10m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

At the moment I am back on 10m FT8 with my tiny QDX transceiver. It gives 3.8W with a 12V PSU, but I have several diodes in the power lead  so I reckon the power is 2-3W. The photo shows how really tiny the QDX is. Think of a pack of cards.

UPDATE 1027z:  6 spots of me. Pretty sure conditions are more disturbed. On 10m FT8  RX, 70 stations spotted.

UPDATE 2048z:  93 spots of my 10m QRP FT8 today. Now QRT.

What next? - NOT amateur radio

Probably most have seen the very public spat between Presidents Trump and Zelensky . 

Clearly the USA 🇺🇸 wants to stand proud in the world with trade on a fair playing field with other nations around the world. The majority in the USA voted for President Trump. 

What I fail to understand is why the President is falling out with so many in other countries. Surely if you want world peace you don’t want public rows with your allies!

We all want to see the world is a fairer, more peaceful, place.

I wonder what Russia and China make of it?

I have amended the posting in the light of the comment - quite correct. Thank you for putting me right!

8m talk last night

As mentioned yesterday I (sort of) gave a talk about 8m to the Cambridge Radio Club (CDARC). 

It was in person and on Zoom, so I was at home!! 

One person was in Norway.

Sunspots - Saturday March 1st

 Solar flux is 155 and the SSN 104. A=32 and K=2.

Seriously /M

This  photo was on the internet yesterday- obviously taking mobile operation seriously 😉😉

FCC approval of the FTX-1F?

The last I heard was a rumour that the worldwide release of the Yaesu FTX-1F was waiting on the FCC approval.  

Despite this, I am puzzled by the lack of more detailed specs.. Has anyone seen any more detailed specs than those released last summer and any idea of the price? 

There is far more competition than when the FT817 was first released.

Yaesu FT101 restoration

The Yaesu FT101 has appeared in several versions since it first appeared way back. This is part 1 of a restoration project on a very old version.

Spring - NOT amateur radio

Tomorrow is the first day of meteorological spring. 

I always look forward to the first swallows returning from Africa on migration. They usually arrive here in mid April, although they are a bit earlier in Devon.  Swifts, that we see more of, arrive about mid-May. These are often heard screaming before being seen.

The first to arrive in Devon are the sand martins, which usually are seen in Devon mid March. I recall my dad telling me when he first saw some on his golf course.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/sand-martin .

"Sunsetting" - NOT amateur radio

Google Adsense amazes me. The phrase that they have come up with to say they are ending something is "sunsetting"  which is a way of saying stopping! They always use a turn of phrase that disguises the real meaning, making it sound something good.

So, if you want to say something is stopping, it is "sunsetting"

Cleaning the car - NOT amateur radio

Our neighbour across the road cleans his car every week. We clean ours when it gets embarrassing.  Judging by the moss, this must have been several months ago! 

Yesterday I washed the car.  😂