vertical has been on for several hours. At 1150z, 7 stations in England had spotted me.

UPDATE 1418z:  11 spots of me so far, all in England.

CQ magazine gone

Steve G1KQH informs me that CQ magazine has gone. I understand that they were in financial trouble and have ceased trading. I have no idea about what happens to the CQWW contests.

It’s my sense that more amateur radio magazines will go before too long sadly.

See https://mailchi.mp/62e24f2ccc99/a-heavy-sad-heart.

Not yet - NOT amateur radio

At this time of year I get quite excited about returning migrant swifts. They briefly breed here before returning to sub Saharan Africa. 

Often they are heard screaming overhead first. It’s about now they are first spotted here.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/swift .

Sunspots - Saturday April 27th

Solar flux is 153 and the SSN 154. A=19 and K=3.