Sunspots - Friday July 12th

 Solar flux is 205 and the SSN 188. A=6 and K=2.

Upcoming Rallies

 The following have been notified to me. Always check with organisers if travelling far.  All are on Sunday July 14th.

• Cambridge Repeater Group Rally (postponed). Foxton CB22 6EN. Contact rally2024@cambridgerepeater.net .
• Lincoln Short Wave Club  Summer Rally, Market Rasen,LN8 3HT . Contact m5zzz@outlook.com .
• McMichael Radio and Electronics Rally and Car Boot Sale 2024, Reading, RG4 6ST. Contact rally@radarc.org .

Blackberries - NOT amateur radio

In the lane next to our house there is a blackberry bush laden with blackberries. In a few weeks they will be great. 

There are already some ripe (see photo).

Swallows (barn swallows) - NOT amateur radio

A few years ago, these birds that migrate here in the spring and summer from southern Africa were common. It was not unusual to see a few on the telegraph wires. Although they are still seen, they seem to be far more  localised. We still have plenty of swifts locally despite many nest sites going and I have seen house and sand martins.

I guess the time will come when some decide to over-winter. I think some have tried in the past but succumbed to the lack of insects. As winters get shorter and milder with climate change, I can see some patterns changing.

Electric cars - NOT amateur radio

Let me say from the outset that I do NOT have an electric car.  

In my view, we are not yet at the tipping point when the price drops considerably, the range is considerably improved, there are plentiful charging points and the batteries do not need expensive materials to be mined. Give it just a few years and petrol and diesel vehicles will look as out of date as CRTs and film cameras.

Having said that, it is noticeable how much more common electric cars have become. Just a few years ago on a trip to Cambridge I might have seen 2. Now to see 8 is quite common. This is probably due to several factors. The energy crisis has caused people to question fossil fuelled vehicles, especially if you can charge at home overnight on a good tariff. Secondly, more recent cars are more likely to include electric cars. My estimate is the ratio of fossil fueled to electric cars is about 100:1.

My next car may well be electric as long as we move away from lithium, the range improves considerably and the price comes well down. For now I shall carry on with my recent diesel car.

By the way, I am fully in favour of a new road tax in which the further you travel, the more you pay. This would seem a fair way of taxing everyone and encourage the use of public transport. Maybe fossil fuels should be discouraged by taxing them more heavily and subsidising electric vehicles?

10m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

Already my 10m 2.5W FT8 has been spotted by 16 stations. In the last day 113 stations spotted me from across the world.

UPDATE 1354z:  Spotted by 214 stations on 4 continents (see map) just today.

Sunspots - Thursday July 11th

 Solar flux is 214 and the SSN 190. A=6 and K=1.

Lunch with old work colleagues - NOT amateur radio

Quite regularly, a group of old work colleagues meet up for lunch. A regular attendee is a lady who is over 100 years old. She is still as sharp as ever.

10m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

My main concentration is 10m FT8 with 2.5W today. At 0917z my QRP signal has been spotted by 33 stations across Europe. 23 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX too at the same time.

UPDATE 1451z:  65 stations have spotted me and I have spotted about twice as many here. See map for the stations spotting my QRP today so far.

10m 500mW WSPR

My QRP 10m WSPR beacon was on and I was quite surprised to get spots from Germany way after midnight. Es is more common in daylight. Perhaps there are more people on in the daytime?