V2000 on 8m?

I have an QRP ATU that is supposed to go to 30MHz. Maybe it can be persuaded to go to 40.680MHz? Tomorrow I shall try it with my V2000 and 2m big-wheel antennas. You never know until you try. Even if it does match, I have no idea what the polar plot looks like.

Stick to the day job!! - NOT amateur radio

Our pear 🍐 crop this year is one tiny pathetic pear. 

To be fair, it was smothered by a neighbour’s honeysuckle that climbed over the fence. 

Actually the honeysuckle smelled wonderful.

Perhaps my wife should eat it as she likes conference pears. I must tell her to eat it very slowly! 😁

Changing nature of amateur radio

At one time, the only way we could talk across the world by amateur radio was by HF contacts. Things are changing.  

These days, there are many alternatives such as DMR, D-STAR and Echolink. Many use the internet as the backbone, whereas in the past we had to rely on HF propagation and the ionosphere. 

Even with a VHF or UHF transceivers worldwide contacts are possible. I remember being amazed that with a DMR portable sitting on the bookshelf DX from across the planet could be heard.

Near death experience - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday, I probably came nearer to death than at any time I can remember.  

For what seemed like ages I was unable to breathe because of a chest infection. In the end I got my breath, but had I not been able to, I would have passed out and probably died. We hang on by a thread.

Pompeii 2017 - NOT amateur radio

 

We visited here in 2017. As the ground was going to be uneven I was not sure if I would be able to manage it. In the end it was fine. 

One thing struck me: really nothing changes and really they were just like us.

10m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

My 2.5W FT8 was turned on at about 0550z. Yesterday was very successful. I hope today is similar.

UPDATE 2028z:  So far today, 382 stations have spotted me. See map of stations spotting my 10m FT8 QRP by the early evening.  Since then, even more have spotted me.  Worldwide spots. 1098 stations have been spotted here today.

Sunspots - Saturday September 21st

 Solar flux is 154 and the SSN 113. A=7 and K=2.

“Our” windmill - NOT amateur radio

 

This has been on many times, but this was the view from the lounge on a nice, sunny afternoon just now.

At one time some of our grandchildren thought the area in front of the windmill was part of our garden! We own the hedge you can see in front, but not the windmill!

The windmill is fully restored and the sails go round sometimes.

Lightning risk?

 This weekend there are some advanced warnings of thunder and lightning in the UK. At the moment these storms are a long way off, but if they get close I shall go QRT and disconnect things.

See https://www.lightningmaps.org/#m=oss;t=3;s=0;o=0;b=;ts=0;

Church roofs - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago we were in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. These were some of the magnificent church roofs we saw.