630m (472 kHz) WSPR RX

As per previous recent evenings, I have QSYed to 630m WSPR RX using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. So far, just G1GKN (54km) spotted.

Seen yesterday - NOT amateur radio

 

This great crested grebe pair was seen at St Ives yesterday. There were lots of birds.

Politically neutral? - NOT amateur radio

Politically, I have always been what they call "a floating voter".  This means I have no idea who I shall vote for in a local or a General Election. 

I was amused to read in The Knowledge today of some view of the UK Labour Party leader, who expressed a view that the UK is gradually losing its status in the world. I think this is true and in the 21st century it is more likely we will see China and India on the rise.

It was strange to see Keir Starmer suggest last week that the UK is “drifting off the international stage”, says Dominic Lawson in the Daily Mail. Has he forgotten about the AUKUS deal, signed earlier this year, uniting the UK, US and Australia in a pact to use nuclear-powered submarines as a counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific? Or the new UK-Japan Hiroshima Accord, which includes plans to collaborate on a next-generation fighter jet? Or indeed that Britain has become the first European member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement? The Labour leader has always been “intensely Eurocentric”, so he’s probably thinking about the EU. But even the Europeans acknowledge that, as the German magazine Internationale Politik Quarterly puts it, “Britain is Back”. Why can’t Starmer see it too? 

8m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

 My 2.5W to the dipole was turned on about 0825z. I am hoping to spot some Belgian stations. Once again I am on 40.680 MHz DF about 1950 Hz TXing in the first period.

UPDATE 0852z:  8m spots by local G4WSZ (12km). Running QRP, I am grateful for all spots.

UPDATE 1545z: 3 stations have spotted my QRP 8m FT8 today including Rik ON7YD (336km).

10m QRP WSPR TX (Saturday)

My 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was turned on at 0824z.  Already F2 spots from the Canary  Is.. Earlier spots were with the PA off, so would only be low microwatts. If genuine, these are remarkable.  I might try again with the PA off!

UPDATE 0845z: I have turned OFF my beacon PA, to see if there are any spots! An interesting experiment.

UPDATE 0941z:  Already one spot from the Canary Is. with the PA off!!  My beacon still says 0.5W (preprogrammed) but my actual power must be just microwatts. At some point I must find out what it really is. EA8BFK's report (-24dB S/N) suggests microwatts. Amazing.

UPDATE 1552z: Quite a few spots from 2 stations in the Canary Is. despite my beacon PA being OFF!!   As I said before, although my beacon is preprogrammed to say 0.5W, the actual power transmitted must be microwatts.

2 sides to every story - NOT amateur radio

Since going on holiday to Montenegro, I am even more conscious that there are two sides to an argument, Clearly the Russian people are fed a line that the invasion of Ukraine is a "special military operation" and the evil West continues to supply weapons and wants the downfall of Russia. We in the West are told the brave Ukrainian people are the heroes, fighting the invaders.

In Kosovo, NATO is trying to stop the Serbs taking it back by force. I did not realise that Kosovo was once populated mainly by Serbs and in more recent times there is an Albanian majority.

What I am saying is we, and all people,  need to see the whole context in an unbiased way. Of course ethnic cleansing of any kind is totally wrong, and most wars achieve little. Too often people in many nations are fed a line by the media.

Get your information from multiple sources and take what you read and hear with a degree of questioning.

630m disappointment

Last night I was again on 630m WSPR RX. However just 3 unique stations were spotted. 

Sunspots - Saturday September 30th 2023

Solar flux is 155 and the SSN 102. A=12 and K=1. 

Being old (some advantages) - NOT amateur radio

There are some advantages of being old! We do not have to work and we have a free bus pass. 

Today, for free, we went on the guided bus to St Ives in Cambridgeshire in bright sunshine. The guided bus is fast, traffic free, and uses the same route as the old St Ives branch railway from Cambridge.

After an excellent lunch in the URC church cafe, we sat by the river and went to the local museum.

630m WSPR RX last evening

 In the end, 6 stations were spotted. There was nothing new spotted after midnight.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Friday)

My 500mW beacon is on. Just a single spot by DK6UG (633km) early this mornig.

 
UPDATE 1820z:  9 stations have spotted me today. I seem to be spotted in Antarctica regularly these days! In 5 years' time this would seem remarkable.

8m QRP FT8 (Friday)

 Although I am not expecting much, I am again on 40.680 MHz QRP FT8. Any reports would be welcomed.....from anyone!!

UPDATE 1549z: Today I was spotted for the first time in Luxembourg and I spotted one of the Belgian stations now able to TX legally with an amateur call on 8m. Altogether, 2 spots of my 8m QRP FT8 today.

UPDATE 1830z:   3 stations have spotted me (see map) today.

USA prefixes

 At one time you knew a W6 was on the west coast, probably California. If you spotted a W1, chances were it was in New England and W4 was probably Florida.  Not any more!! 

Yesterday I was spotted on 10m QRP WSPR by a W7. He was on the east coast! Whereas at one time the USA prefix gave you a clue to where the person was, you now have no way of knowing. 

Yet another step backwards.

Oscar 100 narrowband transponder activity

As you know I take a regular peek at activity levels on the narrowband transponder of Oscar 100. It has been pointed out to me that this has encouraged microwave activity especially in Europe. This is certainly true. 

Personally, I was expecting this to become the de facto way of DXing within its footprint. It promised DX, at any time, without QSB with a small fixed antenna (that could even be at ground level) and modest power.  No tower, expensive beams or linear needed!! Very neighbour friendly. 

In my view, I was expecting it to be far busier. When I last looked at European teatime midweek, activity levels were still quiet. 

One transistor transceiver

My attention was brought to this design yesterday. 

My immediate thoughts were than the TX would be fine, but the RX very deaf. For local QSOs and experiments fine, but it could not be seriously used as the RX would not be able to hear who is on the channel. If the other station TXed first, you would know the channel was clear.

See https://semara.org/tech-talk-a-one-transistor-marvel-transceiver/ .

Yesterday on 10m QRP WSPR TX

My 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was spotted by 24 stations including the German Research Station DP0GVN (13685km) in Antarctica.  I have lost count how many times I have been spotted down there. I expect their noise floor is pretty quiet!

Sunspots - Friday September 29th 2023

Solar flux is 148 and the SSN 109. A=6 and K=2. 

630m WSPR RX (Thursday)

At about 1900z, I QSYed to 630m WSPR RX with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. Just G1GKN (54km) spotted so far this evening at 1917z.

UPDATE 2015z: 4 stations have been spotted.

Wicken Fen lunch - NOT amateur radio

 

As mentioned in an earlier post, we walked to Wicken Fen where we ate lunch.

6m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

At about 1250z, my 6m QRP FT8 was turned on. So far, at 1255z, spotted by just 1 local G6KWA (22km).

UPDATE 1333z: Spotted by OH7PS (1698km) a burst of Es or even F2? I suppose it could have been random MS.

UPDATE 1417z: 2 locals have spotted me, 1 G further afield and one OH.