70cm Moxon antenna

A reminder that 70cm antennas do not have to be expensive. 

This is a Moxon made from an old coat hanger. It took me about 30 minutes to assemble and worked some useful DX when out portable on QRP SSB. 

Antennas do not have to be pretty to work!

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/antennas/70cm-moxon .

Classic Car Day - NOT amateur radio

This day at our museum next door is always popular with stacks of classic cars. The windmill sails are turning on a glorious morning.

6m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

My 2.5W 6m FT8 was turned on at about 0800z.

UPDATE 09510z:  14 stations have spotted me. 10 stations spotted on RX including several from southern Europe.

UPDATE 1934z:   39 stations have spotted my QRP  6m FT8 today. See map. QRT soon.

Sunspots- Sunday August 25th

 Solar flux is 232 and the SSN 172. A=10 and K=2.

Bird roosters - NOT amateur radio

We get fewer small birds in the garden than we did some years ago. In the hope of helping more small birds to survive the winter I have bought some raffia roosters to sleep in overnight.

I hope they get used to these and use them.  These are mainly placed in the tree nearest the bird feeders.

10m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

Stations spotting my 2.5W
10m FT8 up to about 1120z

10m FT8  is "humming" with plenty of stations spotted with the furthermost VK3WK (16832km). In all, my 2.5W FT8 has already been spotted by 161 stations. The map shows the stations spotting me until about 15 minutes ago.

Stations spotted here
on 10m FT8 today

UPDATE 2052z:   So far today, I have spotted 565 stations on 10m FT8 and 346 stations have spotted my 2.5W 10m FT8 today. QRT shortly.

Sunspots - Saturday August 24th

 Solar flux is 242 and the SSN 180. A=7 and K=3.

OFCOM updates

OFCOM regularly updates the information it holds on licence numbers etc.. Please see the OFCOM website for the latest.

365project - NOT amateur radio

One of the things I like about 365project is seeing a "window on the world". 

The idea is to post a photo a day. At $19.99 you can have more albums and privacy, but otherwise it is totally free. It has no connection whatsoever with Microsoft.

This photo was taken in the Faroe Islands and recently posted. This is a place I am very unlikely to visit.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faroe_Islands .

OSCAR 100 activity

Every few weeks I like to give an update on the narrow-band transponder of this geosynchronous satellite. It has been in orbit now for several years. 

Apart from those keen to assemble a ground station (fixed, small antenna, no tower, much of the world in range day and night, no QSB etc.) it has been under-used. 

The last peek was a Friday evening in Europe. Once again it was sadly quiet. 

It has never appealed to me, but I was quite surprised it was not more popular. Based on this satellite, I can't see another for some time.

By now, I was expecting it to be busy. It is not.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb .