Sunspots - Friday March 21st

 Solar flux is 170 and the SSN 191. A=6 and K=3.

Rallies this weekend

 You can tell it is spring as I am being notified of several rallies. All these are on Sunday March 23rd. As usual, it is always advisable to check details before going far.

• Biggleswade Swapmeet (BVWS), Biggleswade, SG18 8JH. Contact secretary@bvws.org.uk
• Callington Radio and Electronice Rally,  Callington, PL17 7BD.  Contact alastair.kerr@btinternet.com
• Dover Amateur Radio Club 2025 Rally, Dover, CT17 0HL. See darc.online/rally

6m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

 My IC-705 at 6W was turned on at about 0900z. So far, 7 stations have spotted me, all UK.

UPDATE 1200z:  21 stations have spotted my QRP. 

UPDATE 1600z:  41 stations have spotted me today on 6m FT8 QRP.  See map.

10m QRP WSPR (Thursday)

My 500mW stand-alone beacon was turned on about 0900z.  So far 9 spots by EA8BFK (2880km).

UPDATE 1629z: 23 stations have spotted me. No North American spots, suggesting 8m and 6m would be very unlikely.

FT102

This was a classic 1970s radio. It was a hybrid design with a 6146 PA.

Sunspots - Thursday March 20th

 Solar flux is 180 and the SSN 190. A=23 and K=2.

New video to be created: QMX+ on 8m

 Although my voice is poor I think I need to produce a new video showing how the QMX+ can be put on 8m. Perhaps I can intersperse photos with printed words to avoid talking?

In the meantime my video channel is on YouTube. See https://www.youtube.com/@G3XBM/videos .

Covid lab leak? - NOT amateur radio

Five years on it is amazing the impact Covid-19 had on our lives. Looking back it sticks in our memories. 

One theory was that it started with a lab leak in China, but we lacked the Chinese data. Now a recent German language investigative journalist report says this is an 80-90% certainty. It looks like an accident rather than a biological weapon. If it was a lab leak, the Chinese would not want to lose face by admitting so.

ELF video - NOT amateur radio

For a long time, I have been fascinated by VLF/ELF radio communications. 

As you go lower in frequency, radio waves penetrate further through water and rock. For this reason, the military in many countries have explored these frequencies to communicate with deeply submerged submarines, although data rates at ELF are very slow and antennas very long. I know the Russians have a system at 80Hz (it has been copied in the UK), but I am not sure about the USA and China.

10m 500mW WSPR (Wednesday)

 My beacon was turned on just before 0900z.  6 spots of me so far by EA8BFK (2880km).

UPDATE 1635z: Just 3 stations spotting me today and nothing in the USA with the furthermost ZD7GB (7607km),