Rally this Sunday

 The following rally has been notified to me. As always, I recommend contacting organisers to check details.

Sunday May 26th - Durham and District ARS Radio Rally. Bowburn, DH6 5AT. Contact dadars@gmx.com .

Cambridge bookshops - NOT amateur radio

When I first came to Cambridge in 1970 there were loads of bookshops and it seemed a sleepy academic town. 

Many people nowadays prefer to buy their books online, so there are fewer bookshops left. 

The photo shows one that is still around although it would not surprise me if much of its business is now online. Many of the books they sell are secondhand.

10m 500uW WSPR (Thursday)

 My 10m WSPR QRPP beacon is on again. 

UPDATE 1553z:  No spots.

European Es (Thursday)

At the moment, Es in Europe looks promising. Time will tell.

See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/ . 

All change - NOT amateur radio

 

We change our bedding plants for the spring and summer. 

These were planted yesterday. I hope they grow and thrive.

6m 10mW FT8 (Thursday)

Once again, I am on 6m FT8 with 10mW and the V2000 vertical omni antenna. So far, no spots.

UPDATE 1220z: 8 spots so far.

UPDATE 1705z: 20 spots of my 10mW 6m FT8 today (see map).

UPDATE 1713z:  23 stations have spotted me today.

Greenpeace and a multinational oil giant - NOT amateur radio

This morning, I received a WhatsApp message from a friend urging me to sign a petition. 

Sadly, these days I get very paranoid about links thinking the link could be a virus or bot being installed. If you are unsure of a link never, ever click it. Check that it is genuine by some other way if in any doubt. Often scammers try to work on your better nature trying to oblige a friend. A common one is "are you in this video?".

In this case I think it was genuine about a multi-billion pound profit multinational oil giant suing Greenpeace. Deep state gone mad again.

See https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/ .

Sunspots - Thursday May 23rd

 Solar flux is 196 and the SSN 120. A=4 and K=1.

QMX+ plunge taken

This 5W multi-band, multi-mode transceiver has been ordered, assembled and cased. 

QRP Labs make some fantastic kit and I look forward to using it.

In the past, I would have enjoyed building it. Sadly, those days have passed and my fine motor skills are just not up to it any more.

See https://www.qrp-labs.com/qmxp.html .

Our back garden - NOT amateur radio

Spring is a great time of year. Blossom briefly appears, leaves have a fresh green appearance and everything is new. Spring soon goes and the fresh green turns to a tired green.