Kingsbridge,UK - NOT amateur radio

 

Most of my teenage years were in Kingsbridge in Devon shown in the photo. The Main Street is Fore Street, a steep hill that keeps you fit! 

The bunting is for Fair Week as there has been been a fair here for centuries.It’s at the head of an estuary and quieter than its neighbour Salcombe where I also lived long ago.

Sunspots - Saturday June 28th

 Solar flux is 122 and the SSN 111. A=12 and K=2.

Yaesu FTX-1

This new Yaesu radio has really disappointed me. 

It is far too expensive and lacks features the IC-705 has had for years. Before it was released I seriously considered trading my IC-705 in for this new radio. Like many, I shall stick with the IC-705.  

I really think Yaesu is floundering around.

It is not yet available in Europe and just a few weeks after launching it in the USA, they have released a firmware update. I am not at all impressed. Even the firmware update looks messy.

Yaesu get your act together, and very soon, or the market will judge you harshly.

Advising Clive Sinclair

 Early in my design career I was involved in the design of internal antennas. At the time Sinclair was developing a tiny TV and was considering a joint development on ICs.

At that time he asked me (yes me!!) for advice on antennas!

On the subject of Sinclair, I recall a Micromatic kit being donated as a raffle prize in our radio club dinner in the late 1960s. Anyone make one?

VLF earth-mode beacon

 

Some years ago I really enjoyed experimenting with earth-mode VLF at 5W. I built a beacon TX and went out in the Fens trying to receive it. My best DX was about 6km, although I remain convinced much further would have been possible with more power and a bigger TX baseline.

Of course with hundreds of watts and a bigger earth-electrode baseline some radiation is likely, so hundreds of km becomes possible. With earth-mode most of the signal is conducted through the ground.

I had to stop when I had my stroke, which stopped me doing all sorts of field experiments. These days I hope others are carrying on where I stopped. Meanwhile I experiment, on something else, at home.

Memories - NOT amateur radio

At the moment I am spending a few days with my brother in Devon where I used to live. It is filled with memories.

One thing I have to learn is memories are just that: they happened long ago and cannot be got back. They are memories that cannot be recreated. They’re to be remembered but cannot ever be brought back.

I think this is important as we spend too much time of our lives time chasing these.

Sunspots- Friday June 27th

 Solar flux is 117 and the SSN 91. A=26 and K=5.

Devon by train- NOT amateur radio

Today I went alone by train to visit my brother in Devon. The journey was uneventful.

Several years ago - 2012?

 This was me at my old QTH on 10m CW in the garden with a loop on the FT817. I think it was 2012.

Sunspots - Thursday June 26th

 Solar flux is 117 and the SSN 90.. A=15 and K=4.