OFCOM consultation

 At the moment OFCOM is consulting on licence free services. I noticed this:

"Amateur Radio Full (Temporary Reciprocal) – this would enable the use on a short-term basis of Radio Amateur equipment by people visiting from certain countries"

Please see the OFCOM website for details of how to respond to the consultation.

Signs of spring? - NOT amateur radio

Before lunch we went for a walk 🚶 at nearby Anglesey Abbey. There are a few signs of spring but really we are in the middle of winter still.

Back on 8m QRP FT8 TX (Friday)

 Since about 1300z,  I have been on 40.680 MHz FT8 TX with a few watts to my low dipole from the QMX+.

UPDATE 1914z:  No spots of me all day.  QRT.

Sunspots- Friday January 17th

 Solar flux is 208 and the SSN 105. A=14 and K=3.

10m 500mW WSPR (Thursday)

 My stand-alone 10m QRP WSPR beacon was turned on mid-morning. So far, 11 stations have spotted me. 

UPDATE 2231z: 17 stations have spotted me. QRT shortly (see table).

6m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

My gear was turned on mid-morning.

UPDATE 1327z: 26 stations have spotted me .

UPDATE 1720z:  Spotted by 36 stations. All are in Europe.

UPDATE 2222z: Spotted by 38 stations (see map).

Lighter evenings - NOT amateur radio

Every season has good and bad points. However, I look forward to lighter evenings and spring . Birds sing for mates or to claim territory.

Maldives QSL card

Don't think the Maldives have ever been worked by me. If I have, it would have been nearly 40 years ago! 

This QSL card was seen yesterday.

Sunspots - Thursday January 16th

 Solar flux is 174 and the SSN 102. A=16 and K=2.

2200m beacon

This was my LF beacon, before I managed to blow it up last year! It could do QRSS and normal speed CW. I may have a go at trying to replace the FET.

There is a YouTube short of it.