Kingsbridge NOT amateur radio

Not sure when the photo was taken, but it looks over a hundred years ago. This is where I was brought up as a teenager. I ate at the Shambles in the photo just last year. It used to be a coffee bar in my youth. 

Sunspots - Sunday February 19th 2023

 Solar flux is 167 and the SSN 109. A=6 and K=0.

First steps

Looking back, I noticed this photo that shows my first setup on 600m. Later we got an allocation at 630m.

10m Tenner Transceiver

This was created before the last sunspot peak. Although many have migrated to FT8, nothing beats working DX on a simple transceiver that you have made yourself. 

Although you made not build this, I hope it gives you some ideas.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10m-tenner-qrp-cw  .

8m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

Been on 8m FT8 (TX first) for about 90 minutes. So far, 2 spots from Eastern Europe with the furthermost RA4FER (2992km). This is almost certainly F2 propagation.

UPDATE 1016z:  Not sure if there are now more people monitoring 8m FT8 or it is just that conditions are better so more people can copy my QRP. Until yesterday, there were very few reports of me from the east.

UPDATE 1218z:   When out shopping, I left the 8m FT8 on RX. 3 stations spotted as the map shows. Rig currently turned completely off.

UPDATE 1335z:  5 stations have spotted me today on 8m FT8. I am surprised by the results at this time of year. Most reports seem to be by F2. Rig turned on again.

UPDATE 1405z:  7 spots of my 8m QRP FT8 today including HI8SDR-2 (7062km), which is a new country and "across the pond" again. Now RX only again.

UPDATE 1845z:  My first copy of a station in North America on 8m FT8:  VA2CY (4965km). Now QRT.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Saturday)

It is now 1005z.  9 stations have so far spotted me. The majority look like F2 propagation.

UPDATE 1220z:  13 stations have spotted my 10m QRP WSPR beacon today. USA starting to spot me.

UPDATE 1342z:  26 spots of my 500mW QRP 10m WSPR. so far today.

UPDATE 1609z:   34 spots of me so far today on 10m QRP WSPR.

UPDATE 1636z:   37 spots so far today on 10m QRP WSPR.

Plans for Saturday

After breakfast I hope to be on 8m QRP FT8 TX on 40.680 MHz as well as 10m QRP WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. There might be some F2 backscatter on 8m. 

Our church in Burwell - NOT amateur radio

This is a view of our village church in silhouette. It is mostly 15th century although some parts of the tower are Saxon.

Sunspots - Saturday February 18th 2023

 Solar flux is 343 and the SSN 86. A=6 and K=2.

Ukraine - NOT amateur radio

This "special operation" (in the West we call it war) is almost a year old. It seems President Putin was surprised by the reaction especially when the West did nothing when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. He probably thought he could just walk in and the war would be over in days.

I have nothing at all against the Russian people: they have been fed a line by state media. At the height of the cold war many Russians were worked on amateur radio and, in a small way, barriers were broken down. After all, they were just people like us.

This war has to stop. It will. Let us all hope that everyone is able to think it a victory. 

In the end, wars rarely solve problems. Most can be traced to earlier grievances. In the end, true justice for all is the only way.

FT-710AESS and 4m

Until today, I did not realise that 4m has to be enabled on this rig.  As it comes, both 70 MHz and UK 5 MHz bands have to be enabled. I thought these already were!

A very helpful phone call and email from Steve Venner at MLS explained how to do this (it was very easy), and I now have power on 4m. It is also meant to enable 60m UK allocations with the same mods although I have not yet checked.

I have still to test the rig fully. Steve is also checking the AESS functionality on the MLS demo rig. I must say, Steve was very helpful.

Apart from the AESS function, I am very pleased with the rig so far.

I traded in my IC-705, but have not yet received a credit on my card. I guess they have to check it all first. It is mint. It was a very good rig.

