My gear was turned on at 1215z:
UPDATE 1246z: Just one spot of a station in northern Spain - EB1B (1050km).
There appears to be a general lack of activity on 8m. I know my antenna is not the best and is fixed. I do not regret re-applying for a TX permit.
It would appear President Trump of the USA is in a mess. Iran is making life hard for US negotiators.
There would seem to be no easy way out with the USA coming out with power and believing this is a victory.
Yes, they have inflicted a heavy blow to the Iranian navy and air-force, but the Iranians still have drones and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
In my view, this was a war that should not have been fought.
It seems, allegedly, the US administration was banking on regime change to a regime more in support of western values. This has not happened.
Arguably, Iran has emerged stronger on the global stage and the USA weaker.
It has been hard for people to be clear of the objectives for this war. One of the videos I enjoy is the Meidas Touch.
My gear was turned on just after 1000z.
UPDATE 1016z: Spotted by 34 stations already and 29 stations spotted here.
UPDATE 1447z: After seeing rumours about a 6m opening to the USA, I gave up on 8m and returned to 6m FT8. No joy so far. 105 stations have spotted my 3W 6m FT8 today - mostly Europeans.
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I mixed my own compost with some commercial compost.
Imagine my surprise when a toad was spotted in the commercial compost.
It may be the one I spotted a few weeks ago.
I was a bit concerned about thunder, but at the moment it is clear here, so my beacon was turned on at 1000z.
My gear has been on much of the morning.
UPDATE 1645z: Spotted by 147 stations with the best D4L (4517 km) and 159 stations spotted here including my first from the USA this summer on 6m.
My beacon was turned on just after breakfast.
UPDATE 1405z: 6 European stations spotting me.
Nvidia has announced a new chip for PCs that brings AI to home PCs in a big way rivalling big chip manufacturers like Intel.
We are now on the downward part of the solar cycle with the peak a few years ago. Conditions are still quite good, but will decline later. Often the higher bands are better than activity suggests.
It would appear there is a big push to smaller ICs and lower power consumption. Huawai may have made a breakthrough in how ICs are made. Se...
