6m QRP FT8 (Monday)

 At about 1340z, I decided to go on 6m FT8 with the IC-705.

UPDATE 1537z:  Spotted just by 6 English stations.

8m QRP FT8 (Monday)

My QMX+ has been on 8m FT8 TX (about 2W to the low dipole) since about 0920z. No spots at 1222z.

I think I'll QSY to 10m FT8 with the IC-705.

Big Garden Birdwatch 2025 - NOT amateur radio

This was organised by the RSPB over this weekend. Lots of UK individuals and schools took part. The idea is to record the maximum number of each species in an hour. Over the years some patterns emerge.

It was quite noticeable how bigger birds now dominate. In my hour I saw not one small bird!! The smallest was a blackbird.

See Big Garden Birdwatch. 

10m 500mW WSPR (Monday)

My beacon was turned on at 0924z.

UPDATE 1710z:  15 stations have spotted me.

“Our” windmill in the rain - NOT amateur radio

After a decent start, Sunday was a miserable day. This is the view from our lounge window.

Sunspots - Monday January 27th

 Solar flux is 171 and the SSN 140. A=3 and K=0.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Sunday)

My stand-alone 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was turned on at about 1058z.  Just EA8BFK (2880km) spotting me.

UPDATE 1320z:  12 stations have spotted me. See table.

UPDATE 1855z:  22 stations spotted me today. Now QRT.

8m QRP FT8 TX (Sunday)

My QMX+ with about 2W to the low dipole was turned on at about 1058z this morning.

UPDATE 1857z:  Just one spot of me by EA7KBX (1661km). Now QRT.

Wicken Fen collage - NOT amateur radio

 

My wife made this collage of our walk yesterday. We are expecting rain later!

Too easy?

As mentioned in the earlier post, I am on 10m QRP FT8 at the moment. At the peak of the solar cycle it is all too easy! 

At solar minimum it will be very different as many will desert the band. In my view 10m would be good for DX at solar minimum far more often than we would have thought. 

I really hope more stick with 10m, even 8m, FT8 for much longer so we can see. 

One useful experiment would be to TX FT8 on 15m, 12m, 10m, 8m and 6m sequentially and see how many stations spot on each band over time. Ideally this should be carried out over several years around solar minimum. An antenna that covers all these bands would be needed.