Getting harder?

In all the years I have been involved in amateur radio (it started in 1961!) my main interest has been QRP (low power). 

In recent years the local noise level especially in urban areas has gone up, mainly because we have more gadgets and chargers. These often use switched mode power supplies which can produce a lot of noise. Taken together these can increase the noise floor. The result is weak signals can be buried in the noise.

Sadly, this means QRP operation can be harder. 

The problem is not so much the low power but the noise floor at the receiving end. If you have an electrically quiet QTH, you can still dig these signals out. Such sites are becoming rarer.

Probably there is a power below which it gets much harder.  At very low power it is easy to be clobbered by a stronger station as well. 

Thinking of the future, I suspect 5W QRP will be a good choice.

Trump pardons drug trafficker

Some times (many times actually) I question the motives of US President Trump. 

Allegedly, he has just pardoned the former president of Honduras who was jailed for 45 years on drug trafficking charges. I find this at odds with the "make America great again" movement and keeping drugs out.

Many Americans voted for him, so I would be interested to hear their views.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kpm0rvxepo .

15m 100mW FT8 (Saturday)

At 1217z, I changed from 100mW 15m WSPR to 15m 100mW FT8. Now, FT8 is about 10dB worse than WSPR, but there is more activity on FT8 these days.

UPDATE 1340z:  Just. one spot of me by SP9WTC (1480km). Maybe I am being clobbered by a stronger station? Also, I suspect it is increasingly likely that QRP signals are now buried in noise, making QRP operation harder than it once was. Even with a 15dB attuenuator in circuit right next to the rig I am spotting 119 stations. This suggests an effective power of low watts if they were running 100W.

UPDATE 1708z:   Well it helps if you use a 15m antenna!  I discovered I was using my 2m big-wheel antenna rather than my end fed HF antenna. So I am surprised to have got any spots with 100mW 15m FT8.

Swaffham Prior

This is the next village from us going towards Cambridge. 

It is unusual having 2 churches in the same churchyard (don't ask me why!) and 2 windmills. 

It is a sleepy village on a rare "hill" overlooking the fen.

100mW 15m WSPR (Saturday)

For a complete change I am trying 15m 100mW WSPR.

UPDATE 1117z:  Just 6 spots from a station in Austria.  These days, although less sensitive,  there seems to be far more activity on FT8  than WSPR.

UPDATE 1212z:  Still just 6 spots of me from OE3GBB/Q (1233km). If I was starting out, I think you are more likely to have success with QRPP on FT8 rather than WSPR. QSYed to FT8.

Saturday plans

 Today I think I will try 15m WSPR at 200mW or less.

Ely Cathedral sun

 Earlier this week we went to Ely. 

The cathedral is at the top of the “hill “ and can be seen for miles around.

This was the sun shining through a stained glass window.

Sunspots - Saturday November 29th

 Solar flux is 132 and the SSN 87. A=22 and K=3.

2m 5W FT8 (Friday)

At about 1715z, I QSYed tp 2m FT8 with 5W to the big-wheel omni antenna.  

So far 12 stations have spotted me with the furthest EI2FG (565km). 

I am convinced this is some kind of scatter.

Stations spotting my 5W
FT8 to the omni

UPDATE 1841z:  Since about 1835z I have been vertically polarised with my V2000 vertical omni. This is fed with CB RG58 coax, so I would guess the ERP is similar. It seems to make little difference which rather supports the scatter theory.

UPDATE 2125z:  22 stations in 6 countries spotted my 5W FT8 this evening. See map. Now QRT.

Talent

One of our friends made and decorated these cup-cakes by hand. 

If I had tried to decorate them, they would have looked a mess!