10m 500mW WSPR TX (Monday)

My beacon was turned on at breakfast time. At  0902z, several spots from the Canary Is..  It seems this (I assume) single hop F2 path is usually open.

UPDATE 2005z:  48 stations have spotted me today.

6m QRP FT8 (Monday)

 My gear was turned on just after 0800z. At 0858z already 20 stations have copied me including several in mainland Europe.

UPDATE 1957z:  71 stations spotted my 6m QRP  FT8.

Sunspots - Monday December 9th

 Solar flux is 178 and the SSN 103. A=7 and K=3.

Beware!!

Earlier this afternoon I thought I had ordered a UV K5(8) transceiver from Aliexpress for the bargain price of just £0.98 with free airmail postage. 

At this price (well below the price of a coffee) I thought I could not go wrong. 

Later, I read the reviews. One pointed out that all you got was the antenna, despite it implied you got a full transceiver for this price. This is a total scam.

I cancelled the order immediately.

It must be near Christmas - NOT amateur radio

Today, we put up our Christmas tree and Christmas decorations. It must be the run-up. 

It seems 5 minutes since last Christmas.

10m 500mW WSPR (Sunday)

My QRP 10m WSPX beacon was turned on at about 0800z. At 1006z, 7 European stations  have copied my QRP.

UPDATE 1855z:  47 stations have spotted me today.

6m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

My QRP  6m FT8 was turned on about 0800z. At 1000z, my signal has been spotted by 19 stations.

UPDATE 2000:  55 stations have spotted me with 2 from "across the pond".

Oscar 100 narrowband transponder

Every few weeks I take a look at the narrowband activity on the geosynchronous Oscar 100 satellite. I am disappointed by the lack of activity.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .

The evolution of languages - NOT amateur radio

My family history can be traced back on my dad's side to the mid 1500s. This was 13 generations. Being generous, it takes about 60 generations to get back to the Roman invasion of England and the birth of Christ. 

Now, I have no idea when certain languages began, but we have so many very different languages in Europe at the present time. Some are right next door as countries e.g. France and Germany. It is estimated that there are between 5000 and 7000 languages on Earth.

What I find so amazing is that our languages can be so different. OK, until about 100 years ago most people did not move far. Nonetheless, I find it incredible that languages can be so different in so few generations.

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

New radios

Looking forward, certain things seem apparent to me. These are:

• Manufacturers want to be competitive. This usually means high volumes and low variations between markets. For example products for the USA market should have the same hardware as for Europe and most of the world. Programming with different software is easy.
• People are finding prices high, so are looking for good value and to buy as few products as possible. The "shack in the box" looks attractive.
• Ideally many would like a radio that can do all bands (HF and VHF) in all modes. 
• A radio that could be used in the shack or car/truck means fewer variants, so higher volumes.
• Small size makes fitting in small spaces easier.
• Manfacturers must be mindful of low cost manufacturing areas around the world.

One solution might be a low power product with a separate linear?

So an ideal product might be the ICOM IC-705 or the Yaesu FTX-1F.

In my view the companies that will remain around are the ones that recognise these and develop products accordingly.