8m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

 At the moment I am on 40.680 MHz QRP FT8. No spots.

UPDATE 1215z:  No spots of me, but 19 stations monitoring, which is good. Just EA3HDZ (1213km) spotted so far.

Microvert antenna

A lot of people are interested in this tiny antenna. 

It is well suited to those frequently on the move or who have antenna restrictions. As with all compact antennas do not expect miracles, but it is not so far down on a dipole that it is not capable of working some decent DX, especially with digital modes. 

It is supposed to be only 1-2 S points down on a dipole. The photo from the PDF shows how compact it is.

See https://www.dc4fs.de/microvert.pdf .

10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)

Already my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon has been spotted by 7 stations in the last hour alone.  

UPDATE 0830z:  So far today, my 500mW WSPR has been spotted by 9 stations across Europe.

UPDATE 1019z:   18 stations have spotted me this morning. See table. Now need the antenna for 8m!

6m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

My 2.5W 6m FT8 is on again. Furthermost report is from UT9FJ (2277km) in Ukraine. 

UPDATE 1011z: Spotted by 92 stations across Europe today. See map.

European Es (or is it F2?) - Tuesday

It looks like 6m is open to Eastern Europe. Many (or all) of these reports are probably Es, although some could be F2.

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

Cartoon

 This was seen earlier. 

Modern technology - NOT amateur radio

 Modern technology is a two edged sword. 

As we have seen recently in the UK it can incite people to do nasty and violent things. 

At the same time it can bring people closer together across oceans and thereby shrink distances . My son and his family flew to Australia to see relatives and we could track his plane all the way. It allows me to write this blog. We can chat to friends on WhatsApp as if they were next door .

I am not sure if it is a good thing or bad. Probably both. On balance I think it’s basically a good thing. Like AI, I am sure there are some good things and bad.

2m activity contest tonight

With my 10W PEP SSB and big wheel omni antenna I usually try for up to an hour before my voice screams “stop “. My usual best DX is 100-200km.

Not sure if it’s just me but I am finding it harder to work stations . 

This is probably a combination of fewer stations and higher local noise levels for many stations.

UPDATE 2120z:   After 3 QSOs my voice shouted "stop!!", so I stopped.

Sunspots - August 6th

 Solar flux is 247 and the SSN 189. A=10 and K=2.

8m propagation

In my view, the real benefit in an 8m amateur band would come when the F2 MUF goes above 10m. 

With Es, working EU stations occurs commonly at 6m, whereas for the F2 MUF to get to as high as 6m is exceptional. Yes, on N-S paths with TEP the MUF can go much higher, but E-W paths with high MUFs are rare.

So, in my own view, now and the next couple of years are the best for 8m propagation research. 

Whilst Es is fun, it is not what propagation research at 8m is mainly about. In a few years we will be unable to learn so much.