See map from WSPR Rocks by VK7JJ.
The spots from the German research base in Antarctica seem almost daily.
31 Mar 2026
30 Mar 2026
Zachtek WSPR beacon
What I really like is that, apart from switching it on, nothing at all has to be done, Maidenhead locator and timing are all done by GPS.
There is a much cheaper product from China, but this is inferior.
With a very average wire antenna it seems to get spotted widely around the world.
EV batteries - revolution about to happen?
It looks like the Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has over 50% of the market share in sodium based batteries and the price of these will fall dramatically in the next few years. The battery life is greater too by a factor of about 2.
Whatever happens with solid-state batteries, it looks like fewer EVs will need lithium.
There is a great danger the USA will simply be left behind.
Time for a new reserve currency?
In my lifetime the US dollar has been the reserve currency. It has been regarded as a safe haven to invest in. Oil has been priced in US dollars.
It would appear the era of US dominance is drawing to a close and the USA appears to want a more isolationist stance. This appears to be the choice of the current US government, elected by the people.
If this is the case I can see the world looking for a new reserve currency. This would not happen overnight, but I can see things changing.
Whatever your views, certain other nations seem to be in ascendancy whilst the USA slowly declines. If I was a third world country I would not be looking towards the USA for inspiration.
10m 200mW WSPR (Monday)
My beacon was turned on at 0836z.
UPDATE 0844z: Immediately spots by EA8BFK (2880km).
UPDATE 1946z: Spotted by 5 stations with the best Antarctica.
29 Mar 2026
Internet archive
In case you have not come across this treasure trove, the Wayback Machine has many snapshots of websites dating right back to the very early days of the internet. I managed to find a 1996 snapshot of one of my very first websites.
One amazing resource is the DLARC collection of amateur radio related documents. It truly is amazing. If you have not looked before I highly recommend it.
10m 200mW WSPR (Sunday)
My beacon was on before breakfast.
UPDATE 1942z: Spotted by 10 stations with the best Antarctica (again). Now QRT.
British Summer Time
This is 1 hour ahead of GMT meaning we get lighter evenings. It changed last night. I think it was first created in WW2 so farmers had light in the evenings to grow food. It always takes me a few weeks to get used to BST rather than GMT .
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