One of my wife's Christmas presents was a rain gauge. We record the rain that has fallen each day and total up the month. February was very dry and, so far, in March, we have already had more than the whole of February!
9 Apr 2023
2m Fredbox QSO
This was in 2011 and shows me in QSO with the 10mW 2m AM Fredbox. Many years ago I had a cross channel QSO with it handheld. These days it is hard enough having an FM QSO on 2m!
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/homebrew/fredbox.
Grand master? - NOT amateur radio
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| Playing chess with one of my grandsons |
There is no way I am good at chess!
A very useful app is https://www.chess.com/ where you can play against others online or against the computer.
The more successful chess players think well ahead - unlike me!
8m band
This is midway between 10m and 6m. It is only allocated to the Amateur Radio Service and in a few countries it has been allocated for experiments only to a handful of stations. In some cases this is very reluctantly.
It is my view that others could gain access without a licence in the ISM band from 40.66-40.70 MHz as long as local conditions are fully met. You need to convince yourself of the legality. In the UK this means 10mW ERP. On WSPR, this can go a very long way. In Australia 5mW of 8m WSPR has spanned 5000km!
In the next few months in the Es season 10mW ERP will definitely allow UK stations to be copied across Europe on 8m WSPR.
With sunspot numbers high at the moment, the F2 MUF exceeds 42MHz on occasions so very long distances are possible at times with FT8 or WSPR even with QRP.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/8m-band .
8 Apr 2023
Soon to be obscured - NOT amateur radio
Yesterday, some of the hedge on the south side of our garden was cut back. The view of the village church about 300m away is now very good. In a few weeks' time this will be obscured by leaves on the trees.
Now this foliage is cut back I want to replace my earth-electrode "antenna". In a few weeks this will be much harder.
10m QRP FT8 (Saturday)
My 10m FT8 with the tiny QDX transceiver was turned on at 0835z.
UPDATE 1140z: 149 stations spotted and 42 stations have spotted my 10m FT8 QRP today with the QDX.
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| Stations that spotted my QRP today with the tiny QDX |
UPDATE 1909z: 216 spots of my 10m FT8 QRP today with the QDX.
Plans for today
One of my aims for today is to reinstall my earth-electrode antenna in the ground and try it out on MF with the FT-710. I shall probably go on 12m or 10m FT8 with the tiny QDX.
Absent friends?
It is odd how you do not see postings from people you know about for a while and then realise they are not there. Many times there is a good reason and they pop up again. For some time I have not heard from Mike Rainey W1TJ or Jay Wilson W5OLF. Just wondering if they are OK? If you have any news please let me know. They're kind and generous people.
First swallow seen - NOT amateur radio
See the RSPB website for details: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swallow/
7 Apr 2023
Simple 10m FT8 RX as the Es season approaches
Now seems a good time to remind people of my very simple 10m FT8 receiver, the 10FT8R. Even buying all parts new, I doubt it would cost more than 4 cups of coffee out. It allows the "big rig" to be used for something else whilst keeping a watchful eye on 10m FT8. The design uses low cost crystals and a Polyakov mixer that requires injection at half frequency in a direct conversion RX. The design appeared in RadCom last year. It works remarkably well. My thanks to Jay, W5OLF for doing the schematic drawing.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .
10m FT8 QRP with the QDX (Friday)
Again, I am on 10m FT8 QRP with the QDX which runs less than 5W. It is now 0925z and I have been on for about 10 minutes. So far, spotted by 1 station 4X1UF (3513km) and 4 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX.
UPDATE 1550z: So far today, my QRP 10m FT8 spotted by 57 stations on 5 continents.
Oscar 100 narrowband transponder
Every few weeks I like to give an update on activity levels on this geosynchronous satellite by looking at the web SDR at Goonhilly Downs in Cornwall. The last time I looked was late afternoon in the UK on a Thursday. Activity levels remain low.
See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .
6 Apr 2023
OFCOM updates
A reminder that OFCOM updates the data it holds on us every week. Check the OFCOM website for details.
Earth-electrode "antenna"
This has been used for many years from VLF-60m with great success. After cutting back some bushes, I want to replace this and try it on 630m, 160m and 80m. Although theories vary, I think it acts as a loop in the ground at MF. It certainly works remarkably well.
Most of the path is in the ground with just the return wire from the far electrode along the fence. Tests with the return wire on the ground at 630m made little difference, so most of the radiation is from the loop in the ground.
If my theory is correct, the effective loop diameter gets bigger as you move LF. At 2200m it should be even better!
African migrant birds - NOT amateur radio
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| Swift |
Locally swift numbers did not seem down on normal. Swifts usually arrive here in numbers mid May. Often they are heard screaming in the sky before they are seen. "They are back", goes out the cry and all is still well with the world. Not yet...
See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swift/.
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