Jaws? - NOT amateur radio

When I saw this on the mill leat at Anglesey Abbey earlier I immediately thought of the film "Jaws" as I was reminded of a shark.

Actually it was an old piece of wood! 

Chuckle time - NOT amateur radio

This appeared on Facebook earlier. I have no idea where it originated. It made me laugh. 

We went some years ago from San Francisco to New Zealand and went economy plus for extra room. Until about a minute before we left, the seat next to us was empty. Then a huge NZ rugby player sat in it!! 

8m experiment (Wednesday)

We are going out shortly, but my plan is to go on 8m QRP FT8 TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial later and 10m QRP WSPR TX. 

UPDATE 1101z: Just a single spot of my 8m QRP by HC02 (1808km) in Portugal. I was surprised even to get this as 10m was so poor. So far, I have been spotted in 14 countries on 8m FT8 QRP TX. Nobody spotted on RX.

UPDATE 1244z:  Now QSYed to 10m FT8.

UPDATE 2006z:  4 stations have spotted me today. Good Es on 8m FT8.

Orchid - NOT amateur radio

This photo was on 365project about a month ago. It shows an orchid. I think it was taken in Shetland. 

Sunspots - Wednesday July 27th 2022

Solar flux is 99 and the SSN 78. A=8 and K=3. 

QDX for the higher HF bands?

The QDX is a tiny,digital, 5W, transceiver for the HF bands. For some time, Hans Summers has been catching up on the kit backlog, no doubt made worse by the semiconductor shortage. As he has almost caught up, he hopes to turn his attention to doing a higher band version. I have no availability dates. As a keen WSJT-X user, this could be very useful. Hans makes good stuff. He will be around when many have given up.

See https://www.qrp-labs.com/ .

Spot the snake? - NOT amateur radio

I didn't at first. One of our sons is with his inlaws in Australia. Here they are holding a python, as you do. I assume it is harmless!! 

Rally news

The Radio Operators of Cornwall (ROC) are having a rally and camping weekend July 28th - Aug 1st. Check first before travelling at info@roc.org.uk. It is being held overlooking Mount's Bay. 

Batson - NOT amateur radio

This small hamlet is near Salcombe in Devon. 

It seems amazing that it was a month ago that I visited my brother and walked here.

8m experiment (Tuesday)

At the moment I am on 10m QRP FT8 transceive, but will probably QSY to 8m later this morning if the Es sticks around.

UPDATE 1247z: Now on 8m FT8 TX. 

UPDATE 1458z:  EI9KP (649km) has spotted my 8m QRP FT8 TX.

10m FT8 QRP transceive

This morning at 0752z I went straight to 10m FT8 transceive. So far,  7 stations spotted on RX and 3 stations have already spotted my QRP FT8 TX. There is definitely Es around today. It feels quite different from early yesterday.

472 kHz transverter

It seems amazing that I made this transverter 10 years ago! This was me testing it just before boxing. 

Sunspots - Tuesday July 26th 2022

 Solar flux is 102 and the SSN 100. A=6 and K=4.

Ted Williams G4NUA

In years gone by, I used to speak with Ted on 2m every Monday. Last week, I sent him an email, but he has not replied. Has anyone any news please?

Myanmar executions - NOT amateur radio

This saddens me.  The BBC reports that some opposition people in Myanmar (was Burma) have been executed. Now, I do not know the facts admittedly,  but this seems brutal in the 21st century.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-62287815 .

10m FT8 QRP

 As results on 10m WSPR and 8m FT8 were so dire, I have changed to 10m FT8 to see if that is any better. Looking at the WSJT-X screen, I can see no stations, which does not bode well!

UPDATE 1355z:  Just a spot of me by G0FWX (160km) so far. Nobody spotted on RX.

UPDATE 1730z:    All the RX spots seem to be local or F2, with a general absence of Es. On TX, I think most (all?) my spots are within the UK.

Thatched cottages - NOT amateur radio

Especially in nearby Norfolk and Suffolk, there are some very attractive villages. This is an example. This is about 15 minutes drive away. 

Bad Es day?

Unless things suddenly change for the better, today looks like being a very bad day for Es on both 10m and 8m. 

On 10m I have received just 2 spots of me (from the same station!) and on 8m FT8 I have been spotted by no-one and spotted no-one. 

Es can be like this: here one minute and gone the next. It is quite possible it will be very good tomorrow, or remain poor for days. Also a very small movement can make a lot of difference. Move just 20km and it could be completely different. Hence the name "sporadic-E".

Things might change, although I am not holding my breath!

Experimenting

This is just to encourage you to experiment. 

Ideally, you can build something, but experimentation does not have to mean building. As I have found out (the hard way!) there is still a lot we can do in our great hobby just by observing. 

Propagation is a great way to observe, whether it is on any band. Another is to try a new mode, maybe ATV or FT8. Perhaps try QRP or satellites.

What is so great about our hobby is that it can be enjoyed in so many ways. Some enjoy chasing DX whereas others just enjoy a good ragchew. I can only speak for myself by saying that my greatest fun was when I found out something new and challenging.

One thing I have learnt time and time again is there are no experts! Those who claim to be experts are often proved wrong, peddling myths they heard 40 years ago. Observe!!  Over the years I have found out several things myself. One of the joys is finding out yourself and not accepting conventional wisdom.

Two things stand out for me. One is I am convinced there is some sort of chordal hop E layer propagation. I have not (yet) seen this accepted. The other is how effective earth-electrode "antennas" in the ground can be. Over the last few years, these are being increasingly used by amateurs at MF, LF, VLF and ULF.

What myth are you going to disprove?

10m WSPR QRP TX

 Assuming that I go on 8m FT8 TX later, my 10m antenna will be free, so I shall go on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. 

UPDATE 1000z:   Beacon turned on at 0833z. No spots yet. Looks like no Es here, well yet, or it is to where nobody is monitoring!

UPDATE 1221z:  Still just 2 spots of me by EA1FAQ (1249km). Not a good day so far.