My shack PC was not TXing. Following several suggestions (thank you) I reset the TX USB auiod to default and that seems to have fixed it. As far as I could see the output and sound mixer settings were correct beforehand! Anyway, it is now working again.
I went briefly on 6m TX and was widely copied in Europe and the Canary Isles with 5W.
I quite enjoy QRP (low power) and like finding out how far really low power goes.
As an example, today one station was giving my 200mW WSPR beacon a report of -3dB S/N suggesting the even microwatts might have been enough.
I have been a member of the GQRP club for very many years. Their quarterly SPRAT magazine (A5 colour) is usually packed with ideas for simple circuits. As I have said many times, if all other radio magazines had to go, SPRAT would be the one I would keep.
Back issues of SPRAT are available on a flash drive.
The RSGB has a page about QRP. See https://rsgb.org/main/technical/qrp-low-power-operating/
It must be a combination for several things, but most times doing anything I get exhausted. In the UK we are experiencing a heatwave (>30 deg C), I am getting old and I experienced a stroke some years ago. It is probably a combination of all three!
What seem to be best for me is short, sharp periods of activity followed by rest.
Things that were done quickly often wait until tomorrow. My PC does not TX FT8 for example. I could have looked yesterday or today. Instead, it has to wait until I gather energy. Maybe tomorrow?
To me, it seems that the USA and Israel have come out far worse from their war with Iran than had they not started it. Few dispute that the regime there is bad, but I fail to see how this can be classed as a win for the USA/Israel. By most measures the outcome is worse than the 2015 agreement that President Trump did not agree with!
My beacon has been on all morning.
UPDATE 1321z: 74 European spots of me, presumably by Es plus EA8BFK (2880km).
It seems certain that the world has suffered a shock by the closure of these straits controlling access to the Gulf though which 20% of the world's oil flowed, to say nothing of jet fuel, natural gas, diesel and fertilisers.
Oil products are limited. Even if we use them sensibly, they will be exhausted eventually.
To some extent the world will adapt, but I think it will take years and years, if ever, for the USA to come back as the beacon of liberty and democracy it once was. In my view, they have made a huge mistake on the world stage. They have made no new friends and, sadly, alienated many, who will not forget.
Recently a battery manufacturer in Taiwan (ProLogium) opened its doors. They seem to have made breakthroughs in solid state batteries.
I am unsure about how this ties in with getting rid of rare earth materials like lithium. Must watch the video again! The ultimate would be a solid-state battery without using rare earth materials.
My beacon was turned on at about 0815z . When I checked WSPRnet appeared not to be working? Which begs a question - is there a real alternative? In the past I have found PSKreporter poor for WSPR.