UPDATE 1529z: The 2m big-wheel and feeder does match on 4m (I am pleased to say) using the internal auto-ATU on the FT-710. No doubt a dedicated 4m antenna would be much better, but this is a start. I have not even started on the DSP and filter options! I hope to go on the 4m activity contest (March 15th) with this compromise antenna. I think this is a Tuesday.

OFCOM updates

As usual, OFCOM has updated the information it holds on licences etc.. See the OFCOM website for details.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Friday)

Been on with my 500mW WSPR TX beacon about 10 minutes. No spots yet.

UPDATE 0950z: First spot of the day from Finland. Presumably by F2?

UPDATE 1311z: Following the usual pattern with east in the morning and transatlantic later. 11 stations have spotted my 500mW WSPR so far today on 10m.

UPDATE 1751z:  22 unique stations have spotted me today.

8m QRP FT8 (Friday)

At the moment, I am again on 8m QRP FT8. Time will tell if anyone sees me.  I am TXing first.

UPDATE 1005z:  Just exchanged FT8 reports with OD5KU (3468km) and copied EI2IP and 4X1BG (3532km) in Israel who was incredibly strong! Obviously the F2 MUF is above 40.680 MHz!

UPDATE 1058z:  4 stations have spotted me this morning. Until this morning, I had never been spotted in Asia on 8m QRP FT8. Now spotted by 4 Asian stations with the furthermost UN7MVB (3446km).

UPDATE 1132z:  QRT at the moment so rig cools. Hopefully, the USA will copy me on 8m FT8 later, despite the QRP.  Incidentally, I have never copied a transatlantic 8m station.

UPDATE 1306z: The latest station to spot my 8m FT8 QRP was RA9FMT (3503km), who got me at an incredible -9dB S/N. This is one of my best days yet on 8m.

UPDATE 1322z: I have lost count of the countries and continents in which my QRP 8m FT8 has been copied. I think it is now 21 countries and 4 continents. Even with real QRP, there is a lot to be find out on 8m. When the MUF gets high enough, it seems virtually anything is possible. My article about beaconing legally (in the ISM band) on 8m without a licence should be in PW either April or May.

UPDATE  1758z:   No USA spots today.

Across the fields - NOT amateur radio

 

A view of Chippenham village and church (near Cambridge) earlier this week.

Sixbox 6m transceiver

This design, from many years ago, was designed as a simple rig for local natters. It is ideal for use when the band is not open for DX.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/homebrew/sixbox .

Sunspots - Friday, February 17th 2023

 Solar flux is 163 and the SSN 101. A=24 and K=2.

Getting taller - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows our elder grandson in 3 years. In 2021 he was a child. In 2023 he is a young man. Either I am shrinking or he is growing. It is mostly the latter!

 

10m QRP WSPR TX

At the moment I am on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW beacon. So far today, 8 unique stations have spotting me. 

UPDATE 1246z:  11 unique stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 1604z: 15 unique stations have spotted me today. It is interesting that several stations would have been able to copy my 10m WSPR with far less power, assuming their noise floor was low. This confirms to me that many licence exempt 8m ISM beacons could be copied at great range on WSPR. I hope many use 10mW ERP  8m ISM band licence free WSPR to great effect this Es season. In some countries higher ERPs may be legal too. In the UK, it is 10mW ERP.

UPDATE 1832z:  19 unique stations have spotted me.

8m FT8 F2 backscatter test

At the moment, I am trying to reach G9PUV (158km) by F2 backscatter on 8m FT8.  I am copying Paul, but he is not copying my QRP signal.  My 8m QRP FT8 is reaching SV1DH (2410km) in southern Greece as well as another station in Greece. I suspect this is F2 propagation.

UPDATE 1230z:  Although I copied G9PUV Paul quite well, he was unable to decode my 8m QRP FT8. I am not sure if he copied anything at all from me, but it was not enough to get an FT8 decode. So, we failed. Now RX only.