This was a test at 481THz in 2013 over the horizon.
18 Mar 2023
2013 tests below 9 kHz
This was 2013 below 9 kHz. Amazing with amateur power and back garden antennas. Some of these took hours to see!
17 Mar 2023
OFCOM updates
Every week, OFCOM updates the data it holds on licences etc.. on us. See the OFCOM website for more details.
FT-710 and FT8
As our visitor arrived earlier than expected, I was unable to do the firmware update until Friday AM. I am taking things in easy stages. The CAT now works correctly. FT8 RX works correctly. The PC is doing (yet another!!) Windows update and I will try FT8 TX next.
My brain is like treacle with things that would have been so easy in the past now being unbelievably hard.
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| Stations spotting my FT8 TX with 10W from the FT-710 on 10m today |
UPDATE 1506z: OK I am lazy! My TX is currently set to "fix TX frequency" in WSJT-X, meaning I rarely go after others. With 271 stations spotting me, I have not been called by a single station. ALC is very low and I am running about 10W.
UPDATE 1528z: So far today on 10m FT8 with about 10W spotted by 317 unique stations using the FT-710. May try 12m.
UPDATE 1758z: My 2m big-wheel and coax match on my FT-710, so I am giving 4m a try. I am on 70.154 MHz with about 10W of FT8, although there seems some uncertainty about the 4m FT8 frequency.
UPDATE 1827z: No spots of me (or others) on 4m FT8. I hope I am on the right spot.
UPDATE 2101z: I gave up on 4m for several reasons: not sure of FT8 frequency, poor antenna, low activity. Now on 6m FT8 and being spotted by quite a few. Furthermost on 6m FT8 is MI0BOT (478km). The convention in the UK is to TX evens, but of course more UK stations will spot you on "odd" periods as they are listening then. Judging by the number of stations on RX (none at all!) I guess most people are just on RX.
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| Stations spotting me tonight on 6m FT8 TX |
UPDATE 2211z: QRT now. 14 spots of me on 6m FT8 TX.
16 Mar 2023
Future projects
These are the projects I want to do in the coming weeks:
- 23cm SSB QSO with G4BAO.
- Local 481 THz QRSS tests bouncing off local things like the windmill and church.
- NLOS optical test at 481 THz with G4HJW.
- FT8 with the FT-710.
- Continued 8m tests, probably with WSPR near 40.680 MHz USB dial.
- Write another article ( I have an idea).
- Erect a 4m band halo.
Total exhaustion - NOT amateur radio
Things are far harder for me nowadays. Although I try to do "normal" things , I get exhausted very quickly after mental or physical things. This must be a combination of getting older and my 2013 stroke. My stroke after-effects cause me to be giddy almost all my waking hours. This is a "hidden disability" that few can see or understand.
As I have said many times, never judge a book by its cover. Many people suffer in silence whilst casual observers can see nothing wrong and mistake exhaustion for laziness.
FT-710 and FT8
As you may recall, I have been struggling to get this working. Later today I have a "window" to update the firmware and try the recommended settings again. Hopefully I can get things going.
Our grandchildren go shortly and our best man (from a long time ago!) arrives late afternoon.
The death of AM on the amateur bands
Although there are still a few AM nets on some bands, the mode has mostly been replaced by FM and SSB. This is a pity as in years gone by people "chanced" on amateur radio by listening on short wave. I well remember hearing amateurs on 160m AM many years ago. I remember copying G4PJ 4 miles away on a crystal set in the 1960s when he was on AM.
These days, people can no longer just chance on amateur radio. Our hobby has changed and the way newcomers "find" the hobby will be different. Modes like FT8 may be fine for working DX, but it is unlikely to be an introductory route for newcomers. As a person with a poor voice, I quite like FT8 and WSPR. At the same time, I am conscious that these modes cannot be ways in to the hobby.
AM had many advantages: gear was simple, ex-PMR radios were practically being given away and signals could be detected by very simple detectors. The simplest was just a diode detector. As I recall weak signals were better on AM than FM. Of course AM carriers could be a real nuisance.
Many today have never experienced AM, which is sad.
Even MW/LW broadcast AM is being phased out.
Several of my designs in the past were for simple AM transceivers. See my website at www.g3xbm.co.uk or my free PDF book for details.
Where I lived as a teenager - NOT amateur radio
This very old engraving shows Kingsbridge, Devon as it was over 200 years ago.
Although it has changed quite a bit, the main town is still very recognisable. I lived there from 1959-1970. It is at the head of the Kingsbridge Estuary, that is actually a ria or drowned river valley.
It is still a very beautiful area today.
15 Mar 2023
Eddystone EC10 RX
This RX was first introduced in the late 1960s and was the first transistorised communications RX. It sold for £48 when it first appeared, and we all (well quite a few of us) wanted one.
By modern standards it was hopeless. At high HF the image rejection was pathetic because of the low IF. They still appear on sites like eBay for a fortune. They have become collector's pieces. I briefly owned one a long time ago, goodness knows why. They used germanium transistors and these became leaky with time. Many need replacing. Mechanically, these receivers were excellent. Shame about the electronics!
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commercial-rigs/eddystone-ec10 .
Burston strike school, Norfolk - NOT amateur radio
This evening, we went to our local history society meeting. It was a talk on the Burston Strike School in Norfolk. The speaker did not use a projector and just spoke. It was excellent.
I had not heard about this before, but interested to hear this was all so near. It was in an age when society was very stratified.
Bus ride - NOT amateur radio
Every Wednesday I go to and from Cambridge by bus. The ride is free with my bus pass and I can just relax and watch the world go by. It is as quick as by car. One of the villages we go through is Swaffham Prior which has 2 churches and 2 windmills!!
The photo shows the 2 churches through the bus window.
Birkitts, Lincoln
This photo of Birkitts shop in Lincoln was taken 2 years ago. I have no idea if it is still there. At one time all sorts of parts were sold. I think the owner died a few years ago.
10m QRP WSPR TX (Wednesday)
At the moment, I am on 10m WSPR with my 500mW TX beacon. It is now 0900z. The beacon is tiny. I sync time using my atomic clock in the shack. Thank you (you know who you are!). No PC is needed at all.
UPDATE 0920z: Already spots by local G4KPX (14km) and EA8/DF4UE (2876km). I think the Canary Is is single hop F2 propagation. This station gets me most mornings.
UPDATE 1522z: No further stations spotting me. I was expecting some USA spots by now.
Cambridge - NOT amateur radio
Every Wednesday, I go into Cambridge on the bus for my University of the 3rd Age lecture. It is all too easy to take it for granted, but it has some very fine buildings that people cross the world to see. One of these is King's College Chapel shown in the photo.
14 Mar 2023
10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)
At about 2030z, I turned on my 10m 500mW TX beacon. Just spots by local G4KPX (14km).
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