News from the Middle East is confusing if nothing else.
The USA claims 2 merchant ships have passed the Strait of Hormuz whereas Iran flatly denies this! In the fog of war we cannot know who is true at the time of writing.
This much is certain. The impact on the world economy is immense. Even if the war stopped tomorrow, it could take a long time (years?) to recover. The USA does not want Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon. Arguably, the USA is a declining world power and China is growing.
It seems to me we are nearing a "tipping point" in electric cars. The recent war in the Middle East may have concentrated minds, but battery technologies have moved ahead at a breathtaking pace. If we are not there now we very soon will be.
These days I do not do many miles in the car. Even I have considered an EV for the first time. The days when range was a real issue, as was charging time, are behind us and EV cars no longer need rare earth materials like lithium.
I owned the IC202 which covered 200kHz on 2m using a very clever VXO. Using a home-designed transverter it worked the world with 1W SSB on 10m with simple wire dipoles or a CB vertical.
On 2m it worked some amazing DX handheld using just the whip on the rig.
My gear has been on since just before breakfast.
UPDATE 0830z: Mostly English stations spotting me with just one in Austria. Currently RX only.
My beacon was turned on before breakfast.
UPDATE 0816z: No spots.
UPDATE 1422z: Spotted 4 times by IW0RQJ (1379km). I assume this was Es. Also spotted by EA8BFK (2880km) and this could be F2.
As the V2000 is available, I am on 6m 5W FT8 from 0938z.
At 0937z I went on 10m QRP WSPR TX.
To me, it would appear that the USA is looking to exit the Iran war believing it has won. Clearly in this asymmetric war Iran has emerged stronger than many expected. The damage to the world is immense.
My gear was turned on at 0540z.
UPDATE 0922z: 10 spots of me and I have spotted 23. Clear signs of Es now. Currently RX only.
