Sunspots - Wednesday July 31st

 Solar flux is 220 and the SSN 261. A=23 and K=1.

It is hard to think we were fearing we were entering a Maunder Minimum just a few years ago. These numbers are good.

6m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

My 6m QRP FT8 to the V2000 omni was turned on at about 1750z.  Just 2 English stations have spotted me.

Promising EU Es?

At the moment, things look promising with regard to European Es.

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

10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)

At about 1233z I switched to 500mW 10m WSPR TX as the European Es looks quite promising. 

UPDATE 1252z:  5 stations have already spotted me. See table.

UPDATE 1534z: Spotted by 18 stations. Furthermost are OE3GBB (1233km) and S57BAT (1233km).

UPDATE 1550z:  Decent Es to central Europe as shown on WSPRrocks by Phil VK7JJ

USA 🇺🇸 and guns - NOT amateur radio

 This poem is about how the world sees certain countries. It is sad but true.

10m QRP WSPR overnight

Yesterday I think the lack of spots was due to a coax fault now mended.

Overnight I was surprised to be spotted by 6 stations some right in the middle of the night.

More swifts? - NOT amateur radio

There are certainly fewer swallows. At one time there were masses on telegraph wires. To see a swallow at all these days is a rare event here. 

The common view is that swifts are in decline too. That is not my experience. Although this may be local, I have found more swifts this summer than the last few years. Last summer I could look skywards and wait 30 minutes to see a swift. This summer, I look up and almost immediately see a swift. It would be good to know the experience of others in the UK. 

Certainly, many swift nest sites have gone. Have they adapted? It would be good if this was true.

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

Durham Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

 

Durham has a fine cathedral on a bend in the river. It is one of the finest in England. This picture featured on 365project recently. 

1st ever webpage?

 We have come a very long way in 30 years. Back then few had heard of the internet. As far I can tell this is the very first webpage:

See https://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html

When I am pushing up daisies in 30 years' time I wonder what my grandchildren will be amazed at?

My first website is still there on the Wayback Machine. It dates from the mid 1990s. In a way, I was a trail blazer!

See https://web.archive.org/web/19970328203144/http://www.lapr.demon.co.uk/ .

Q65 8m tests

Trevor G0KTN is trying some tests with this mode this week on 8m.  Although I have not been successful receiving him so far, I shall try again this week.

UPDATE 1236z: Monitoring 8m Q65. Switched to RX on the V2000 vertical (was on the Par endfed for 10m). No spots. 

UPDATE 1603z:  No spots of G0KTN.