8m - more and more countries on TX

Yesterday a club station in Malawi was reported to be TXing on the 8m band. Several countries have issued experimental licences for the band. Some stations, where the licencing authority is rather poor, have come on the band illegally.

What is becoming clearer and clearer is that more and more countries are supportive of research at 8m. 

It seems odd to me that places like the USA and UK seem so backward on research at 8m. Just a 5kHz slot with limited power by NoV or equivalent, narrow digital only, with no interference created is surely not too much to ask?

Why the negativity?

Xiegu G106 price reduction

Steve G1KQH has pointed out that MLS has significantly reduced the price of this 5W SDR based HF rig. 

It was good value before, but even better value now. I can see many people buying this. Yaesu and ICOM must be seriously worried. Even I am tempted! 

If the quality is good this is a serious player much like the Yaesu FT817 was nearly a quarter of a century ago.

It is my view that within 5 years the Chinese will be very important in the amateur radio market. At the next sunspot peak, it would not surprise me at all to see Chinese products becoming far more common than Japanese. If they are to survive in the amateur radio market, I can see the likes of Yaesu and ICOM designing in Japan, but manufacturing elsewhere where costs are lower.

See https://www.hamradio.co.uk/g106 .

See also https://www.cqxiegu.com/ .

Wells last week - NOT amateur radio

Last week we had a few days in Bristol and went to Wells on Wednesday. 

The photo shows part of the moat around the Bishop's Palace.

2-way or 1-way?

Perhaps it is because my voice is poor these days, but I actually am quite happy to get 1-way reports on WSPR or FT8. Seeing where my signal gets is quite enough nowadays having worked QRP DXCC way back in the 1980s on 10m SSB.

Some chase DX QSOs, but this is not important to me.

2m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

 

For a change, I am on 2m FT8 with my 2.5W to the big-wheel omni antenna. I cannot believe conditions are "up" at all.  2m FT8 seems very busy. There is an MGM contest on. Furthermost is EI9KP (649km)

UPDATE 1410z:  36 spots of my 2.5W 2m FT8.

Reality? - NOT amateur radio

On a couple of occasions recently I could swear I was told something in a WhatsApp message. 

However hard I try I have been unable to find the message and there is no proof saying the sender had deleted it. 

My only conclusion is that I must have had a dream. This has happened more than once in the last few months. It is as if reality and dreams are sometimes merged. It makes me question reality.

Forces of evil? - NOT amateur radio

For all of my lifetime I have lived in peace, although until 1989 we lived under the shadow of nuclear war.

These days I sense evil is abroad. Russia has invaded Ukraine. Israel has hit Gaza hard in response to the Hamas attack of October 7th. China is threatening Taiwan where I have been twice. In many countries there is a move to the right. There is every possibility of Mr Trump being the leader of the USA for the next 4 years.

The world seems more unstable than at any time I can remember, perhaps with the exception of the 1962 Cuba crisis.

Western democracy is far from perfect. Unhindered capitalism has many faults. What I hope is that across the world a fairer society emerges.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

Just 7 stations spotted me overnight. I suspect people are looking elsewhere.

Sunspots- Sunday April 28th

 Solar flux is 153 and the SSN 126. A=12 and K=2.

Back on 630m QRP WSPR (Saturday)

 For the first time in about a week I am back on 630m WSPR with my 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. So far, at 1805z, just spotted by G8OCV/SDR (65km) 14 times.